Upper Valley Nighthawks vs. Newport Gulls
Final Score: Nighthawks 7, Gulls 1
Newport, RI – The Upper Valley Nighthawks rebounded from their Opening Night loss with a 7-1 victory over the Newport Gulls on Friday at Cardines Field. Upper Valley once again generated early offense, while the pitching staff shut down Newport late to prevent any comeback attempt.
With the bases loaded in the opening inning, Cameron Boardman (Hartford) ripped a double to right field to score two runs, although Jake Bell (Bellarmine) was thrown out trying to score from first.
The second inning saw Anthony Greco (William & Mary) launch the first home run of the NECBL summer season, a two-run shot that pushed the lead to 4-0. An RBI single from James Love (Eastern Illinois) marked the end of starting pitcher Will Allen’s (South Florida) night after just 1.1 innings pitched. Bryce Koch (Louisville) later balked in another run to extend the advantage.
The Gulls finally pushed across a run in the bottom of the second inning on an RBI groundout by Cole Johnson (Austin Peay). Despite loading the bases in the fourth inning, Newport stranded all three runners. Tim Dickinson (St. Joseph’s) answered with an RBI double in the fifth inning to restore the six-run lead.
Although Newport’s bullpen held Upper Valley scoreless over the final seven innings, the Gulls offense was unable to mount a rally. Joey Young (Xavier) earned the win after pitching two innings and allowing just two baserunners, while Allen took the loss.
Upper Valley returns home to face the Valley Blue Sox, while Newport will look for its first win of the season against the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks.
Mystic Schooners vs. Martha’s Vineyard Sharks
Final Score: Schooners 3, Sharks 2
Oak Bluffs, MA – The Mystic Schooners secured a 3-2 victory over the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks on Friday night to improve to 2-0 on the season. Mystic’s bullpen proved to be the difference, with Jack Ballou (Lindsay Wilson), Tro Fellings (Purdue), and Connor Lane (UConn) combining for dominant relief innings.
Mystic struck first in the top of the second inning as Jamie Zee (Notre Dame) launched a solo home run. Fellow Fighting Irish teammate Troy Reader (Notre Dame) followed with an RBI single to make it 2-0. The Sharks answered with an RBI single from Jackson Taylor (Clemson), scoring the first Martha’s Vineyard run of the summer.
Bryce Detwiler (UConn) singled to lead off the eighth inning and later scored after a throwing error by Sharks right fielder Madux Lovinelli (High Point). Casey Wensley then grounded out to second base to bring home what proved to be the game-winning run.
Martha’s Vineyard loaded the bases with no outs in the ninth inning, but despite an RBI groundout from Jaylen Hernandez (Winthrop), the comeback fell short. The Sharks stranded 11 runners throughout the contest.
Ballou earned the win after allowing one hit over 1.1 innings, while Callen Powers (UMass Amherst) suffered the loss. Stephen Curry (Seton Hall) — not that Stephen Curry — recorded the save in the ninth inning.
The Schooners return home to host the Bristol Blues on Saturday, June 6th, while the Sharks welcome the Newport Gulls to the Shark Tank.
Bristol Blues vs. Vermont Mountaineers
Final Score: Bristol Blues 6, Vermont Mountaineers 5
Bristol, CT – The Bristol Blues secured a thrilling 6-5 victory over the Vermont Mountaineers on Friday night at Muzzy Field, overcoming multiple deficits in a back-and-forth battle.
Vermont wasted little time getting on the scoreboard in the top of the first inning. Brayden Leonard (Villanova) walked and later scored on a wild pitch, followed by Kevin Hager (Cornell) crossing the plate on a passed ball to establish an early 2-0 lead.
Bristol answered in the bottom of the second inning when Christopher DiPrima (Yale) lifted a sacrifice fly to drive in Nicholas Francuzenko (Towson), and Evan Menzel (UConn) followed with an RBI single to tie the game at 2-2.
The Mountaineers recaptured the lead in the fifth inning as Leonard delivered a clutch two-run double to right-center field, scoring Sebastian Collender (Middle Georgia State) and Matthew Minckler (Delaware). Bristol countered immediately in the bottom half when Francuzenko lined a two-out, two-run single to tie the game at 4-4.
Chaos in the sixth inning allowed Vermont to briefly reclaim the lead when Nick Mullen (George Washington) scored on a wild pitch. However, Bristol responded quickly as Antonio Ducatelli (Central Connecticut) ripped a two-run single to right-center field, driving in Menzel and DiPrima to put the Blues ahead for good.
Jack Ruditzky (Rider) earned the win in relief after tossing 1.2 perfect innings, while James Mulvaney (Fairfield) secured the save despite a late double by Hager. Kody Collins (Middle Georgia State) took the loss for Vermont.
The Blues will look to improve to 3-0 when they face the Mystic Schooners on Saturday, while the Mountaineers continue their road trip against the Danbury Westerners.
Ocean State Waves vs. Danbury Westerners
Final Score: Westerners 20, Waves 1
South Kingstown, RI – The Danbury Westerners unleashed an offensive explosion Friday night, defeating the Ocean State Waves 20-1. After a slow start, Danbury broke through in the third inning when Collin Mowry (Louisville) scored on a sacrifice fly by Kyle Garbowski (Quinnipiac).
Ocean State answered in the fifth inning when Cameron Papetti (Bryant) scored on a passed ball to tie the game at 1-1. However, the Westerners erupted for six runs in the sixth inning, sparked by Gavin Donohue (Sacred Heart), who reached after being hit by a pitch.
After Mowry reached on an error, Aidan Stern (Trinity) was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to force home the go-ahead run. Consecutive bases-loaded walks drawn by Noel Rivera (Marist) and Ronan Donohue (Sacred Heart) extended the lead before Gavin Donohue capped the inning with a two-RBI single.
Danbury continued to pile on runs throughout the late innings. Teddy Cashman (Lafayette) blasted a two-run home run in the seventh inning before Rivera followed with a solo shot. An eight-run eighth inning featured a three-run homer from Mowry, an RBI single by Garbowski, and another two-RBI single from Gavin Donohue.
Matthew Manjooran (Davidson) and Ronan Donohue each contributed RBI walks during the offensive outburst, while Ronan Donohue later capped the scoring with a two-run single in the ninth inning.
Ryan VanDeWater (Marist) earned the win for Danbury, while Luke Billings (Wake Forest) took the loss for Ocean State. The Westerners finished with 13 hits in the victory.
Ocean State will look for its first win against the Valley Blue Sox on Saturday, while Danbury hosts the Vermont Mountaineers.
The New England Collegiate Baseball League is a wooden bat college summer league that fields teams in all six New England states. Partially funded by Major League Baseball, the New England League started play in 1994 and has sent over 240 alumni to the Major Leagues, with nearly 30 alumni taken in the first round of the MLB Draft. For continuing coverage of the NECBL, visit NECBL.com and follow the league on X/Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
