SteepleCats Rally Past Vermont in Ninth Inning

iBerkshires.com Sports10:06PM / Wednesday, June 24, 2026Print Story | Email Story

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. -- The North Adams SteepleCats Wednesday scored two runs on an error in the bottom of the ninth to earn a 5-4 win over the Vermont Mountaineers in the New England Collegiate Baseball League.

Matthew Colella started the game-winning rally with a single to left. Chris Diaz then drew a walk.

Hunter Ray's fly ball to center allowed both runners to move up, and the Mountaineers intentionally walked Jake Butler to load the bases.

Nelphie Lopez then grounded into a fielder's choice, but an error on the play allowed Colella and Diaz to score to end the game.

Vermont rallied to take the lead with two runs in the fifth and one in the sixth after North Adams built a 3-1 lead.

Jake Butler went 2-for-3 and Lopez doubled in a six-hit attack for the SteepleCats.

North Adams used five relievers on the mound after starter Gage Wheaton went four innings, allowing one run. Parker Guthrie earned the win after striking out a pair in a scoreless ninth inning.

North Adams (3-12) goes to Vermont to play the Upper Valley Nighthawks on Friday.

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Q&A with State Representative Challenger Andrew Fitch

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires Staff
10:01AM / Sunday, August 23, 2026

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — On Sept. 1, voters in the First Berkshire District will decide whether they want to send a new representative to Beacon Hill in Boston.

Andrew Fitch, currently a city councilor in the district's largest municipality — and the commonwealth's smallest city — is challenging former North Adams Mayor John Barrett III, who won the First Berkshire seat in a 2017 special election, in the Democratic Party primary.

There is no Republican on the primary ballot for the First Berkshire seat so the primary will effectively be the election for the seat.

The two candidates met for their only debate on Aug. 13 at Williams College. iBerkshires.com reached out to both candidates to follow up on some of the points raised in the debate and get their thoughts on some other issues facing the district.

Below are excerpts from a conversation with challenger Andrew Fitch:

Question: From the very beginning, you talked about the campaign as a listening experience, and this week you're continuing that with the bike tour …

Andrew Fitch: Knocking on doors that have never been knocked on before. … I was riding through, I believe it was Hinsdale coming into Windsor, and they started to yell at me, 'No!' And then the guy was like, 'Wait a second. That's Andrew Fitch.' They actually knew who I was, and they were actually wanting to chat with me.

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