Sanford Sweeps Vermont, Newport Tops Martha's Vineyard on Monday
North Adams, MA – Monday night across the NECBL featured a doubleheader sweep, a key South Division matchup, and another strong offensive performance from Upper Valley. Sanford took both games from Vermont to strengthen its hold on first place in the North Division, Newport defeated South Division-leading Martha's Vineyard, Upper Valley rolled past North Adams, and Mystic broke open its matchup with Danbury behind an early power surge. Keene also earned an interleague exhibition victory over Nashua.
Sanford Mainers vs. Vermont Mountaineers (Game One)
Final Score: Mainers 9, Mountaineers 6
Sanford, ME - The Sanford Mainers took both legs of their double-header against the Vermont Mountaineers on Monday night.
The game resumed in the third, with Vermont up 2-1. An RBI single from Aidan Botti (Rhode Island (U of)) in the fourth, as well as a pair of them in the sixth from Elliot Miles (UMass Boston) and Chase Ecker (West Virginia) put the Mountaineers up 5-1 through six innings.
However, Sanford went white hot offensively in the seventh and eighth. A groundout from Sam Miller (Binghamton) drove in Sanford's first run of the seventh. De La Rosa drove in a pair of runs with a single to left, before scoring to tie the game at 5-5 on a wild pitch.
The next inning, Domenico Tozzi (Coastal Carolina) granted the Mainers their first lead of the game with a two-run double. De La Rosa capped off his five RBI performance with another two-run single. Despite a sac fly from Ecker, the Mountaineers couldn't mount a comeback.
Michael Bradshaw (Merrimack) got the win for Sanford with 1.1 innings of shutout pitching. Davis Budd (Western Carolina) allowed four runs in his one inning of work, saddling him with the loss. Jasper Nadel (George Washington) got his first save of the season.
Sanford Mainers vs. Vermont Mountaineers (Game Two)
Final Score: Mainers 6, Mountaineers 4
Sanford, ME - Sebastian Collender (Middle Georgia St.) got the scoring started with a second inning RBI single. The Mainers forced the bases loaded in the third, and they took advantage. Jack Tate (St. John's) cleared the bases with a double, giving Sanford a 3-1 lead. Brendan Sencaj (Bentley) drove him in with a single to make it 4-1.
A wild pitch and an RBI single from Miles put Vermont within one in the top of the fourth. In the bottom half, a suicide squeeze from Jacob Harring (Salve Regina) brought in one run, as a throwing error from Miles at third base brought in a second run to make it 6-3. Botti added a run for the Mountaineers with a groundout to shortstop to get to the final score.
Samuel Young (Richmond) took the win with 2.1 innings in relief for the Mainers. Hank Lippman (William & Mary) allowed four runs in 2.2 innings, giving him the loss. Matt Mahoney (Northeastern) notched his third save of the season.
The Mainers will be travelling out to Lynn, Massachusetts for a Wednesday night game against the North Shore Navigators. Vermont will head out to Joe Wolfe Field for another Wednesday night showdown against the North Adams Steeplecats.
Nashua Silver Knights vs Keene Swamp Bats
Final Score: Keene Swamp Bats 2, Nashua Silver Knights 1
Nashua, NH – The Keene Swamp Bats held off the Nashua Silver Knights on Monday in a 2-1 victory. The matchup served as an interleague exhibition contest against the Silver Knights, who compete in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League of New England (FCBL).
Keene jumped in front early during the top of the first inning when Charlie Meglio (Rutgers) doubled to left field, driving home Chris Polemeni (UConn) for a quick 1-0 lead.
Nashua manufactured an answer in the bottom of the fourth, tying the game on a run-scoring single by Robby Grasso.
Avery Smith (Penn State) ignited a rally in the fifth by slicing a double to right center, and Aiden O'Connell (Duke) added the go-ahead run by driving him home with an RBI single.
O'Connell also dominated on the mound, earning the victory after tossing five innings of five-hit ball while racking up seven strikeouts.
Parker Lind (Kent State) secured the save by striking out five over two perfect relief frames, while Declan Wilkes took the loss.
The Keene Swamp Bats return to NECBL action tomorrow as they face off against the Mystic Schooners.
Danbury Westerners vs Mystic Schooners
Final Score: Schooners 11, Westerners 5
Danbury, CT – The Mystic Schooners used an early offensive explosion to defeat the Danbury Westerners in an 11-5 game where the long ball was on full display.
The Schooners wasted no time building a lead. In the top of the first inning, Camden Righi (Connecticut) launched a two-run home run to left field.
Jamie Zee (Notre Dame) added to the cushion in the second with a solo shot.
While Aidan Stern (Trinity) answered for the Westerners with a solo home run, Mystic blew the game open in the third frame when Thomas O'Connell (UVA) blasted a three-run home run to right center.
The Mystic rally continued in the fourth. Following an RBI double from Jack Harley (Stetson), Anthony Ruggiero (Northeastern) capped the four-run frame with a three-run home run to left, extending the lead to 10-1.
Danbury chipped away with solo homers from Ryan Preisano (Wake Forest) and Gavin Donohue (Sacred Heart), alongside an RBI single from Jack Edmunds (Brown), but the deficit proved too large.
Zev Salsberg (Bryant) earned the win in relief for the Schooners, while Danbury starter Jacob Hines (UMass) was credited with the loss.
The Schooners return home tomorrow night to host the Keene Swamp Bats, while the Westerners take on the Bristol Blues at home.
North Adams SteepleCats vs Upper Valley Nighthawks
Final Score: Nighthawks 9, SteepleCats 3
North Adams, MA- The Upper Valley Nighthawks (16-14-1) piled up nine runs on nine hits Monday at Joe Wolfe Field, using a steady offensive push across five different innings to hand the North Adams SteepleCats (7-24) their latest loss. Trey Sejnoha (Dartmouth) worked five scoreless innings to pick up the win, and Upper Valley never trailed after taking a 2-0 lead in the second.
Upper Valley's offense was led by Jonathan Holt (Saint Joseph's), who went 2-for-3 with three RBI and a run scored, and Alejandro Puig (Dartmouth), who reached base four times, banged out three hits and drove in three runs of his own. Alex Kelsey (Kentucky) added three hits and swiped two bases, Kyle Langley (James Madison) drove in a run and drew three walks, and William Hurt (Virginia Tech) also knocked in a run despite an error in the field. Nick Quagliato (Boston College) chipped in a hit, two walks and a stolen base for the Nighthawks.
North Adams got its offense going late, plating single runs in the sixth and seventh before adding two more in the eighth to make things interesting. Sebastian Rhoades (Delgado Community College) supplied the SteepleCats' only extra-base pop with a two-run home run, part of a 2-for-5 night, while Evan Meier (Mount St. Mary's) and Matthew Colella (Lafayette) each added a hit. Starter David Johnson (Middle Georgia State) took the loss after allowing four runs on three hits and five walks over 2.1 innings, and the SteepleCats' bullpen — Niko Christon (Central Connecticut State), Tyler Tedeschi (NYU), Jakob Foster (Mount St. Mary's), Richie Kerstetter (CCSU) and Nicholas Krompegal (Salem State) — combined to keep the damage from getting worse, though North Adams still finished with nine hits of its own but couldn't string together the big inning it needed. Relievers Carver Pleasant (UNC Wilmington) and Charlie Jones (High Point) closed it out for Upper Valley, with Jones fanning three over 2.1 scoreless innings.
Upper Valley hosts the Mystic Schooners at Maxfield Sports Complex Tuesday night. The North Adams welcomes the Vermont Mountaineers to Joe Wolfe Field Wednesday night.
Newport Gulls vs Martha's Vineyard Sharks
Final Score: Newport 4, Sharks 1
Oak Bluffs, MA- Clutch pitching from the Gulls gave them the edge over the first seed Sharks Monday night.
Two pitchers were all the Gulls needed tonight to limit the Sharks to just one earned run. Will Taylor (Trinity) threw the first four innings, allowing one earned run on two hits, no walks, and four strikes. Zane Stahl (Louisville) threw the other five innings in relief, allowing no runs on five hits with no walks and three strike outs.
Caeden Cloud (Kentucky) led the Gulls at the plate, going three for five. Cloud was responsible for three of the four Gulls' runs, with an RBI single to right in the top of the first and a monster two run homerun in the top of the fifth. Ernie Echevarria had the other Gulls RBI with a double in the top of the second. Echevarria went two for four at the plate.
Nick Rubino (Wake Forest) had the lone RBI for the Sharks on a single to left in the bottom of the fourth scoring Kevin Hall (UAB). Matthew Heyl (UCF) and Angel Cruz (Northeastern) were strong out of the bullpen for the Sharks. Heyl threw three innings allowing no runs on only two hits with no walks and six strikeouts. Cruz threw the final inning, allowing no runs on no hits with no walks and two strikeouts. Unfortunately for the Sharks, the Gulls had already gotten the runs they needed to come away with a win.
The Sharks will stay at home as they prepare to host the Valley Blue Sox as the Gulls stay on the road as they head to Old Mountain Field to take on the Ocean State Waves tomorrow.
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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.
