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PITTSFIELD, Mass. – The Pittsfield Colonials garnered another piece of hardware from their second straight run to the playoffs Wednesday as pitcher Pat Moran of Winterport was named the Can-Am League Rookie of the Year.

Moran went 11-3 this summer with a 3.56 earned run average. He ranked tied for third in the independent Can-Am League in wins and tied for fifth in complete games (3) while finishing 10th in ERA.

Moran joined the Colonials midway through the 2010 season after graduating from Saint Joseph's College in Standish and went 5-2, but retained his rookie status for 2011 because he had not had any professional experience before last year, according to a Can-Am League news release.

"It is a great honor to win the Rookie of the Year," said Moran. "I have worked hard personally and tried to dedicate myself to becoming better every time I pitch."

Moran credits a lot of his success to his Colonials' teammates and coaching staff.

"I would not have received this honor without the help and support of my family, friends and especially teammates this year," he said. "We are a close-knit group that I love coming to play with everyday."

The 6-foot-4, 210-pound righthander, a graduate of Hampden Academy, really turned things on during the second half of the season.

Starting with a win over Brockton on July 4, Moran went 8-1 in 10 starts with a 2.18 ERA. In 70.1 innings pitched during that span, he only walked 16 (one intentionally) and struck out 49 while only surrendering three home runs.

In August, Moran went 5-0 with a 1.50 ERA, and he enters postseason play with wins in each of his last six decisions overall.

Voting for the Can-Am rookie of the year involved the league's eight field managers as well as one media member covering each team.

Moran's selection continues a big week for Pittsfield in the postseason awards department. On Monday, Jamie Keefe was named the Can-Am League's Manager of the Year while on Tuesday Danny Bomback was selected as the circuit's post-season All-Star second baseman.

After a rainout on Wednesday, the third-seeded Colonials (53-39) were scheduled start the Can-Am playoffs at No. 2 New Jersey on Thursday at 7:05 p.m. with former seven-year major leaguer Chad Paronto (9-7, 3.80) on the hill for Pittsfield against Isaac Pavlik (13-3, 2.73) for the Jackals.

Moran is scheduled to pitch in Game 2 against the Jackals on Friday night.

The Can-Am League's other semifinal series pits top-seeded and two-time defending champion and top-seeded Quebec against fourth-seeded Brockton, with Quebec holding a 1-0 lead in the best-of-five series after a 10-1 win over the Rox on Wednesday night.

The best-of-five Can-Am League championship series is scheduled to start Sept. 13.

ALSO:

Winterport's Moran shines for playoff-bound Can-Am League team - Bangor Daily News