Nighthawks Win Pitchers’ Duel, Sharks Hold Off Westerners in Monday Action
North Adams, MA – Monday night across the NECBL featured a pair of one-run games and a late rally from North Shore. Upper Valley edged Keene in a pitchers’ duel, Martha’s Vineyard held off Danbury, and Bristol powered past Valley behind an early offensive outburst.
Martha's Vineyard Sharks vs. Danbury Westerners
Final Score: Sharks 6, Westerners 5
Martha's Vineyard, MA - The Martha's Vineyard Sharks escape with a 6-5 win over the Danbury Westerners inside the Shark Tank on Monday night.
The Sharks scored three in the first inning thanks to a two-run single from Ty Fredo (Mt. St. Mary's), and an RBI single from Jackson Taylor (Clemson). Danbury stormed right back in the top of the second, however. An RBI single from Michael Delph (West Point) put Danbury on the board. An error from Taylor at shortstop plated another run. Finally, when Michael Manjooran (Davidson) stole second, Delph scampered into home to tie the game at 3-3.
Martha's Vineyard responded back in the bottom of the third with a pair of RBI singles from Nick Rubino (Wake Forest) and Kevin Hall (Alabama). Both teams traded runs in the seventh inning, with Kyle Garbowski (Quinnipiac) answering back for the Westerners, and Rubino notched his second RBI single of the day to make it 6-4.
Danbury would get within one run once more off of a balk from Sharks hurler James Beasley (Princeton). However, the Westerners couldn't tie it up in the ninth, despite having the game-winning run on base.
Ethan Santerre (Salve Regina) got the win despite allowing two runs in his three innings out of the bullpen. Ian Brown (Navy) took the loss, allowing three runs in his 5.2 innings of work. Ryan Renfroe (Kennesaw St.) notched his first save.
Martha's Vineyard will head to Connecticut to take on the Mystic Schooners on Tuesday. Danbury gets a day off as they prepare for an away game against the North Shore Navigators.
Upper Valley Nighthawks vs. Keene SwampBats
Final Score: Nighthawks 2, Swamp Bats 1
White River Junction, VT - The Upper Valley Nighthawks get the 2-1 win over the Keene Swamp Bats in a pitchers duel on Monday evening.
The Swamp Bats sole run came in the second inning off a throwing error on a double play ball from Upper Valley shortstop Frank Kelly (High Point), scoring Chris Polemani (UConn).
The Nighthawks, after a quiet six innings, responded back in the seventh. Kelly, with the bases loaded, made up for his earlier gaffe with an RBI single to tie the game at 1-1. The next hitter, William Hurt, got hit by a pitch to bring in the go-ahead run. Joey Young (Xavier) and Julian Rondon (Portal) shut the door in the final two innings to finalize a phenomenal pitching performance for the Nighthawks. Keene didn't notch a single hit the last seven innings of the game, and only managed four baserunners in that span.
Young got the win, with two shutout innings out of the bullpen. Parker Lind (Kent St.) took the loss, allowing both runs during his 1.1 innings pitched. Rondon notched his first save of the year.
The Nighthawks look to channel this momentum into their next game at Montpelier Recreational Field when they take on the Vermont Mountaineers on Wednesday. Keene gets to head back home for a matchup with the Bristol Blues on Tuesday.
North Shore Navigators vs Newport Gulls
Final Score: Navigators 6 , Gulls 4
Newport, RI- It was a back and forth game until a big offensive push in the top of the eighth for the Navigators to secure the win Monday night.
Grayson Carpenter (Dayton) had a big night for the Navigators, going three for four with three RBIs. He was responsible for the first two runs of the game, with his third coming in their explosive eighth inning. The other three runs came in the top of the eighth, off a double by Jack Rickheim (Harvard), a single by Hunter Kingsbury (Bryant), and a fielder's choice hit by Hudson Ellis (Oral Roberts).
The Gulls battled the entire game. Early in the game they responded quickly, answering the Navigators with an RBI double by Caeden Cloud (Kentucky) and a sacrifice fly by Maddox Haley (Gonzaga).
Mack Edwards (UCLA) was strong out of the bullpen for the Gulls, giving up no hits and no runs in one inning. Riding off this momentum, the Gulls attempted a comeback rally in the ninth off another RBI from Maddox Haley (Gonzaga), but unfortunately still came up short.
The Gulls look to bounce back tomorrow as they head to North Adams to take on the Steeple Cats, while the Navigators head home to Fraser Field to host the Vermont Mountaineers.
Valley Blue Sox vs Bristol Blues
Final Score: Bristol Blues 10, Valley Blue Sox 3
Holyoke, MA - The Bristol Blues used an early offensive explosion to defeat the Valley Blue Sox at Mackenzie Field on Monday night.
The Blues jumped ahead in the first inning when Scott Gell (Stony Brook) hit a two-RBI single and Mason Breton (LIU) added an RBI groundout. Valley responded in the bottom half as Trevor Harmon (San Francisco) drew a bases-loaded walk and Chris Cancel (UConn) hit into an RBI fielder's choice to make it 3-2. The Blues broke the game wide open with a four-run second inning, highlighted by a Nick Flores (VCU) RBI double and a two-RBI single from Breton.
Bristol extended the lead to 8-2 in the fifth inning on a Christopher DiPrima (Yale) RBI single. DiPrima and Nicholas Francuzenko (Towson) each drove in additional runs in the seventh to stretch the margin to eight. A late ninth-inning run scored by Trey Spees (Western Carolina) on a wild pitch was not enough to spark a comeback for Valley.
Bristol starter Kyle Peters (UConn) earned the win with six solid innings of work, while Valley's Nolan Geisler (UMass Lowell) took the loss.
Bristol travels to Alumni Field to take on the Keene SwampBats tomorrow night while the Blue Sox have an off day. On Wednesday, the teams will face off again at Muzzy Field for a day game rematch.
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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.
