Ball Baffles 'Bats
August 1, 2024 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
Sanford Mainers News Release
Sanford Mainers' Connor Ball on the mound
(, Credit: Madison Giltner Photography)
SANFORD, Maine - With the calendar flipping to August, the Sanford Mainers began their chase for the organization's third championship with a 6-0 shutout victory over the Keene SwampBats at Goodall Park on Thursday evening.
Nearly two months after manager Nic Lops gave Connor Ball (Alabama) the Opening Day nod, Lops gave the ball back to Ball to open the 2024 NECBL Postseason. The left-handed pitcher settled into a rhythm quickly throwing two scoreless innings to begin the contest.
"There was a reason he got the Opening Day nod going way back to June 4th," Lops said of the lefty hurler. "Just observing the guy walk around the park, there's just something about his aura and his swagger. He's a super confident young man and carries that on the mound."
After Ball's second scoreless frame in which he stranded Austin Hawke (Wake Forest) at second base, the Mainers bat came to life against Nicholas Timpanelli (Charleston Southern).
Colin Barczi (Vanderbilt) reached on a walk to kick off the inning before he was replaced on first base after a fielder's choice by Devan Bade (Binghamton). Bade advanced to second base following a hit-by-pitch taken by Evin Sullivan (Binghamton).
Those two were joined on base by Blake Schaaf (Georgetown) due to the third free pass of the inning. With the bases loaded, Ray Velazquez (Vanderbilt) blooped a single that fell right on the right-field foul line, bringing Bade and Sullivan home to give Sanford a 2-0 lead.
"Raymond is not an eight-hole hitter, but just the way the lineup and the personnel have been, it's what makes sense for our team right now," Lops said of Velazquez. "...For him to put his pride to the side, execute in that big spot, it was a big breath of fresh air."
Velazquez's single stood as the only run-scoring play until the bottom of the fifth inning as Ball threw another trio of scoreless frames from the third inning to the fifth.
Caleb Shpur (UConn) hit a ball to left field that was destined to be a single, but Sanford's leadoff hitter extended it to a double with his hustle. His speed and hustle paid off again as he stole third base in front of a throw from J.D. Jones (Rutgers).
Shpur then came around to score as Jackson Tucker (St. John's) flew a ball to left field and Jake Koonin (Princeton). Koonin made the catch, but the fly ball was deep enough to not draw a throw as Shpur jogged home for the third run of the ballgame.
"We talked about how contagious the game of baseball is," Lops said of his lineup's ability to add runs. "We got the lead, were able to add on and win every single inning one at a time."
Ball continued to hold onto Sanford's advantage as the Alabama native threw scoreless innings in the sixth, seventh and eighth.
In the eighth, a pair of two-out singles by Joe Jaconski (Penn State) and Nick Romano (Florida Atlantic) put two runners on base at the same time for Keene for the first time in the game. Ball bounced back to cap off his eight-inning performance by forcing Koonin to ground out to Bade at third base.
"The guy is never rattled," Lops said of Ball, who finished with 9 strikeouts and just two walks. "He is just made of steel. It stems from confidence and its tremendous poise from him. Our guys feed off it and build off his confidence."
Sanford's hitters built off Ball's confidence as they doubled their lead in the bottom of the eighth inning.
C.J. Willis (Quinnipiac) singled to start the frame before Barczi drove him in on a triple to right-center field. Barczi came home one batter later as Bade recorded his first hit of the summer. The scoring ended when Bade came around to score on a wild pitch later in the frame to make it 6-0.
Beau Brailey (Alabama) took over for his collegiate teammate on the mound in the ninth. The right-handed pitcher worked a 1-2-3 inning with three consecutive ground balls that stayed in the infield.
"Earlier in the summer, I didn't quite necessarily know what his role was going to be," Lops said of Brailey. "I knew his stuff was there, but there were certainly command issues. As of late, he has been strong mentally, he's been able to bear down, and he's been able to execute pitches. He's just been sharp and he's a guy we can rely on and just trust."
The Mainers look to sweep the SwampBats on Friday night with the series heading to Alumni Field. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m., streaming exclusively on ESPN+.
Images from this story
 Sanford Mainers' Connor Ball on the mound (Madison Giltner Photography) |
• Discuss this story on the New England Collegiate Baseball League message board...
New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from August 1, 2024
- Ball Baffles 'Bats - Sanford Mainers
- Vermont Takes Series Lead with 11-1 Victory over the Sharks - Vermont Mountaineers
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
