SwampBats and Sharks Sweep Series while Schooners and SteepleCats force a Game Three
Upper Valley Nighthawks vs Keene SwampBats (Game Two)
Final Score: Keene 10, Upper Valley 5 (Keene wins series 2-0)
Hartford, VT – The Keene SwampBats used an offensive onslaught in the first inning to power past the Upper Valley Nighthawks and advance to the next round after a 2-0 series win. Keene scored seven runs to open up the ballgame, and that was too much for the Nighthawks to overcome as they dropped the contest 10-5.
Ty Mainolfi (Boston College) led off with a single to start the game for Keene, and the SwampBats got going from there. Jack Herring (East Carolina) singled with one out to make it first and third, one out. Michael O’Brien (Arkansas) walked to load the bases. After a flyout, Marshall Lipsey (FAU) cleared the bases with a grand slam, making it 4-0.
Keene didn’t stop there as Connor Peek (Georgetown) got on board with a single. Lipsey and Andrew Bell (Georgetown) walked to load the bases again, and this time it was Mainolfi who cleared the bases with a double to make it 7-0 after half an inning.
The Nighthawks got one run back in the bottom of the second, with Ryan Preisano (Wake Forest) getting things going on a lead-off double. Anthony Greco (William & Mary) walked to put runners on the corners for Santiago Ordonez (North Florida), who grounded into a double play, but scored Presiano in the process, making it 7-1.
That score held till the top of the fifth when Keene added on more. Lipsey doubled to right with one out in the inning, and an error by the shortstop allowed Lipsey to score. In the sixth, Mainolfi and Ripken Reese (Kent St) singled to put runners on the corners, and a balk ended up scoring Mainolfi. Reese stole home on a double steal with Herring to score the other run.
In the bottom of the seventh, Upper Valley got two runs back. After Bode Grieve walked and Brooks Barber (Wabash Valley College) hit a ground-rule double, Cole Fellows (Columbia) brought Grieve in with an infield single. Jake Elbeery (Minnesota) cashed in on Barber, driving him in with a single to left and making the game 10-3.
In the eighth, Upper Valley brought the game within five. After Greco and Ordonez both reached, Nick Shuhet (Rider) tripled to right, scoring both runners and making it 10-5. Despite those runs in the seventh and eighth, the Nighthawks failed to score in the ninth and made the final 10-5.
Ben Rabatin (Kent St) got the win in this one for Keene, tossing six innings of one-run ball. Meanwhile, for Upper Valley, Aaron Potter (Georgia Gwinnett College) took home the loss for them, allowing seven runs in just one inning. Keene will advance to the next round of the playoffs, where they await the winner of the Sanford Mainers vs North Adams Steeplecats series. For Upper Valley, their season comes to an end following an 18-26 season where they finished fourth in the North Division.
Bristol Blues vs. Martha’s Vineyard Sharks (Game Two)
Final Score: Martha’s Vineyard 6, Bristol 0 (Martha’s Vineyard wins series 2-0)
Oak Bluffs, MA- After the win in Bristol last night, the Sharks brought the series back to the Shark Tank with the momentum and hope to secure a trip to the Semifinals in this year’s NECBL playoffs.
Chayce Kieck (Clemson) dominated on the mound, racking up seven of the Sharks’ twelve strikeouts over seven innings pitched, with zero earned runs.
In the bottom third, Martha’s Vineyard managed to load up the bases with two outs. All-Star Evan Appelwick (Miami Ohio) came up to bat and delivered, sending the ball way over the left field wall for a grand slam, putting the Sharks up 4-0 in electrifying fashion.
The Vineyard would add on more in the bottom of the seventh when Carter Bentley (Northeastern) drove in Dominic Moats (Maryland) on an RBI single to add an insurance run and make the lead 5-0. Bentley would follow by scoring on a wild pitch to further increase the lead to 6-0 late in the game.
Despite holding the two seed in the South Division, the Blues were unable to drive in a single run in their two-game loss to the Sharks. The three seed upset the two seed in this opening round matchup, giving Vineyard fans something to be very excited about heading into the semifinal round.
With Mystic taking the win at home against the top seed Gulls, the Sharks will have to wait another day to find out who they will take on in the 2025 NECBL South Division Championship Series.
You can view the box score here.
Sanford Mainers vs North Adams SteepleCats (Game Two)
Final Score: North Adams 4, Sanford 3, (Series tied 1-1)
North Adams, MA – The North Adams SteepleCats defeated the Sanford Mainers 4-3, staving off a late comeback from the visiting Mainers as well as tying the series at one a piece. Johnny Ruggiero Jr (Maryville) got the start for the SteepleCats, pitching seven innings. Connor Ball (Stetson) took the rubber opposite Ruggiero.
The game was scoreless through the first two innings until the SteepleCats broke the stalemate in the third inning with a massive four-run explosion. Collin Overholt (Ashland) was the first to get a run across with a single to left field. Alex Mendes (Mt St Mary’s) was able to reach home for the second run of the inning, which was followed up by a Robert Stang (Dayton) RBI double. The inning was capped off by a JT Thompson (Rutgers New Brunswick) single to right field, driving in Overholt.
The Sanford Mainers were able to get on the board in the fourth inning, answering one of the runs scored by the SteepleCats. Luke Jenkins (North Carolina Greensboro) trotted up the plate, looking to shift the moment and get Sanford back into the game, and sent a ball flying over the outfield wall for a solo home run.
The North Adams defense was able to get back on track, keeping Snaford from gaining momentum off of the home run, resulting in a shutout for the next four innings. The Mainers were able to pick up the momentum in the top half of the ninth inning. Kyle Douin (Southern Maine) is trying to spark a comeback and try the game up for the Mainers, launching a ball deep over the wall, driving in himself and fellow Mainer Brendan Sencaj (Bentley), bringing the game within one run. However, the stellar North Adams defense kept the Mainers from that final run, sending the series back to Sanford on Sunday night.
Ruggiero was given the win while Nicholas Noble (Fairleigh Dickinson) was given the save for the SteepleCats. Connor Ball suffered a loss in the series.
Game Three is set to start at 6:35 pm in Sanford, Maine.
Newport Gulls vs. Mystic Schooners (Game Two)
Final Score: Mystic 9, Newport 5 (Series tied 1-1)
Norwich, CT – After dropping game one in a tight pitchers’ duel, the Mystic Schooners bounced back to tie the series 1-1 against the Newport Gulls in a 9-5 victory.
With just one combined run in game one, both teams came out hot in the first inning of game two. Newport got things started with a Colby Wallace (East Carolina) two-run blast, before Anthony Belisario (UConn) delivered a two-RBI single to tie the game in the bottom of the inning.
Mystic exploded for four runs in the second, taking a 6-2 lead. Eric Cha (Northeastern), Jake Kernodle (Princeton), and AJ Aschettino (Northeastern) had RBI base knocks in the frame. Aschettino would later score in the sixth on a Belisario single, giving the Schooners a 7-2 lead.
Newport showed some fight with three runs in the top of the seventh, but could not catch up to Mystic’s hot bats. The Schooners added two more runs in the eighth on RBIs from Jack Harley (Stetson) and David Mendez (Maryland), adding insurance to solidify the 9-5 win.
Relief pitcher Reese Crochet (George Washington) picked up the win for Mystic, while closer Liam Chamberlain (Bryant) earned the save with five strikeouts in two innings of work. Casen Murphy (Louisville) was issued the loss for the Gulls.
Both teams are back at it again tomorrow at Cardines Field for a winner-takes-all game three. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:35 pm.
