South Division - Martha's Vineyard Bolsters Playoff Hopes, Danbury Defeats Mystic
Mystic Schooners vs. Danbury Westerners
Final Score: Danbury 6, Mystic 1
Danbury, CT – The Westerners hosted the Schooners for a cross-state rivalry, feeling good after a third consecutive Home Run Derby crown. In the bottom of the second, Kyle Garbowski (Quinnipiac) got things started for Danbury when he drove in two runs on a single to put the Westerners up 2-0. The next inning, Aidan Paradine (Siena) hit a two-run home run, driving in another pair of runs for Danbury to increase their lead to 4-0. In the bottom of the sixth, Michael Iannazzo (Maryland) drove in another Westerner run on a sac fly, to amass a 5-0 lead.
In the top of the eighth, Eric Cha (Northeastern) showed some fight for Mystic when he drove in a run on a single, cutting the lead to 5-1. In the bottom of the inning, however, Brice Estep (Coastal Carolina) put the game to sleep when he hit a solo home run, finalizing the score at 6-1 for a Westerners win.
Danbury pitching totaled seven strikeouts, with Keenan Elarton (Houston Baptist) racking up six. Danbury improves to 15-19, while Mystic falls to 17-21, still a spot ahead of Danbury in the South.
You can view the box score here
Ocean State Waves vs. Martha’s Vineyard Sharks
Final Score: Martha’s Vineyard 3, Ocean State 1
Oak Bluffs, MA – The Martha’s Vineyard Sharks took down the Ocean State Waves in a tight 3-1 battle behind a stellar pitching performance from eight different arms.
William Wallace (Pomona-Pitzer) got the start for the Sharks, throwing two hitless innings to open things up. He gave up two hits in the third before being relieved by Ryan Ashford (Miami (FL)), who limited the damage and kept the Waves off the board.
The Sharks, meanwhile, did not register a hit until the fourth. A leadoff double off the bat of Carter Bentley (Northeastern) put a runner in scoring position, and a ground out followed by a sacrifice fly from Gio Colasante (Harvard) gave Martha’s Vineyard a 1-0 lead.
After a hitless fifth and sixth inning from both sides, two singles in the seventh by Max Kaufer (South Carolina) and Hunter High (Tennessee) gave the Sharks a prime opportunity to extend the lead. However, Ocean State pitcher Corey Kling (South Florida) remained composed and struck out two in the inning to keep the Sharks' lead at one.
In the top of the eighth, Ocean State’s Greg Pettay (South Alabama) notched a leadoff double, the Waves’ first hit since the third inning. Ryan King (Rhode Island) then plated Pettay with an RBI groundout, tying the game at one. Martha’s Vineyard wasted no time responding, as an RBI single from Colasante in the bottom of the frame gave the Sharks the lead right back. Will Hampton (Vanderbilt) then scored on a wild pitch to bring the score to 3-1.
Peter Dubie (Brown) shut down the Waves in the top of the ninth, securing the victory while being issued the win.
If finishing with three hits on the night wasn’t hard enough, the Waves have now dropped their sixth straight game and are spiraling in the wrong direction as playoffs near. They sit 15-21, now last place in the South Division, and look to bounce back against Danbury on Wednesday at 6:30 pm. Martha’s Vineyard improves to 22-16, and travels to the Mystic Schooners for another 6:30 pm contest on Wednesday night.
The New England Collegiate Baseball League is a wooden bat college summer league that fields teams in all six New England states. Partially funded by Major League Baseball, the New England League started play in 1994 and has sent over 230 alumni to the Major Leagues with nearly 30 alumni taken in the first round of the MLB Draft. For continuing coverage of the NECBL, visit NECBL.com and follow the league on Twitter, Instagram and on Facebook.
