Newport, Sanford Earn Semifinal Berths
North Adams SteepleCats vs Sanford Mainers (Game Three)
Final Score: Sanford 3, North Adams 1 (Sanford wins series 2-1)
Sanford, ME – The Mainers closed out their first-round series against the North Adams SteepleCats, defeating North Adams 3-1 in a defensive duel that saw both teams only allow twelve total hits.
It was the North Adams SteepleCats who jumped on the opportunity to score first. Collin Overholt (Ashland) was the one who tallied the run as he was able to score one on a 6-3 groundout.
The two defenses then duel for the next five innings, holding each other scoreless while each defense only gave up five total hits, with North Adams giving up the fewest hits between the two teams during that stretch.
The Mainers were finally able to get on the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth, and they did so with a bang as they put up three runs to snatch the lead. Kyle Douin (Southern Maine) got the ball rolling with a single to left field, which drove in one and led to one of the only errors in the game, which saw Zach Kent (SUNY Binghamton) race home. The Misners added one more run as Dominico Tozzi (Coastal Carolina) drove Drouin home with a sacrifice fly to right field. This ended up being the final run scored as the Mainers were able to hold onto the win by striking out the side in the top of the ninth.
Tyler Longoria (St John’s) handed the win while his fellow Mainer, Sam Mitchell (Alabama Tuscaloosa), was brought in and earned the save. Tristan Helmick (Lafayette) was handed the loss for the SteepleCats
With this win, the Mainers advance to the semi-finals to face their north counterparts in the Keene SwampBats.
Mystic Schooners vs. Newport Gulls (Game Three)
Final Score: Newport 5, Mystic 4 (Newport wins series 2-1)
Newport, RI – Down 4-1, the Newport Gulls rallied for a comeback to keep their season alive, beating the Mystic Schooners 5-4 and advancing to the semifinals.
Newport struck early, scoring in the first on an RBI single from Colby Wallace (East Carolina). Mystic then scored two in the third to grab the lead, with both runs coming with the aid of three Gulls errors.
In the sixth, Mystic’s Anthony Belisario (UConn) scored on a wild pitch before Luke Holland (UNC Greensboro) blasted a solo-shot to give the Schooners a 4-1 lead. But the two-time defending champs wouldn’t go out without a fight, as the Gulls rallied for three runs in the bottom of the frame to tie the game at four. Adam Agresti (St. John’s) doubled, scoring two, while a Kyle Branch (Oklahoma) single plated Agresti for the tying run. Newport then took the lead in the seventh when Wallace scored on a wild pitch.
Newport closer Leighton Harris (Kentucky), who entered in the seventh, shut down the Schooners with six strikeouts in three innings of work en route to earning the win. Robert Ogg (Rollins) was issued the loss for Mystic.
The Schooners’ season comes to an end after a hard-fought battle against the reigning champs. Meanwhile, the Gulls move on to play the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks in the South Division Semifinals.
