Mainers, Sharks prove their First Place Spots on Monday Night
North Adams, MA- Monday across the NECBLE featured a few dominant wins for the Gulls, Nighthawks, and Mountaineers. Sanford and Martha's Vineyard each won, continuing to prove why they are first place in their prospective divisions so far. Valley put up eight runs in the last two innings to come away with a win over Mystic.
Sanford Mainers vs. Ocean State Waves
Final Score: Mainers 6, Waves 2
Sanford, ME - The Sanford Mainers notch win #24 on the year over the Ocean State Waves on Monday by a score of 6-2.
2026 NECBL All-Star starter Jack Tate (St. John's) broke the scoreless tie with an RBI single in the second inning. All-Star reserve Gabriel Milano (Miami) tied it right back with an RBI single of his own in the top of the sixth.
In the bottom of the seventh, a double play ball with the bases loaded turned into an error from Waves second baseman Blaize Ward (Vanderbilt) pushed in two runs to make it 3-1 Mainers.
The next inning, Brian Connolly (URI) notched an RBI single for an insurance run. A sac fly from Brennan Staubley (Elon) made it 6-1. Despite notching a bases loaded walk and having the tying run at the plate, Milano grounded out to first to end the game.
Gabriel Gifford (Southern Maine) got the win, pitching 2.2 innings of shutout baseball with four strikeouts. Brennan Confreda allowed two runs without getting an out, giving him the loss.
The Mainers will head out to Joe Wolfe Field for a double-header against the North Adams Steeplecats. Ocean State will head back home for a matchup against the Danbury Westerners.
Mystic Schooners vs. Valley Blue Sox
Final Score: Blue Sox 10, Schooners 6
Mystic, CT - The Valley Blue Sox took a 10-4 win over the Mystic Schooners on Monday night.
Adam Troch (Duke) got the scoring started with an RBI single in the second. However, Home Run Derby participant Nico Soul (Appalachian St.) belted a two-run homer to go up 2-1. An RBI single from Anthony Ruggiero (URI), paired with an RBI groundout from Gavin O'Brien (Northeastern) gave Mystic a 3-2 lead through seven innings.
However, Valley exploded for four runs in the top of the eighth, with three of them coming from the bats of Seton Hall Pirates Ryan Frontera and Nick Tomasetto. A homer from Jamie Zee (Notre Dame) cut the lead to 6-4, but Frontera did one better with a two-run double in the top of the ninth. A sac fly and an RBI single brought it to 10-4. Despite a two-run homer from Thomas O'Connell (Virginia), Mystic couldn't complete the comeback.
Gregory Bruno (Seton Hall) got the win despite allowing two runs in his one inning of work. MJ Bollinger (Texas A&M) took the loss, allowing four runs in his one inning out of the bullpen.
Valley heads out to the Shark Tank on Tuesday to take on the Martha's Vineyard Sharks. Mystic heads out to Fraser Field for a double-header against the North Shore Navigators.
North Shore Navigators vs Upper Valley Nighthawks
Final Score: Navigators 2, Nighthawks 10
White River Junction, VT- The Upper Valley Nighthawks pounded out 14 hits and cruised past the North Shore Navigators, 10-2, on Monday night, completing a season sweep of the season series matchup at home. Upper Valley's offense was relentless from the jump, chasing Navs starter Giancarlo Arencibia (Univ. of New Orleans) before he could finish the fifth inning.
Upper Valley's lineup did the damage from top to bottom. Frank Kelly (High Point) went 3-for-5 with two runs scored, while Alex Kelsey (Kentucky) matched him at 3-for-5 with a run and two RBI. Alejandro Puig (Dartmouth) was perfect at the plate, going 3-for-3 with two runs and two RBI, and Levi Jones (San Diego State) drove in three runs on a 2-for-4 night. Tim Dickinson (St. Joseph's) and AJ DeMastrie (Dartmouth) each chipped in RBI hits as well, helping the Nighthawks strand only nine of their 14 baserunners despite the lopsided score.
North Shore's offense managed just six hits against a stingy Upper Valley pitching staff. Hunter Kingsbury (Bryant) led the way going 2-for-5 with a run scored, and Daniel Leikus (Rhode Island) drove in both of the Navigators' runs. Hudson Ellis (Oral Roberts) and Tyler Shulman (Harvard) each added a hit, but North Shore left 9 runners on base and couldn't string together consistent rallies against a deep Nighthawks bullpen.
On the mound, Nick Tamburro (College of New Jersey) picked up the win in relief, tossing two hitless innings with three strikeouts after Trey Sejnoha (Dartmouth) opened with four scoreless frames. George Creighton (Fairleigh Dickinson), Julian Rondon (Liberty) and Brendan Walker (Bryant) closed it out from there. Arencibia took the loss for North Shore, allowing three earned runs over 4.2 innings, with John Milewski (Brandeis) and Connor Niemiec (Cornell) unable to slow the bleeding out of the bullpen.
The North Shore Navigators will play Tuesday night against the Mystic Schooners. The Upper Valley Nighthawks will face the Bristol Blues Wednesday night.
Vermont Mountaineers vs North Adams SteepleCats
Final Score: Mountaineers 8, SteepleCats 2
Montpelier, VT – The Vermont Mountaineers powered past the North Adams SteepleCats 8-2 on Monday night.
North Adams surged ahead in the top of the first inning when Matthew Colella (Lafayette College) launched a two-run home run to left field, scoring Sebastian Rhoades (Delgado Community College).
Vermont responded in the second as Charlie Niehaus (Cincinnati) grounded out to drive in JJ Parsons (UNC Greensboro), cutting the lead in half.
The Mountaineers tied the game in the third on an RBI single from Vincent Davis (Winthrop), then took the lead for good in the fifth when Davis lifted a sacrifice fly to bring home Alex Benevento (Brown).
Vermont extended their lead in the sixth, using double steals by Elliot Miles (UMass Boston) and Benevento to score a fourth run.
A three-run seventh inning broke the game open, highlighted by a two-run single from Miles, before Davis capped the scoring with an eighth-inning RBI single.
Rex Hauser (Maine) earned the win for Vermont, while Jake Foster (Rhode Island College) took the loss.
The Mountaineers hope to tack on a fifth straight win as they travel to the Keene Swamp Bats tomorrow, while the SteepleCats look to snap their 10-game losing streak as they host the Sanford Mainers for a double header.
Marthas Vineyard Sharks vs Keene Swamp Bats
Final Score: Marthas Vineyard Sharks 4, Keene Swamp Bats 3
Oak Bluffs, MA – A late offensive surge pushed the Marthas Vineyard Sharks past the Keene Swamp Bats in a 4-3 victory.
The Swamp Bats struck first in the opening inning when Charlie Meglio (Rutgers) lined a two-run single to left field.
Keene extended its cushion to 3-0 in the top of the sixth frame on a sacrifice fly from Dylan Fitzsimmons (St. John's).
However, the Sharks answered back in the bottom half of the sixth.
After Wesley Scott (Louisiana Tech) was hit by a pitch and Ryan Thompson (URI) singled, Jackson Taylor (Clemson) delivered a 3 RBI little league home run to tie the game.
Martha's Vineyard completed the comeback in the eighth inning. Taylor scored the go-ahead run on an RBI single from Nick Barron (Northwestern).
Reliever Jack Volo (Georgetown) earned the win for Martha's Vineyard, while Griffin Madden (JMU) took the loss for Keene. Ryan Renfroe (Kennesaw State) pitched a hitless ninth inning to secure the save.
Keene hosts the Vermont Mountaineers tomorrow, while the Sharks take on the Valley Blue Sox at home.
Bristol Blues vs Newport Gulls
Final Score: Gulls 10, Blues 2
Newport, RI- Newport's offense dominated in Monday night's game against the Bristol Blues.
The South All- Star starter, Devan Zirwas (Eastern Michigan), led the Gulls at the plate today, going two for five. Zirwas had six of the eight RBIs for the Gulls, a two RBI single in the bottom of the fourth, a fielder's choice in the bottom of the sixth, and a double with the bases loaded in the bottom of the seventh. Ernie Echevarria, Mason Ligenza (Pittsburgh), and Brandon Larson (USC) all also went two for five at the plate. Larson also had an RBI in the bottom of the seventh with a single up the middle. Ryan Novak (Miami) had the other RBI in the bottom of the first. Novak went one for four at the plate with a walk.
Thomas Zwirecki (Rutgers) had the lone Blues RBI in the top of the fourth, with a single to right to score Christopher DiPrima (Yale). Zwireki went one for three at the plate and DiPrima went one for two with a walk. Jack Balcer (Quinnipiac) and Colin Crowley (Winthrop) both went one for three as well. Unfortunately for the Bristol offense those were the only four hits in the game.
Zane Stahl (Louisville) earned his third win of the season, throwing three innings allowing no earned runs on only two hits, two walks and three strikeouts. Ryan Sheehy took the loss.
The Gulls will look to take this momentum into tomorrow as they host the Danbury Westerners. The Blues will have the day off as they head home to Muzzy Field to host the Upper Valley Nighthawks on Wednesday.
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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.
