Ball Keeps Rolling for Mainers
July 24, 2024 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
Sanford Mainers News Release
Sanford Mainers' Connor Ball on the mound
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SANFORD, Maine - It could not have been any more different than the night prior, but the Sanford Mainers used stout pitching to defeat the Danbury Westerners 3-2 at Goodall Park in a game that lasted 2 hours and 11 minutes on Wednesday evening.
One night after jumping out to a 6-0 lead, the Mainers fell behind first as Jakobi Davis (Cornell) led off the game with a single off Connor Ball (Alabama). Davis stole second and third base to set himself 90 feet from home plate.
Dante D'Amore (Sacred Heart), who doubled against Ball in Sunday's 2024 NECBL All-Star Game, continued to have Ball's number as single plated Davis for the game's first run.
Sanford's left-handed starter got out of the inning with his second strikeout as he set down Ryan Preisano (Wake Forest) to bring up the Mainers' hot bats.
Those bats, which put across a season-high 19 runs on Tuesday night, quickly brought the game back to even as Caleb Shpur (UConn) tripled to the left-center field gap on the second pitch from Matthew Wootton (Eastern Connecticut State).
"Caleb was a guy I shouted out in our postgame powwow," Nic Lops said of Sanford's leadoff hitter. "Just the way he approaches the game so maturely beyond his year. He really conducts himself like a pro. He really sets the tone."
Shpur stayed at second base when Jackson Tucker (St. John's) grounded out to third base, but touched home plate when Devan Bade (Binghamton) extended his hitting streak to eight games with an opposite-field single.
"Bade is just as clutch as they come," Lops said of the third-year Mainer. "He's our captain for a reason. He might just be the mayor of Sanford someday. More so than personal success, Devan wants to win. Devan is here to win games for the Mainers and bring something special to this organization."
That same part of the order came around in the third inning with the score still tied 1-1, but by the time the top two in Shpur and Tucker were done at the plate, the Mainers had taken the one-run advantage.
Shpur, who extended his hitting streak to eight games with his first-inning triple, singled to set the tone against Wootton. In the next at-bat, Tucker doubled on a ball that one-hopped off the left-field wall.
"It's a fun group to watch play right now," Lops said of his top four in Wednesday's batting order, which included Colin Barczi (Vanderbilt), Shpur, Tucker and Bade. "They're clicking on all cylinders."
Two innings later, the story remained the same as Shpur led off the home portion of the fifth frame with a walk. Shpur stole his second base of the game to improve to 21-for-21 on the season and put himself in scoring position.
In a similar fashion to two innings prior, Tucker recorded a hit to bring around Sanford's third run. Tucker's single not only boosted the Mainers' lead to two runs but also locked in his fifth consecutive multi-hit game.
Danbury was held off the scoreboard until the seventh inning when a pair of one-out singles by Christian Bernardini (St. John's) and Davis put runners on the corners for Ray Leonzi (Eastern Connecticut State).
Although Leonzi could not bring in a run, the runners did it themselves as Davis stole second base and on the ensuing rundown, Bernardini bolted home for Danbury's second run.
Ball rebounded from the second earned run against him to get Leonzi to ground out and Matt Bucciero (Fairfield) to end the top of the seventh. After Sanford's scoreless bottom portion of the inning, Sanford turned the ball over to Jackson Walsh (Wheaton).
"Connor is a competitor who just spews confidence on that mound," Lops said of Ball, who went seven innings of seven-strikeout, two-run baseball. "He trusts all his stuff. Although it was probably not his sharpest stuff, I liked the intent in which Connor Ball was throwing tonight."
Walsh closed out the game with a pair of scoreless innings despite allowing singles in both. The right-handed thrower induced a game-ending 4-6-3 double play started by Mateo Hernandez (Austin Peay) that sealed the Mainers' seventh victory in a row.
"I know that at Wheaton College he's in a role like that anytime it's a close game," Lops said of Walsh, who secured his fourth save of the season. "I know he has the ability to keep his heart rate down and can battle."
Sanford has an off day on Thursday before returning to action against the North Division leader in the Vermont Mountaineers on Friday. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. at Goodall Park.
Images from this story
 Sanford Mainers' Connor Ball on the mound |
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New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from July 24, 2024
- Ball Keeps Rolling for Mainers - Sanford Mainers
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