Keene Drops Its Seventh Game to Newport Gulls 13-7
Published on July 17, 2012 under New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
Keene Swamp Bats News Release
Keene N.H. - In a seemingly tight contest, the Newport Gulls broke the game open, scoring eight runs in the top of the eighth inning to defeat the Swamp Bats 13-7.
Keene starter Artie Lewicki (Virginia) threw three solid innings, giving up three hits and striking out four. With Lewicki on the rubber, the Swamp Bats scored one on a solo home run from Grant Kay (Iowa West Community College) in the first inning. It was the sixth time this summer that Kay has gone deep.
Keene continued to score in the fourth inning. Jared Walsh (Georgia) led off with a single. Two batters later, JP Sportman (Central Connecticut St.) hit his sixth home run of the season, putting the Swamp Bats up 3-0 and tying for first place in the league in RBI. Frankie Schwindel (St. John's) followed suit with a solo homer, his seventh of the year.
Newport recorded its first runs in the fifth inning against Keene reliever Andrew Grant (UMass-Amherst). Charlie White (Maryland) singled and Jeff Melillo (Rutgers) ripped a two-run home run to make the score 4-2. Grant closed out the inning by striking out Brett Winger (Michigan).
The Swamp Bats responded in the bottom of the inning, scoring one run off an RBI single from Schwindel. The hit scored Walsh, who had doubled three batters earlier.
The Gulls rallied again in the top of the sixth inning to tie the game. White hit an RBI fielder's choice. He grounded the ball to Nelson Ward (Georgia) at second, who attempted to twist a double play with shortstop Sportman covering second. They earned the out at second, but White beat the throw on a close play at first. Keene head coach, Marty Testo, was ejected from the game arguing the play. Kasey Coffman (Arizona St.) then chased Grant off the mound with a two-RBI single to tie the game at five. Grant finished going 5.2 innings, giving up five runs on four hits and a walk, with three strike outs.
Walsh came in for relief, and, after walking two to load the bases with two outs, confidently struck out Winger to end the inning without giving up any runs. Walsh continued his strong clutch pitching in the seventh, striking out White with runners on second and third to preserve the tie. He left the game in the top of the eighth inning after hitting the leadoff batter, Coffman.
Tyler Gauthier (Southern N.H.) was called to relieve, and, after earning a hard line-out to right, gave up a two-run home run to Newport slugger Yale Rosen (Washington St.), his twelfth of the summer. Coffman's run was charged to Walsh. Gauthier left the game after walking the next batter.
Rob Rogers (Keystone College) entered next, giving up six runs, one charged to Gauthier. The runs came off of an RBI double from Joel McKeithan (Vanderbilt), an RBI single by Conor Keniry (Wake Forest), a wild pitch, and back-to-back two-out home runs by White (two-run homer) and Robby Ort (Indiana St.).
David Mahoney (University of Connecticut) finally forced the last out of the eighth inning on a line-out to centerfield. Newport put up eight runs in the inning on three home runs to make the score 12-5.
The Swamp Bats scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth, highlighted by a double from Sportman and an RBI single from Schwindel. The game ended on a groundout to second base.
Mitch Horacek (Dartmouth) earns the win, and Jared Walsh earns the loss. Keene falls to 23-7, while Newport improves to 23-7. The Swamp Bats are back in action on Wednesday night in Holyoke. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30pm.
New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from July 17, 2012
- Mainers Slide Past Laconia With Seven Run Inning - Sanford Mainers
- Keene Drops Its Seventh Game to Newport Gulls 13-7 - Keene Swamp Bats
- Yale Rosen Breaks Newport Gulls Single-Season Home Run Record - Newport Gulls
- Haines Dominates In Weather Shortened Win - Vermont Mountaineers
- Haines' 10 K's lead Mountaineers to lightning-shortened 2-0 victory - North Adams SteepleCats
- North Adams SteepleCats Midseason Alumni Update - North Adams SteepleCats
- Newport suffers worst loss in team history, 20-8 against Keene - Newport Gulls
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