Mainers Sweep Twin Bill, Sharks Stay on Top in Tuesday NECBL Action
North Adams, MA – Tuesday night across the NECBL featured a doubleheader sweep, a pair of rain-shortened games, and another win for the South Division leaders. Sanford took both games from Bristol to strengthen its hold on first place in the North, Martha's Vineyard rallied past Danbury, and Newport and Vermont each picked up shortened victories. Elsewhere, Keene held off a late North Adams comeback to earn a home win.
Upper Valley Nighthawks vs. Newport Gulls
Final Score: Gulls 2, Nighthawks 0 (6 Innings)
White River Junction, VT - The Newport Gulls got the abbreviated victory over the Upper Valley Nighthawks 2-0. The game wound up getting called after six innings due to inclement weather.
Mason Ligenza (Pitt) knocked in an RBI single in the second inning. Colby Wallace (East Carolina) added to it in the fifth inning with his first home run of the season.
Nate Schlote (Vanderbilt) got the win with four shutout innings, giving up two hits and two walks. Micah Wells (St. Joseph's) allowed one run on seven hits and took the loss.
Newport will head back home for a matchup against the Danbury Westerners. Upper Valley has Wednesday off before a trip to Connecticut to face off against the Mystic Schooners on Thursday.
Keene Swamp Bats vs. North Adams Steeplecats
Final Score: Swamp Bats 7, Steeplecats 5
Keene, NH – The Keene Swamp Bats took a 7-3 win over the North Adams Steeplecats. Jackson Smith (Cincinnati) was impossible to get out, going 1-for-1 with a solo home run and three walks.
North Adams leadoff hitter Chris Diaz (Marist) launched the first pitch he saw into the New Hampshire night, giving the Cats a 1-0 lead. However, Smith got it right back in the bottom half with a home run to tie the game.
A wild pitch scored Chris Polemeni (Uconn) in the bottom of the second. North Adams got it back in the third off a wild pitch from Keene. The Bats added another three runs in the fourth inning thanks to an RBI single from T.J. Schuyler (Georgia Southern), and a two-run double from Nico Senese (Georgia Southern).
Another Steeplecats wild pitch scored Michael O'Brien (Little Rock) to make it 6-2. An RBI double from Evan Meier (Mt. Saint Mary's) put the Steeplecats a run closer.
Senese nearly added a two-run homer to his mantle, but Diaz robbed it out in center field, as the Bats settled for a sac fly to make it a 7-3 ballgame. Tony Woodie () added his first bomb of the season in the ninth, a two-run shot to make it 7-5. North Adams got the go-ahead run on base in the ninth as well. Unfortunately for them, Owen Arias (Babson) popped out to the catcher to end the game.
Eamon McDermott (Duke) got the win, pitching 2.2 innings out of the bullpen for Keene. Gage Wheaton (Niagara) took the loss, allowing five runs, three of them earned, in four innings.
Keene will stay home as the North Shore Navigators pay them a visit on Wednesday. North Adams will head out to play against the Valley Blue Sox on Wednesday.
Bristol Blues vs Sanford Mainers (Game 1)
Final Score: Mainers 9, Blues 2
Sanford, ME- Sam Miller (Binghamton) was a force for the Mainers at the plate, going two for two with three RBI's, one walk, and two stolen bases, leading them to a 9-2 victory in 7 innings over the Bristol Blues in game one of the doubleheader. Albert De La Rosa (Maine) also had himself a productive day, going three for three with a double, two RBI's, and a stolen base in the Mainers' leadoff spot.
Alfred Mucciarone (Umass Lowell) threw four strong innings, allowing only two hits while striking out two. Bryson Thacker (FIU) struck out four and allowed two runs over one and two thirds innings of relief, while TJ Curley (Stonehill) earned himself his first win of the season, closing the game by allowing no hits and striking out one batter in the final inning and a third.
Nick Flores (VCU) and Nicholas Francuzenko (Towson) provided the RBI's for the Blues, while Scout Ubdike (Jacksonville) and Mason Glickman (New Haven) pitched scoreless appearances in relief.
Bristol Blues vs Sanford Mainers (Game 2)
Final Score: Sanford 5, Bristol 3
Sanford, ME- After taking game one, Sanford kept their momentum going winning game two of the double header Tuesday night.
Five runs in the bottom of the fourth inning helped secure the win for the Mainers. The scoring started on a sacrifice fly by Domenico Tozzi (Coastal Carolina) scoring Troy Carpenter (UMaine) from third. Some defensive miscues gave the Mainers the other four runs.
Andrew Kapica (Fordham) earned the win today, advancing his record to 4-0 on the season. Samuel Young (Richmond) earned his third save.
Jack Balcer (Quinnipiac), Scott Gell (Stony Brook), and Nicholas Francuzenko (Towson) were responsible for the Blues three runs today. Jack Ruditzky (Rider) and Sam Michel (Northwestern) were also strong out of the bullpen for the Blues. Ruditzky went 1.1 innings and Michel went 1.0 both allowing no runs on no hits but unfortunately the damage was already done.
The Mainers look to keep the momentum going as they head to Montpelier Recreation Field to take on the Mountaineers tomorrow, while the Blues look to bounce back as they head to the Shark Tank to take on Martha's Vineyard Sharks.
Martha Vineyard Sharks vs Danbury Westerners
Final Score: Sharks 4, Westerners 2
Danbury, CT- The Martha's Vineyard Sharks improved to 16-4 with a 4-2 win over the Danbury Westerns (8-11) on the road, riding a three-run sixth inning to pull away after trailing early. Danbury struck first in the top of the first when Jack Lutte (Dension U) launched a solo home run to right field, but the Sharks' pitching staff settled in from there and didn't allow another run until the sixth.
Martha's Vineyard tied it in the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Wesley Scott (Louisiana Tech U), who drove in Austin Pierzynski (Birmingham U) on an unearned run. The Sharks then broke the game open in the sixth, plating three runs highlighted by an RBI single from Will Shaheen (Duke) and a two-out RBI triple from Bryan Sornas (Holy Cross). Danbury answered with a run of their own in the bottom of the sixth but couldn't complete the comeback. Jackson Roper (Wake Forest) paced the Sharks' offense going 3-for-5, while Pierzynski reached base multiple times and scored twice.
On the mound, Jack Volo (Georgetown) (W, 1-0) was the story for Martha's Vineyard, tossing two hitless, scoreless innings in relief with four strikeouts to pick up the win after starter Callen Powers (UMass Amherst) worked three innings and allowed one earned run. Ben Waterman (Lafayette Col) slammed the door with two scoreless innings to record his second save. For Danbury, starter Hayden Tarsia (Binghampton) turned in a strong outing, allowing just one earned run over four innings, but the bullpen struggled behind him as Aidan Vargas (Marist) (L, 0-1) was tagged with two runs in 1.1 innings.
Despite the loss, Gavin Donohue (Sacred Heart U) drove in a run and swiped a bag for the Westerners, and Kyle Garbowski (Quinnipiac) chipped in a base hit. The Sharks improve to 16-4 on the season, while Danbury falls to 8-11.
The Danbury Westerners will face the Newport Gulls Wednesday night at Cardines Field. The Martha Vineyard Sharks will return home to play against the Bristol Blues Wednesday night.
Vermont Mountaineers vs Valley Blue Sox
Final Score: Mountaineers 4, Blue Sox 2 (6 Innings)
Montpelier, VT – The Vermont Mountaineers defeated the Valley Blue Sox 4-2 on Tuesday night in a game that ended early in the top of the sixth inning due to rain.
Elliot Miles (UMass Boston) wasted no time putting the hosts ahead, launching a solo home run to right field in the bottom of the first inning.
Valley answered back in the second when Chris Cancel (UConn) brought home Matt Wolfe (Middle Tennessee) with a sacrifice fly to center.
The back-and-forth battle continued into the third frame as NECBL Player of the Week Alex Benevento (Brown) scored on an RBI single from David Alvarez (Eastern Kentucky) to put Vermont back on top.
After Wolfe scored again in the fourth on a double play to tie it, the Mountaineers scored the game-winning run in the bottom half when JJ Parsons (UNC Greensboro) crossed the plate on a passed ball.
Alvarez provided insurance in the fifth with an RBI double to score Matthew Jackson (Stony Brook), capping a 3-3 performance.
Eli DeRossi-Cytron (Mount Saint Mary's) earned the win in relief, tossing two scoreless frames, while Valley starter Maddex LaBuda (Quinnipiac) took the complete game loss.
The Mountaineers host the first-place Sanford Mainers tomorrow night, while the Blue Sox hope to break their six game losing streak against the North Adams Steeplecats 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.
