Sharks Stay Hot, Nighthawks Erupt in Friday NECBL Action
North Adams, MA – Friday night across the NECBL featured dominant offensive performances and late-game surges as Martha's Vineyard pulled away to defeat Mystic, Upper Valley erupted for 16 runs in a rout of Vermont, and Sanford returned to the win column with a victory over Danbury. Elsewhere, North Shore continued its strong play against Keene, Bristol outlasted Valley, and Ocean State rallied past Newport on the road.
Newport Gulls vs. Ocean State Waves
Final Score: Waves 6, Gulls 3
Newport, RI - The Ocean State Waves storm into Mackenzie Field and take a 6-3 win over the Newport Gulls on Friday night.
Gabriel Milano (Miami) jumped on the 0-1 offering and sent it over the fence for a two-run bomb to give the Waves a first inning lead. However, it didn't last long, with Colby Wallace (East Carolina) one-upping that with a three-run homer to give the Gulls a 3-2 lead through one frame.
Ocean State got their get-back in the fifth inning, with a Jack LaRose (Rhode Island (U of)) RBI double tying the game, before Zach Plasschaert (Fresno St.) slapped a two-run single to give Ocean State a 5-3 lead. Blaize Ward (Vanderbilt) added an RBI single in the eighth.
Will Burns (Harvard) got the win with three shutout innings out of the pen for Ocean State. Jake Lenahan (Holy Cross) took the loss, allowing three runs for Newport. Trey Telfer (San Diego St.) notched the save for this game.
Ocean State will head back home as the Martha's Vineyard Sharks pay them a visit on Saturday. Newport has Sunday off before they head out to Holyoke and take on the Valley Blue Sox.
Sanford Mainers vs. Danbury Westerners
Final Score: Mainers 7, Westerners 3
Sanford, ME - The Sanford Mainers took a 7-3 win over the Danbury Westerners on Friday night at Goodall Park. The Mainers persevered through early offensive struggles to notch their 17th win of the season.
Both teams combined for a mere four hits in the first four innings, before both teams threatened in the fifth. After Danbury left two stranded, they nearly got out of a bases loaded, no outs situation. However, a seeing-eye single from Steven Kraus (Binghamton) plated a pair of runs, ending Hayden Tarsia's (Binghamton) night.
After the pitching change, Brian Connolly (Rhode Island (U of )) added a two-run double to make it 4-0 through five. Troy Carpenter (UMaine) added a two-run single in the seventh, forcing another Danbury pitching change. A bases-loaded walk from Domenico Tozzi (Coastal Carolina) drove in another Mainers run.
A throwing error from Carpenter in the ninth helped avoid the shutout, bringing in Danbury's first run. The next pitch bounced to the backstop to plate another Westerners run. An RBI single from Rueben Livingston (LaSalle) plated Danbury's third, and ultimately final run of the game.
Andrew Middleton (Maryland College Park) got the win with five shutout innings. Tarsia took the loss, allowing the first four Mainers runs of the ballgame in 4.2 innings.
Sanford will head out to Montpelier for a matchup against the Vermont Mountaineers on Saturday. The Westerners will go back home as the North Adams Steeplecats look to steal one at Rogers Park.
Upper Valley Nighthawks vs Vermont Mountaineers
Final Score: Nighthawks 16, Mountaineers 1
The game broke open in the seventh, when Upper Valley sent 13 batters to the plate and scored nine runs on eight hits, capped by RBI hits from Kelly, Love and a two-run double from Quagliato, plus RBI singles from Langley and Puig.
Vermont's bullpen, tapped early after starter Rex Hauser (Maine) was pulled in the third, couldn't stem the bleeding — Andrew Tringe (Brandeis) took the brunt of it, allowing nine runs (seven earned) while recording just one out.
Eric Santaella (Pace) picked up the win for Upper Valley, working six innings and allowing just one unearned run on three hits with four strikeouts; Jackson Caldwell (UNC Wilmington) and Mason Phillips (West Georgia) closed it out with three scoreless innings of relief. Hauser took the loss for Vermont, tagged for four runs in two innings. The result drops the Mountaineers to 11-18 while Upper Valley improves to 15-13-1.
The Nighthawks head to Fraser Field to face the North Shore Navigators Saturday at 5:05 PM, while Vermont hosts the Sanford Mainers Saturday at 6:30 PM.
Keene Swamp Bats vs North Shore Navigators
Final Score: North Shore Navigators 8, Keene Swamp Bats 4
Lynn, MA – The North Shore Navigators rode an early offensive surge and speedy baserunning to defeat the Keene SwampBats 8-4 on Friday night.
The Navigators struck first in the opening frame when Hudson Ellis (Oral Roberts) scored on a dropped third strike.
North Shore widened the gap in the third as Ellis laced an RBI single and Daniel Leikus (URI) hit an RBI single through the left side.
An explosive three-run fourth inning, highlighted by an RBI single from Anderson French (Dallas Baptist) and an RBI single from Hunter Kingsbury (Bryant), pushed the lead to 6-0.
Kingsbury struck again in the sixth, slamming a two-run double down the left-field line to extend the cushion to eight.
The Navigators wreaked havoc on the basepaths all night, led by Kingsbury with five stolen bases, Ellis with three, and Lane Allen (High Point) with two.
The Swampbats pushed a late rally in the ninth behind a Gavin Speirs (Charleston Southern University) RBI triple and a two-run home run by Chris Polemeni (UConn), but Justin Fryer (Northwestern) secured the save.
Gian Gamelli (Notre Dame) earned the win with an impressive one-hit five inning start while striking out eight.
Tomorrow night the Navs host the Upper Valley Nighthawks, while Keene hopes to snap their five-game losing streak against the Valley Blue Sox.
Bristol Blues vs Valley Blue Sox
Final Score: Blues 7, Blue Sox 5
Holyoke, MA- Fourteen hits for the Blues help them secure the win over the Blue Sox Friday night.
Both teams got the scoring started quickly in tonight's game. Bristol scored three in the top of the first off of a fielder's choice hit by Nicholas Francuzenko (Towson) that scored Nick Flores (VCU) from third. Cal Chance (UMass Lowell) followed with a single back up the middle to center that scored Francuzenko and Antonio Ducatelli (Fairfield). Valley followed in the bottom of the inning with two of their courtesy of a single by Nick Spaventa (Penn) followed by a wild pitch that Jacob Dilley (UNC Greensboro) took advantage of.
Flores led the Blues at the plate today, going four for six. Thomas Zwirecki (Rutgers) also had a great game going two for three with an RBI in the second and two walks. For the Blue Sox, Spaventa led the way at the plate, going three for four.
Thomas Galusha (Bryant) earned his fourth save as he preserved his 0.00 ERA, throwing the ninth inning allowing no runs and no hits with two strike outs.
The Blues head home to Muzzy Field to host the Mystic Schooners tomorrow, as the Blue Sox head on the road to Alumni Field to take on the Keene SwampBats.
Martha's Vineyard Sharks vs Mystic Schooners
Final Score: Sharks 9, Schooners 6
Mystic, CT – The Martha's Vineyard Sharks used a late offensive surge to outlast the Mystic Schooners in a 9-6 victory.
The Sharks struck first in the top of the first inning when Jackson Roper (Wake Forest) delivered an RBI single to score Kevin Hall (Alabama Birmingham).
The Schooners capitalized on defensive miscues in the bottom half of the frame, scoring two unearned runs via a fielder's choice from Anthony Belisario (Portal) and a subsequent pickoff play.
Mystic extended its lead to 3-1 in the second on an RBI single by Camden Righi (Connecticut).
Martha's Vineyard responded with a three-run third frame, powered by an RBI single from Carter Bentley (Northeastern), a sacrifice fly from Griffin Crain (Louisville), and another RBI single by Roper.
After Will Shaheen (Duke) added an insurance run with an RBI single in the eighth, the Sharks broke the game open with a four-run ninth inning.
Mystic attempted a comeback in the bottom of the ninth, scoring three unearned runs courtesy of a balk and an error, but it was not enough to take down the Sharks.
The Sharks look to stay hot as they travel to face the Ocean State Waves tomorrow night, while the Schooners take on the Bristol Blues at Muzzy Field.
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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.
