Mainers' Bobby Ruse strikes out 11 in 7-to-0 victory
July 22, 2014 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
Sanford Mainers News Release
Sanford, ME- The Mainers (19-12) have a top-two pitching staff that has been the best in the NECBL for the entire season. In July the ERA has held steady below 2 at 1.78 and will continue to fall after a 7-to-0 shutout of the New Bedford Bay Sox (8-26). Bobby Ruse (Maryland, 2-2) was outstanding striking out 11 in 8 innings allowing just 3 hits and not issuing a walk in his most stellar outing of the season. Ruse dropped his 4.02 ERA to 2.66 with his shutout tonight and Jake Marks (UMaine-Orono) finished off the 9th not allowing a hit, in his first appearance since June 27th at Vermont due to a battle with injury, Marks looked plenty healthy, needing just 13 pitches to end the game and wrap of a 7-to-0 win!
Ruse threw just 86 pitches in his best outing of the season, a year that has had several stand outs on the pitching staff, the 11 strikeouts by Ruse is the most for a Mainers starter in the game this season and the most for Ruse since his first appearance against Keene where he recorded 8 strikeouts in a 5-to-3 loss at Goodall Park. The opposition is hitting just .214 against Ruse, and the Mainers pitching staff has given the offense quite a lift, keeping Sanford within shouting distance of many teams and allowing the second place Mainers to close the gap to 1.5 games behind Vermont (21-11) who lost 12-0 tonight against the Mystic Schooners (18-14).
Drake Parker (Vanderbilt) finished his day in the leadoff spot 2-for-4 with a walk and a run scored moving his batting average to .323 on the season tops on the Mainers, Sam Dexter (So. Maine) went 1-for-3 with 2 RBI's and a stolen base, Stevie Berman (Santa Clara) finished 1-for-3 with a run scored and a walk, Caden Bailey (Georgia State) drove in one RBI during his 2-for-4 night, Matt Harris (St. John's) and Kendall Patrick (Michigan) finished 2-for-4 and Walker Pennington (TCU) moved his batting average to .226 with a 2-for-3 night and a hit-by-pitch his second on the season.
Bay Sox starter Brad Labozetta (Polk State, 1-2) worked 6.1 innings allowing 7 hits and 5 runs, 4 of them earned along with 2 walks and 3 stikeouts gets the loss, Joe Cravero (Holy Cross) made a relief appearance after losing to the Mainers back on June 22nd and allowed 2 runs, 1 earned on 5 hits with 1 walk and 2 strikeouts in just 1.2 innings. The Mainers did not get on the board until the 6th inning, Pennington led off the inning with a hit-by-pitch reaching first base and then stole second, Parker singled to left field moving Pennington to third, Dexter's infield single would then bring home Pennington to take a 1-to-0 lead with no outs. Cory Raley (Texas Tech) would fly out to center moving Parker over to third base. Dexter followed by swiping a bag of his own into second and Parker would come home on a wild pitch from Labozetta making it 2-to-0. Stevie Berman would strike out for out number two, followed by a passed ball that brings in Sam Dexter moving the score to 3-to-0 after six innings of ball.
The Mainers would add three more in the bottom of the 7th, after Caden Bailey grounds out to shortstop, Matt Harris singles to center field, Harris steals 2nd base and an errant throw that kicks off of Harris' cleat bounces into left field allowing Harris to move to third and score on the error by Cory DeMedeiros (Mass Dartmouth). Kendall Patrick singles to end Labozetta's night as Joe Cravero subs-in, bottom 7th- Pennington singles to right moving Patrick to 2nd, Parker works a walk to load the bases for Dexter. Sam reaches on a fielder's choice that allows Patrick to score pushing it to a 4-to-0 game and then an error by the Bay Sox shortstop Devin Perry opens the door for Pennington to trot home on a wild throw to first after going 4-to-6 to put out Parker at second, the attempt to turn the double play failed and it moved the Mainers lead to 6-to-0 after 7 innings.
The Moose would add one more in the bottom of the 8th off an RBI single from Caden Bailey scoring Stevie Berman as Sanford capitalizes on 3 errors by the Bay Sox to finish off New Bedford 7-to-0. Tomorrow (7/23) the Mainers head to Montpelier, Vermont to face the Mountaineers during the course of a 10 games in 11 days span. Ben Wessel (URI, 0-2 2.07) will get the ball for the second time against the 'Neers this season.
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New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from July 22, 2014
- Mainers' Bobby Ruse strikes out 11 in 7-to-0 victory - Sanford Mainers
- DiBenedetto Brilliant as Blue Sox Top Swamp Bats 5-1 - Valley Blue Sox
- Mountaineers Suffer 12-0 Defeat - Vermont Mountaineers
- Bats Go Quiet, Keene Falls to Valley 5-1 - Keene Swamp Bats
- Ex-Swamp Bat Paulsen Makes MLB Debut - NECBL
- Mainers Split Monday double-header - Sanford Mainers
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