Waves overpower Schooners, 8-0
July 3, 2015 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
Ocean State Waves News Release
Ocean State Waves Exchange Congratulations
(Ocean State Waves)
GROTON, C.T.-Coming off two straight victories over the Plymouth Pilgrims and Laconia Muskrats, the Ocean State Waves needed a strong performance against the Mystic Schooners on Friday to continue their rapid ascent in the Southern Division standings. Backed by two home runs by Chuckie Robinson (Southern Miss) and dominant pitching, the Waves edged out the Schooners, 8-0, in front of 182 fans at Fitch High School.
Blaise Whitman (Rhode Island) set the tone for the Waves offense as he hurled five shutout innings against the Schooners. In his fourth start of the summer, Whitman only allowed three hits and three walks, all while striking out two batters. Whitman ended his outing by retiring the final five batters he faced.
Paced by Whitman's stellar start, the Waves offense jumped on the board in the top of the second. Facing Schooners starter Tre Gonzalez (Eastern Connecticut State), Robinson blasted the first of his two home runs over the left field fence to put the Waves ahead, 1-0.
In the bottom of the third, the Waves scored once again against the Schooners. Ryan Blanton (Georgia State) led off the inning with a single, advancing to third on a single by AJ Ramirez (USC). Blanton eventually scored on an RBI fielder's choice by Tim Lynch (Southern Mississippi), putting the Waves ahead, 2-0.
The Waves tacked on another run in the top of the sixth. Gonzalez allowed a leadoff single to Lynch. Lynch eventually made it to third on a series of wild pitches, ultimately scoring on a fielding error by shortstop Jesse Berardi (St. John's). New pitcher Joe Rivera (Connecticut) was able to retire the next two batters, but the Waves held on tight to a 3-0 lead after six innings.
Following the five scoreless innings from Whitman (his third shutout start of the summer), the Waves turned to Richard Lovelady (Kennesaw State) for the next two innings. Lovelady retired all six batters he faced, striking out two batters in the seventh. Between Whitman and Lovelady, Waves pitchers had retired eleven consecutive batters between the fourth and seventh inning.
With Rivera back on the mound for the seventh, the Waves continued their offensive onslaught against the Schooners. Jake Palomaki (Boston College) led off the inning by getting plunked by a Rivera fastball, advancing to second on a sacrifice bunt by Blanton. Following walks by Ramirez and Lynch to load the bases, Robinson crushed a grand slam off new pitcher Frank Trimarco (Monmouth) to put the game out of reach. Robinson's colossal fifth home run of the summer gave the Waves a 7-0 advantage.
After Whitman and Lovelady dominated the first seven innings, Waves manager Eric Cirella turned to Matt Murphy (Assumption) to finish off the game. Despite a leadoff error by third baseman Mike Corin (Rhode Island), Murphy retired the next three batters to keep the Waves ahead, 7-0.
Ocean State tacked on another run in the top of the ninth inning courtesy of a bases-loaded, hit by pitch off the helmet of Buck McCarthy (Bryant). Murphy came back out for the ninth, retiring all three batters he faced, including a groundout off the bat of Anthony Fava (St. John's) to clinch a 8-0 victory for the Waves.
With the victory, the Waves (12-7) have won eight of their last nine games, all while continuing a three-game winning streak. The Waves are currently tied for second in the NECBL Southern Division, sitting a game behind the Schooners for first place in the division. Offensively, the Waves churned out ten hits, with multiple hit performances coming from Blanton, Lynch, and Robinson. Meanwhile, Ramirez and McCarthy also reached base twice for the Waves.
The Waves return to action on Saturday when they battle the Danbury Westerners in an Independence Day showdown in Western Connecticut. John Amendola (Northeastern; 1-2, 6.94 ERA) makes his fourth start of the summer for the Waves. Tune in online as Tim Scott and Darren Zaslau bring you the action on the NECBL Broadcast Network. First pitch is set for 6:30 at Rogers Park.
Be sure to like the Ocean State Waves on Facebook, follow them on Twitter (@OceanStateWaves) and Instagram (OceanStateWaves), or visit them online at OceanStateWaves.com.
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 Ocean State Waves Exchange Congratulations |
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New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from July 3, 2015
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