Keene Sweeps Sanford- Martha-s Vineyard Forces Game Three
Sanford Mainers vs Keene SwampBats (Game Two)
Final Score: Keene 8, Sanford 0 (Keene wins series 2-0)
Sanford, ME – The Keene SwampBats defeated the Sanford Mainers 8-0 in game two of the North Division finals, with their win, Keene advances to the finals, where they will face either Newport or Martha’s Vineyard. The SwampBats used a shutdown pitching effort and a big fourth inning to propel them to victory.
Keene got the scoring for the game going in the top of the second with Ryan Jaros (Rutgers) starting things with a leadoff walk. Marshall Lipsey (FAU) followed with a single to make it first and second with no outs. Nick Romano (FAU) was the next batter for the SwampBats, and after a wild pitch advanced the runners to second and third, Romano grounded out to shortstop, scoring Jaros, and giving Keene a 1-0 lead.
SwampBats’ starter Evan Chaffee (St John’s) was fantastic in his outing tonight. Chaffee dealt six shutout innings, allowing just two hits and striking out four. He allowed just four baserunners all outing long, and Keene made sure he had enough run support in the fifth inning.
In the fifth inning, Keene added on four runs to blow the game open. Walks to Zack Thompson (Gardner-Webb) and Andrew Bell (Duke) started the inning, with Ty Mainolfi (Boston College) driving in Thompson with an RBI single to right. Bell was thrown out at third for the first out, but the next batter, Ripken Reese (Kent St), doubled to right and scored Mainolfi. Jack Herring (East Carolina) was hit by a pitch, and Michael O’Brien (Arkansas) walked to load the bases. Jaros reached on an error by the center fielder, which scored Reese, and Herring came around to score on a Lipsey fielder’s choice to end the four-run inning and make it 5-0, SwampBats.
Kian Vorster (Louisville) came in for relief for Keene and was excellent. Vorster shut down the Mainers’ bats in the seventh and eighth innings, allowing just one hit and two walks across the two frames. Meanwhile, on the offensive side for the SwampBats, Romano and Thompson reached on errors to put runners on first and third in the eighth. Romano came around to score on a wild pitch, pushing the lead to 6-0.
In the ninth, Keene added on two more insurance runs to push the lead to 8-0. Herring led off the inning with a double, and O’Brien drove himself and Herring in, blasting a two-run shot. Marcello Mastroianni (Duke) came into close the game for the SwampBats, and despite allowing a Zack Kent (SUNY Binghamton) double to lead off the inning and hitting Kyle Douin (Southern Maine) with a pitch, Mastroianni retired the next three batters and sent Keene to the title game.
Chaffee got the win for his strong start for Keene, while TJ Curley (Stonehill College) took home the loss for Sanford. Domenico Tozzi (Coastal Carolina) tallied two hits for the Mainers and led them offensively, along with Brendan Sencaj (Bentley) and Curley, who each had one. Sanford closes its season in the North Division Finals, a spot it earned following a 22-22 season, which was good for second in the division. The SwampBats will now face the winner of the Newport Gulls and Martha’s Vineyard Sharks matchup, with the rubber match coming Wednesday at 6:35 p.m.
Newport Gulls vs Martha’s Vineyard Sharks (Game Two)
Final Score: Martha’s Vineyard 17, Newport 6 (Series tied 1-1)
Oak Bluffs, MA – Fueled by a 10-run sixth inning, the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks rode a 16-hit performance to the South Division Semifinals at one game apiece, defeating the Newport Gulls 17-6.
Despite recording 16 hits, only one of those was greater than a single. Max Kaufer (South Carolina) opened up the scoring in the second with a three-run bomb, and the rest was history. While Newport tied the game in the top of the third after a Michael Gupton (Memphis) double and a Colby Wallace (East Carolina) homer, the Sharks got timely hitting from their entire lineup, including RBI singles from Kaufer, Brayden Martin (Maryland), Brady Krzciok (Central Michigan), Will Hampton (Vanderbilt), and Dominic Moats (Maryland) in the big sixth inning.
Martin and Krzciok each finished with three RBIs on the day, while Kaufer drove in five. As for the Gulls, they left 16 runners on base throughout the nine innings, stranding the runs that they very much needed.
Ryan Ashford (Miami) picked up the win for the Sharks, going 1.1 innings in relief. Warner Gearhart (Oberlin) earned the save, striking out four across three innings of work. CJ Bott (UCLA) was issued the loss for Newport.
Game three will be tomorrow at 6:35 pm at Cardines Field as the Gulls hope to bounce back and claim their third consecutive South Division title.
