Four Double-Digit Offensive Explosions Take Place Tuesday Night
Four teams put up 10 or more runs on the scoreboard, all leading to wins. A rain-shortened game, as well as a nailbiter at Mackenzie Field make up the rest of Wednesday night's game slate.
North Adams SteepleCats vs Valley Blue Sox
Final Score: Blue Sox 2, SteepleCats 1
Holyoke, MA- The Blue Sox won on a thrilling walk off in the eleventh inning
It was a pitching duel in tonight's game. Nolan Currier (Salem State) got the start for the SteepleCats, going five innings allowing only one run on three hits with two walks and four strikeouts. Jakob Foster (Mt. St. Mary's) was the first out of the bullpen going one inning allowing no runs on no hits with one strikeout, followed by Samuel Formus (Portal) who allowed no runs on no hits and struck out two in his one inning of work. Richie Kerstetter (CCSU) also threw two innings of relief allowing no runs, only one hit and one walk with three strikeouts.
Alex Barrist (Lafayette) was responsible for the lone Cats run, with an RBI in the top of the seventh scoring Nicolas LoBello (Towson) from third.
Jacob Mulvehill (Lehigh) got the start for the Blue Sox, going four innings allowing no runs on three hits. Alex Hill (Mary Hardin-Baylor) followed with two innings of relief allowing no runs on no hits and no walks with two strikeouts. Jack Ensell (Barry) was the star of the Blue Sox bullpen tonight, throwing the final four innings of relief, allowing no runs on no hits and no walks with eight strikeouts. He held off the SteepleCats in the eighth and ninth, and shut it down through the tenth and eleventh to help secure the walk off win.
Nick Tomasetto (Seton Hall) was responsible for both of the Blue Sox runs, with an RBI single to left in the bottom of the second and the game winning RBI in the eleventh to score Jack Myers (Georgia Southern).
Both teams will have the day off tomorrow as they prepare for their next games on Friday, July 3rd. The Blue Sox will head home to host the Mystic Schooners on Friday, while the SteepleCats head to Maxfield Sports Complex to take on the Upper Valley Nighthawks on Friday.
Martha's Vineyard Sharks vs. Bristol Blues
Final Score:Blues 13, Sharks 6
Martha's Vineyard, MA - The Bristol Blues notch a dominant 13-6 win over the Martha's Vineyard Sharks in their barn on Wednesday night. Nick Flores (VCU) had quite the day, going 3-for-5 with a walk and five RBI.
Bristol started the game pretty well, to say the least. Justin Ruiz (High Point) knocked an RBI single to right field to score the first run. After that, Bristol forced three straight bases loaded walks to add another three runs. Martha's Vineyard, undeterred, put together some runs of their own. A Jackson Taylor (Clemson) bases loaded walk got them on the board before a Nick Barron (Northwestern) two-run single brought the game to 4-3 after one inning.
Jack Balcer (Quinnipiac) answered back in the top of the third, driving a ball over the right field fence for his first home run of the season, extending the lead to 6-3. Griffin Crain (Louisville) notched a solo home run of his own for the Sharks to make it 6-4.
Flores came up in the fifth and produced an RBI single of his own to extend the Bristol lead. Later on, JJ Romatzick (Hartford) later stole home on a first and third play to make it 8-4 Blues.
Taylor knocked in another run with an RBI single in the bottom of the fifth. However, the top of the sixth was a bit of a nightmare for Martha's Vineyard. An error from Sharks second baseman Jailen Watkins (Miami) brought in two more runs for Bristol, making it 10-5. Flores cleared the bases with a triple to make it 13-5, before Antonio Ducatelli (Central Connecticut) drove him in to cap off a six-run sixth inning.
The Sharks got one back in the form of a sacrifice fly, although Flores homered in the ninth to get it back. Frank Spirito (UConn) got the win with 3.2 innings out of the pen. Kian Vorster (Louisville) took the loss, allowing four runs, three of them earned.
Martha's Vineyard gets to stay home as the Newport Gulls pay them a visit on Thursday. Bristol will travel to Old Mountain Field for a matchup against the Ocean State Blues.
Newport Gulls vs. Danbury Westerners
Final Score: Gulls 13, Westerners 5
Newport, RI - The Newport Gulls pull away for a 13-5 victory over the Danbury Westerners at Cardines Field on Wednesday night. Four Gulls hitters recorded multiple RBI in this contest.
The Gulls jumped out to an early lead with a Devan Zirwas (Coastal Carolina) RBI double. However, that lead wouldn't last long, as Jack Edmunds (Brown) hit a three-run nuke to left-center field to make it 3-1 Westerners. Fortunately for Newport, Cole Johnson (Austin Peay) brought it to 3-2 with an RBI double in the second inning.
Things got real tricky for Danbury in the bottom of the fifth. Brandon Larson (USC) tied the game with an RBI single. A wild pitch gave Newport a 4-3 lead right after. Caeden Cloud (Kentucky) proceeded to blow the game wide open with a bases-clearing double to go up 7-3. A Zirwas single, followed up by an error from right fielder Jack Lutte (Denison) scored Cloud to put the finishing touches on a six-run fifth inning. An RBI groundout from Larson in the sixth made it 9-3.
Lutte would make up for his error in the fifth inning with a two-run bomb to bring the deficit to four runs. However, a solo bomb from Tristan Salinas (Rutgers) got the Gulls to double-digit runs. A bases loaded walk, with a couple more RBI single brought the game to its eventual final score.
David McSweeney (Northeastern) got the win, pitching three shutout innings out of the bullpen. Glenn Smith (Richmond) took the loss, giving up four runs, three of them unearned. The Gulls have a tough matchup against the Martha's Vineyard Sharks out at the island on Thursday. Danbury will head to Alumni Field for a game against the Keene Swamp Bats.
Sanford Mainers vs Vermont Mountainers
Final Score: Mountaineers 2, Mainers 1 (Bottom of 3rd)
Montpelier, VT- The Vermont Mountaineers held a 2-1 lead over the Sanford Mainers when the game was suspended at the bottom of third inning, due to weather conditions. Vermont scored both of its runs in the second inning, with Matthew Minckler (Delaware) driving in JJ Parsons (UNC Greensboro) on an RBI single before Tyler Jones (Portal) followed with an RBI base hit to score Minckler. Sanford answered in the top of third when Albert De La Rosa (UMaine) singled home Domenico Tozzi (Coastal Carolina), but no further scoring took place before weather halted play.
Vermont Mountaineers will play against the North Shore Navigators Thursday night and offer Free Admission to celebrate Fourth of July Weekend. Sanford Mainers will face the Keene Swamp Bats Friday night.
Mystic Schooners vs Ocean State Waves
Final Score: Schooners 13, Waves 3
Groton, CT- The Mystic Schooners pounded out 13 runs on 12 hits to run past the Ocean State Waves, 13-3, powered by a four-run sixth and a four-run seventh that turned a competitive game into a rout. Jack Harley (Stetson) led the Schooners' offensive outburst, going 3-for-5 with four RBI, while Jamie Zee (Norte Dame) added three hits, two RBI, and a stolen base from the shortstop spot. Gabriel Natividad (Winthrop U) chipped in a 1-for-2 night with three RBI, and Anthony Ruggiero (Northeastern) and Anthony Belisario (Portal) each scored twice atop the lineup to keep the pressure on all night.
On the mound, Mystic got a strong start from Nick Santivanez (Cal St Fullerton), who worked four innings and allowed just one earned run while striking out five. Calvin Gregory (Oregon St U) was even better in relief, tossing two hitless, scoreless innings with four strikeouts to pick up the win, and Luke Trout (Brown) and Nick Coniglio (Northeastern) closed things out by combining for two scoreless frames to seal it.
Ocean State didn't go quietly, and Jack LaRose (URI) was the bright spot for the Waves, blasting two home runs and driving in three of the team's three runs on a 2-for-3 night at the plate. Charlie Saul (Bryant) and Gabriel Milano (UMiami) each collected multi-hit games, and Blaize Ward (Vanderbilt) and Samuel Fernandez (Stetson) also reached base with hits as the Waves tried to answer back.
Ocean State's pitching staff struggled to find the strike zone, as starter Kayden Faulcon (Pitt) took the loss after allowing five runs in four innings, and the bullpen trio of Boston Flannery (North Carolina), Andrew Jacobs (Arizona), and Kalen Applefield (Long Beach St) combined to give up eight more runs the rest of the way. Despite the final score, LaRose's power display gave Ocean State fans a couple of highlights to hang onto in an otherwise tough night at the plate.
Ocean State will return home to face the Bristol Blues Thursday night. The Mystic Schooners will play against the Upper Valley Nighthawks at home field Thursday night.
Keene Swamp Bats vs North Shore Navigators
Final Score: Swamp Bats 14, Navigators 5
Keene, NH – A second-inning explosion powered the Keene Swamp Bats to a commanding 14-5 victory over the North Shore Navigators on Wednesday night at Alumni Field.
The SwampBats wasted no time, striking in the bottom of the first when Jackson Marshall (UConn) launched a two-run home run to right center.
North Shore answered in the second with a solo blast from Maddix Simpson (Ohio State), but the momentum quickly swung back to the hosts. In the bottom of the frame, Keene capitalized on walks before Collin Anderson (Duke) hammered a two-run shot to left. The rally continued as Chris Polemeni (UConn) hit an RBI single and Charlie Meglio (Rutgers) cracked a two-run double, capping a five-run outburst.
The Navigators chipped away with two runs in the fifth on run-scoring groundouts from Grant Hunter (Binghamton) and Danati Fronduto (San Jacinto College North).
However, Keene ended any threat of a comeback by adding two runs in the seventh and another four in the eighth, highlighted by solo home runs from Dylan Fitzsimmons (St. Johns) and Nico Senese (Georgia Southern).
North Shore pushed across two runs in the ninth, but it was not enough to mount a comeback.
The Navs host the Vermont Mountaineers tomorrow night while Keene travels to face the Danbury Westerners at Rogers Park.
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