Waves and Schooners Break Out the Bats, Navigators Win Fifth Straight
North Adams, MA – Thursday night across the NECBL featured plenty of offense, highlighted by Ocean State’s 16-run outburst in a win over Newport and Mystic’s 12-run performance against North Adams. North Shore also continued its hot streak, rallying late to earn a comeback victory over Upper Valley.
Mystic Schooners vs. North Adams Steeplecats
Final Score: Schooners 12, Steeplecats 6
Mystic, CT - The Mystic Schooners hold off the North Adams Steeplecats late rally, and win 12-6 on Thursday night.
Chris Diaz (Marist) got the party started with an RBI double in the top of the first to go up 1-0. Mystic responded right back in the bottom of the second inning with a bases-loaded walk from Jack Harley (Stetson), followed by a two-run single from Casey Wensley (Bryant).
The Schooners extended their lead with a sacrifice fly from Anthony Belisario (Portal), as well as an RBI single from Thomas O'Connell (Virginia) to go up 5-1 through three innings. Coming up to the plate with bases loaded, Jamie Zee (Notre Dame) smacked a two-run double to extend the lead to 7-1. Camden Righi (UConn) drove in another run when grounding out to second base to notch another run.
With the bases loaded in the top of the eighth, Tony Woodie (SUNY Cobleskill) got plunked by a pitch. Parker Carmelo (Portal) followed up by drawing a four-pitch walk, driving in another run. Luke Trout (Brown) came out of the bullpen for Mystic and threw two wild pitches, before surrendering an RBI single to Matthew Colella (Lafayette).
Despite giving up five runs in the top of the inning, Mystic's offense wasn't done producing. An RBI double from Zee and an RBI single from Belisario brought the Schooners to double-digit runs. Mystic reliever Scott Penney (U of Rhode Island) threw another pair of wild pitches that brought in two more North Adams runs.
Zev Salsberg (Bryant) got the win, pitching two scoreless innings out of the bullpen. North Adams starter Jake Foster (Rhode Island College) took the loss, allowing seven runs in three innings. Liam Chamberlain (Portal) got his first save of the year.
Upper Valley Nighthawks vs North Shore Navigators
Final Score: North Shore 4, Upper Valley 2
Lynn, MA – A late-game rally pushed the North Shore Navigators past the Upper Valley Nighthawks in a back-and-forth victory on Thursday night.
The Nighthawks struck first in the top of the third inning, when Frank Kelly (High Point) impressed the crowd by stealing second, third, and home to put Upper Valley up one. The Navigators quickly answered in the bottom half of the frame as Grant Hunter (Binghamton) launched a solo home run to tie the game.
Hudson Ellis (Oral Roberts) drew a bases-loaded walk to push North Shore ahead in the fifth, but Upper Valley responded in the sixth when Nick Quagliato (Portal) laced an RBI double to score AJ DeMastrie (Dartmouth) and even the game at 2-2.
The Navs pulled ahead for the final time in the bottom of the eighth. Danati Fronduto (San Jacinto) hit an RBI single to score Ellis as the go-ahead run, and Tyler Shulman (Harvard) added insurance with a sacrifice fly to score Simmi Whitehill (Monmouth). Thomas Mahoney (Northeastern) earned the win on the mound for the Navigators, while Jackson Caldwell (UNC Wilmington) took the loss for the Nighthawks.
The Navigators look to make it a six-game win streak tomorrow against the Valley Blue Sox at MacKenzie Stadium, while Upper Valley will hope to bounce back at home against the first place Sanford Mainers.
Ocean State Waves vs Newport Gulls
Final Score: Waves 16, Gulls 12
South Kingstown, RI – The Ocean State Waves defeated the Newport Gulls 16-12 on Thursday night in a high-scoring game with a total 28 combined hits.
The Waves established dominance immediately, answering an early RBI single by Cade Brown (Georgia Tech) with a four-run first inning highlighted by a two-run home run from Charlie Saul (Bryant). Ocean State continued to pile on the runs in the second frame, with an RBI double by Liam Flynn (Nichols College) and an RBI single from Jack LaRose (Rhode Island) to come out with an 8-1 lead.
Newport cut the deficit during the third inning with a solo homer from Gus Gandy (Samford) and an RBI single by Ryan Jaros (Rutgers). However, the Waves kept their foot on the gas. Blaize Ward (Mizzou) crushed a two-run blast in the third, and Saul launched his second two-run home run of the evening during a five-run fifth inning to stretch the lead to 15-5.
The Gulls had an intense ninth-inning rally, scoring six runs on a two-RBI single by Gandy, a three-run blast by Tristan Salinas (Rutgers), and a solo shot from Brown, but the comeback fell short.
The Waves held their lead and won Game 1 of the Rhode Island rivalry Pell Bridge series.
The Waves hope to add on another win tomorrow night against the red hot Martha's Vineyard Sharks, who currently are on a 10 game win streak. The Gulls will host the Danbury Westerners, who they previously defeated 16-4 earlier in the season.
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The New England Collegiate Baseball League is a wooden bat collegiate summer league featuring teams across all six New England states. Since its founding in 1994, the NECBL has produced more than 230 Major League Baseball alumni, including nearly 30 first-round MLB Draft selections. For continuing coverage of the NECBL, visit NECBL.com and follow the league on X, Instagram, and Facebook.
