Mystic Walks It Off, Danbury Rallies from Six Down on Tuesday
North Adams, MA – Tuesday night across the NECBL featured extra-inning drama, comeback victories, and dominant pitching performances. Mystic walked off Keene in 10 innings, Danbury erased a six-run deficit to stun Bristol, and Ocean State rallied late to clinch the Pell Bridge Series against Newport. Elsewhere, Martha's Vineyard cruised past Valley with an 11-0 shutout, while Upper Valley leaned on its pitching staff to defeat North Shore.
Danbury Westerners vs. Bristol Blues
Final Score: Westerners 11, Blues 7
Danbury, CT - The Danbury Westerners overcome a 6-0 deficit through two innings to take an 11-7 win over the Bristol Blues on Tuesday night. Ryan Preisano (Wake Forest) was a huge catalyst for the comeback, launching two home runs with four RBI.
Bristol struck first with a pair of runs in the first inning, and continued that momentum in the second. Nick Flores (VCU) went yard with a three-run bomb to make it 5-0, with Nicholas Francuzenko (Towson) adding his second RBI single of the game to make it 6-0 through two innings.
However, Danbury responded back in the bottom of the third, as Aidan Stern (Trinity College (CT)) mashed a three-run homer of his own to cut the deficit in half, before Preisano hit a solo bomb to make it 6-4 through three innings. The next inning, Kyle Garbowski (Quinnipiac) tied the game at 6-6 with a two-run single.
Bristol briefly took the lead right back with a Christopher DiPrima (Yale) RBI single in the top of the sixth. However in the bottom half, Gavin Donohue (Sacred Heart) tied it back with an RBI groundout, although it was the appetizer. The entree was Preisano launching his second home run of the game, a three-run shot to give Danbury their first lead of the game 10-7. Danbury pushed one more run across with a double steal play in the eighth.
Tyler Fahey (Trinity College (CT)) got the win, despite allowing a run in his one inning out of the bullpen. Frank Spirito (UConn) allowed three runs in 1.2 innings, saddling him with the loss.
Danbury will go on to Holyoke, Massachusetts to take on the Valley Blue Sox on Wednesday. Bristol has Wednesday off, before they matchup at home against the Newport Gulls.
Martha's Vineyard Sharks vs. Valley Blue Sox
Final Score: Sharks 11, Blue Sox 0
Martha's Vineyard, MA - The Martha's Vineyard Sharks blanked the Valley Blue Sox 11-0 on Tuesday night inside the Shark Tank. Between all five pitchers Martha's Vineyard used this game, they combined to allow
The Sharks were the first to get on the scoreboard, doing so in big fashion courtesy of a three-run homer from Nick Barron (Northwestern) in the fourth inning. The next inning, Valley hurler Mitchel Brown (Nichols), after a base hit from Carter Bentley, walked three straight batters, driving in another Sharks run.
After 13 straight balls thrown, he finally threw a strike. Unfortunately for him, Wesley Scott (LA Tech) crushed a grand slam to double the lead and make it 8-0. A bases loaded walk, paired with a passed ball later that inning got the lead up to 10-0 through five innings.
Landon O'Donnell (Portal) got the win with two shutout innings, while relieving starter Owen Sarna (Alabama) Brown took the loss, being credited for 10 runs, nine of which were earned.
The Sharks will head to Cardines Field on Wednesday for a matchup against the Newport Gulls. The Blue Sox will head back home, as they try to rebound against the Danbury Westerners.
North Shore Navigators vs Upper Valley Nighthawks
Final Score: Nighthawks 3, Navigators 1
Hartford, VT- The Upper Valley Nighthawks edged the North Shore Navigators 3-1 on Tuesday night at Maxfield Sports Complex, riding a combined pitching effort and timely two-out hitting to take the series opener between the North Division rivals.
Upper Valley's offense got rolling early. James Love (Eastern Illinois) delivered a run-scoring double to right-center in the first inning to put the Nighthawks on the board, and Kyle Langley (James Madison) came around to score on a wild pitch in the second to make it 2-0. Langley put together a strong all-around night, going 3-for-4 with a stolen base, while Frank Kelly (High Point) chipped in two hits and crossed the plate twice to help extend the lead. Nick Quagliato (Boston College) and Alex Kelsey (Kentucky) also reached base and swiped bags to keep the pressure on North Shore's defense throughout the night.
On the mound, Danny Lazaro (Virginia Tech) was outstanding for Upper Valley, tossing four scoreless innings while allowing just one hit and striking out four to set the tone. Joey Young (Xavier) picked up the win in relief with two more scoreless frames, and after Jackson Caldwell (UNC Wilmington) surrendered North Shore's lone run, Brendan Walker (Bryant) slammed the door with two scoreless innings to lock down the save. North Shore starter Giancarlo Arencibia (New Orleans) took the loss despite battling for four innings, and Justin Fryer (Northwestern) and Cam Freeman (Longwood) turned in two solid scoreless relief innings apiece to keep the Navigators within striking distance.
North Shore's offense had a tougher night, managing just three hits as a team. Hunter Kingsbury (Bryant) and Hudson Ellis (Oral Roberts) each provided a spark on the bases, with Kingsbury collecting a hit and a stolen base and Ellis swiping two bags of his own. Grant Hunter (Binghamton) and Simmi Whitehill (Monmouth) also reached base with hits, but the Navigators couldn't string together enough offense to overcome Upper Valley's pitching depth. Despite the loss, North Shore's pitching staff limited the damage all night, and the two teams will get another crack at each other later this month as the North Division race continues to take shape.
The North Shore Navigators will play against the Sanford Mainers Wednesday night. The Upper Valley Nighthawks will face the Mystic Schooners Wednesday evening.
Keene SwampBats vs Mystic Schooners
Final Score: Schooners 5, SwampBats 4
Groton, CT- The Schooners scored two in the bottom of the tenth to take a walk off win in extras.
It was a back and forth game forcing extra innings Tuesday night. The SwampBats started the scoring in the top of the second on a huge two run homerun to center by T.J. Schuyler (Georgia Southern). The Schooners answered in the bottom of the fifth on a double by Chris Walsh (Northeastern). Gavin Speirs was the next to strike for the SwampBats with a single to center in the top of the seventh. Jack Harley (Steston) answered in the bottom of the inning with a double down the line.
It was a tie game from there, taking it to extra innings. Charlie Meglio (Rutgers) had an RBI in the top of the tenth, giving the SwampBats the lead heading into the bottom of the inning. Two doubles from Gabriel Natividad (Winthrop) and Anthony Ruggiero (URI) was all the Schooners needed in the bottom of the tenth to walk it off and get the win.
Connor Lane (UConn) earned his first win of the season throwing the final two innings allowing no earned runs on only two hits with no walks and one strike out.
The Schooners look to keep the momentum going as they head to Maxfield Sports Complex to take on the Upper Valley Nighthawks tomorrow. The SwampBats will have the day off tomorrow as they prepare to host the North Adams SteepleCats on Thursday.
Ocean State Waves vs Newport Gulls
Final Score: Waves 5, Gulls 4
South Kingstown, RI – A late offensive push helped the Ocean State Waves to a 5-4 victory over the Newport Gulls on Tuesday, clinching the Pell Bridge Series.
The Gulls opened the scoring in the second inning when Braxton Tramel (East Carolina) launched a solo home run, and added another run in the third after Gus Gandy (Samford) scored on an error.
The Waves quickly responded in the bottom half of the frame. Thomas Meluskey (New Mexico State) scored on a Jackson Bradfield (Kennesaw State) RBI single, and Gabriel Milano (UMiami) followed with a two-run blast to earn a 3-2 lead.
Tramel struck again in the fourth with his second solo shot of the night to tie it for Newport.
The Gulls briefly took a 4-3 lead in the fifth on a sacrifice fly from Devan Zirwas (Eastern Michigan), but the Waves rallied in the seventh.
Justin Hackett (Bryant) tied the game with a solo home run to right field, and Blaize Ward (Vanderbilt) delivered a clutch RBI single to drive in Max Farrell (SDSU) for the go-ahead run.
Boston Flannery (North Carolina) earned the win for the Waves, while Braden Booth (Mississippi State) took the loss.
The Newport Gulls hope to bounce back against division leader Martha's Vineyard Sharks at home tomorrow, while the Waves take an off day before traveling to MacKenzie stadium to take on the Valley Blue Sox.
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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.
