Comebacks and Winning Streaks Highlight Friday Night Across the NECBL
North Adams, MA – Friday night across the NECBL featured late rallies, continued winning streaks, and strong pitching performances. North Adams erased a two-run deficit to win its third straight, Martha’s Vineyard remained atop the South Division with a road victory over North Shore, Bristol extended its winning streak to five games, and Newport broke open a close game late to defeat Ocean State.
North Shore Navigators vs. Martha's Vineyard Sharks
Final Score: Sharks 5, Navigators 2
Lynn, MA - The Martha's Vineyard Sharks take a 5-2 win over the North Shore Navigators at Fraser Field on Friday night.
Daniel Leikus (Rhode Island (U of)) drove an RBI single to right field to give North Shore a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Martha's Vineyard didn't get on the board until the fourth, although it was huge for them. A Nick Barron (Northwestern) two-run bomb gave them the lead.
An RBI double from Kevin Hall (Alabama) extended the lead in the seventh. James McGee (Kennesaw St.) followed that up in the eighth with a two-run single to extend the lead to 5-1. Jason Bello (Florida International) struck back for the Navs with a solo shot in the bottom half. However, no comeback efforts were made in the ninth.
Ethan Santerre (Salve Regina) got the win with five innings of one-run ball out of the bullpen. Samuel Perry (Portal) pitched 4.2 innings and allowed two runs, giving him the loss. Ryan Renfroe got his second save of the year.
Martha's Vineyard gets to head back to the Shark Tank for a matchup on Sunday against the Valley Blue Sox. North Shore will stay at Fraser Field for a Saturday afternoon game against the North Adams Steeplecats.
North Adams Steeplecats vs. Upper Valley Nighthawks
Final Score: Steeplecats 6, Nighthawks 5
North Adams, MA - The North Adams Steeplecats extend their winning streak to three with a 6-5 win over the Upper Valley Nighthawks on Friday evening.
An RBI groundout from Sebastian Rhoades (Delgado Community College) put the Cats up 1-0 in the first inning. A third inning throwing error from Nighthawks shortstop Frank Kelly added another Steeplecats run in the top of the third. James Love (Eastern Illinois) evened the score in the bottom of the third with a two-run single. A wild pitch in the fourth extended gave North Adams the lead once again.
The bottom of the fifth saw Levi Jones (San Diego St.) line a double to center field to re-tie the game 3-3. Kelly made up for his gaffe with a sacrifice fly ball to give the Nighthawks their first lead of the game. Love extended it with his first home run of the year, a solo shot to make it 5-3 through five frames.
However, North Adams came back with a vengeance in the seventh. A Rhoades sac fly made it 5-4. Owen Arias (Babson) became the hero, smacking a two-run single to put the Cats up 6-5.
Richie Kerstetter (Central Connecticut St.) shut the door in the ninth, completing a four-inning performance out of the bullpen that got him the win. Carver Pleasant (UNC Wilmington) took the loss, allowing three runs in his one inning out of the pen.
The Steeplecats look to extend their winning streak to four as they head out to Fraser Field to face the North Shore Navigators on Saturday. The Nighthawks look to bounce back with a Sunday matchup against the Vermont Mountaineers.
Bristol Blues vs Valley Blue Sox
Final Score: Blues 4, Blue Sox 2
Holyoke, MA- The Blues keep their win streak alive as they defeat the Blue Sox on their home turf Friday night.
It was another strong pitching day for the Blues. Ty Davis (Bryant) led the way, going 4.1 innings allowing only one earned run on three hits, two walks, and 3 strikeouts in his fourth start of the year. Alex Hwang (Yale) followed with three innings of his own, allowing only one earned run on two hits and one walk with four strikeouts. Samuel Schmidt (Jacksonville State) closed out the ninth inning, striking out the side to secure the win for the Blues.
Nick Flores (VCU) had an explosive day at the plate for the Blues, going three for five, including a two RBI double in the top of the sixth inning, helping give the Blues the edge for the win. Nicholas Francuzenko (Towson) also had a day, going two for three with a walk.
Gregory Bruno (Seton Hall) and Jason Pinsonnault (Western New England) were both strong out of the bullpen for the Blue Sox, each allowing only no runs on only one hit. Bruno had 4 strikeouts in just two innings of work.
The Blue Sox got on the board in the bottom of the fifth off a double by Trey Spees (Western Carolina) that scored Chris Cancel (UConn). They scored again in the bottom of the eighth one another RBI double this time by Chris Carson (Stony Brook), but unfortunately weren't able to complete the comeback.
The Blues look to keep the win streak alive as they head home to Muzzy Field to host the Newport Gulls tomorrow, while the Blue Sox look to bounce back as they head on the road to Rogers Park to take on the Danbury Westerners.
Newport Gulls vs Ocean State Waves
Final Score: Newport Gulls 9, Ocean State Waves 3
Newport, RI – The Newport Gulls surged past the Ocean State Waves 9-3 on Friday night at Cardines Field behind an explosive offensive display.
The Waves claimed an early lead in the second inning when Jack LaRose (University of Rhode Island) scored on an error and Owen Morgan (University of Oregon) drove in Gray Eubanks (University of Southern Mississippi) with an RBI single.
Newport answered in the third as Tristan Salinas (Rutgers) launched a three-run home run to right center, scoring Peter Mershon (Coastal Carolina University) and Devan Zirwas (Coastal Carolina University).
Ocean State tied the contest in the fourth on a Eubanks RBI groundout that scored Gabriel Milano (UMiami), but the Gulls pulled ahead for good in the bottom half when Gus Gandy (Samford) scored on an error during a Brandon Larson (USC) fielder's choice.
Newport padded the lead in the fifth on a Richard Tejeda (USC) RBI single that brought home Ryan Novak (Miami). A three-run seventh inning broke the game open, highlighted by a Zirwas RBI fielder's choice that scored Ryan Jaros (Rutgers) and a two-run single from Salinas.
Winning pitcher Bryce Koch (Louisville) earned the victory with three scoreless relief innings, striking out four, while Ocean State starter Benton Hickman (University of Arizona) took the loss.
The Gulls take on the Bristol Blues at Muzzy Field tomorrow, who are on a four game win streak. The Waves hope to bounce back against the second-place Mystic Schooners at home.
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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.
