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Mainers Fall to Newport

July 15, 2012 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) Sanford Mainers

After facing the Keene Swamp Bats who were first in the West Division and third in all of summer league baseball across the nation, the Sanford Mainers had to take on the Newport Gulls who were tied with the Swamp Bats in the NECBL for the best record.

With a difficult loss coming last night to the Swamp Bats, it only got worse as the Mainers dropped 15-2 to the Gulls at Goodall Park in Sanford.

Nate Jones got the start for the Mainers after missing about a month due to an illness and recovery. His last start came against the Gulls at Cardines Field in Newport, Rhode Island on June 15. In that game he received the loss as the Gulls went on to win 11-2.

Tonight, Jones lasted only four innings, giving up nine hits, ten runs, walked three, and struck out four.

The game started off promising for the Mainers, as Jones retired the Gulls in order to start the top of the first. In the bottom half, Jordan Hagel with two outs, belted his third home run of the season to deep left field to put the Mainers up 1-0.

Entering into the second inning, it all fell apart for Jones. He gave up three straight hits to start off the inning, including back-to-back singles by Yale Rosen and Steven Andereson, and an RBI double off the bat of Joel McKeithan. Jones got Connor Keniry to strike out, however, dealt another pair of singles to Blake Butera and John Norwood, scoring Anderson and McKeithan. It wouldn't stop there as Butera crossed the plate on a double steal putting the score at 4-1. Jeff Melillo and Kasey Coffman then hit back-to-back doubles pushing across two more.

Newport's Michael Johnson got his first start of the season for the Gulls. In his performance he was dominant outside of two mistake pitches. He went five innings, gave up four hits, two runs, walked three, and struck out four.

In the fourth inning, the Gulls were leading 7-1 when Jordan Betts came to bat. Already tied for the franchise record for home runs with seven, he hit a towering home run to left field for his new team record eighth home run. The round tripper added a second run to the Mainers total, but that's how it stayed the rest of the game.

The Gulls struck three more times in the top of the fifth on an RBI single by Keniry, an RBI hit-by-pitch credited to Norwood, and another RBI single by Charlie White. Jones had loaded the bases in this inning, but even after being replaced by Evan Chamberlain, all three runs were still credited to him.

Just when 10-2 sounded like enough for the Gulls offense, it touched down again. They plated two more runs in the top of the eighth inning, and three more in the ninth. In the eighth, and Al Zehier on for his second inning of relief, Rosen walked with one out and then scored on an RBI double by Anderson. Matt Horan entered the game and gave up a single to McKeithan, but the problem came on the next batter, giving up another Gulls double to Keniry, scoring Anderson.

In the ninth, White walked to begin the inning, but stuck around for two quick outs. What seemed to be another scoreless inning, turned the opposite. Rosen walked and was followed by Anderson who singled. The bases would be loaded with two outs, but McKeithan singled to center allowing White and Rosen to score. In the same inning, Keniry reached based on an error committed by Cam Young at second that allowed Anderson to cross the plate.

That's was how the game would end. The Gulls tacked up eighteen hits and fifteen runs in the contest. The Mainers drop to 9-16 on the season and yet another three game losing streak. They'll be back to face the Keene Swamp Bats in Keene tomorrow night for another tough match-up. John Gorman is slated for his first start of the season. First pitching coming at 6:30pm.

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New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from July 15, 2012


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