By Marc Thaler
Staff Writer

Pemboke junior Adam David pitched a no-hitter against John Stark on Monday, April 25. The lefty faced 26 batters on the afternoon in the Spartans. 6-0 victory. (Marc Thaler Photo)

PEMBROKE - Starting pitching was the anticipated strength for Pembroke Academy baseball entering the 2005 Class I campaign.

In their seventh game of the season, Spartans hurler Adam David demonstrated why his team's collective muscle is best flexed from the mound.

The PA junior threw a complete- game no-hitter in a 6-0 victory against visiting John Stark of Weare on Monday, April 25.

"This was a first - never in Little League or anything," the lefty said after the contest, which lasted just one hour, forty-five minutes.

"That's the first no-hitter I've been a head coach for, so that's pretty exciting," added PA head coach Scott Brannen.

David faced a total of 26 batters in his seven innings of work, fanning nine Generals on the afternoon. The southpaw also retired 11 consecutive hitters from the first through fourth innings as he protected a 2-0 PA lead entering the visiting fifth.

Working with little margin for error, David was staked to a more comfortable cushion in the home fifth, when his teammates scored four times to take control.

"He did a good job of getting ahead of the hitters today, and that's kind of been his Achilles. heel," Brannen said of David. "Teams haven't hit him that much. But he finds himself throwing way too many pitches because he's behind in the count on a lot of the batters ... He's basically starting his own trouble, but today he was right on top of the hitters."

PA beat Stark on April 15, 5-4, in a game David's younger brother, Jon, pitched. Familiarity with the Generals. lineup, coupled with the ability to throw with high velocity from various arm angles, helped the PA junior foresee the outcome.

PA tri-captain Nick Krycki scored the Spartans' first run in the bottom of the first inning, sliding home after a two-base throwing error. (Marc Thaler Photo)

"My (pitches) have a lot of movement," David said. "So I can throw it inside and (batters) just jump out of the way."

David isn't the only Spartan who possesses a powerful arm, according to the head coach.

Although PA eventually lost to Con-Val, 15-2, on April 18, junior Jon Hickey took the hill for the start and struck out 11 of the first 12 batters he faced before a blister on his finger forced him to exit.

With a stable pitching staff that includes the David brothers, Hickey and senior tricaptain Mitch Boisvert, the Spartans. biggest challenge, Brannen said, is hitting.

"We're having a hard time timing pitches," the head coach said. "We have a lot of kids that pull the ball quite a bit and they're not patient enough to wait for it."

Facing Stark's starter, an off-speed pitcher, it took the Spartans several innings to make the necessary adjustments - a luxury they likely won't be afforded against the top teams in Class I.

"We need to get that going if we want to go anywhere this year," Brannen said.

Still, the skipper said he was pleased with the performance of all his players, especially since they entered action against JS on a threegame skid.

"The guys stayed together, they were more positive. When you have a couple of tough games it gets frustrating," Brannen said. "But when the pitcher keeps you in the game like that with short innings, it keeps everybody hopping."

The Spartans are also led by senior tri-captains Nick Krycki and Josh Lane, plus fellow seniors Randy Gilbert and Todd Folsom.

In addition, the roster includes juniors Tyler Boisvert and Keith Melanson, sophomores Zach Mason and Josh Muniz, along with freshman Ben Mitchell.

"We want to get into the postseason," Brannen said. "With our pitching, if it continues to be one of our strengths all year, we.ll have a chance to play against anybody."