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Bay Sox Comeback Attempt Foiled, as No-Hit Bid Wrecked in Seventh in Ocean State's 4-2 Win

July 30, 2019 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
New Bedford Bay Sox News Release


The New Bedford Bay Sox went from being no-hit to being on the brink of a miraculous comeback, eventually succumbing 4-2 to the Ocean State Waves in the first game of a doubleheader that signaled the end of their 2019 home schedule.

Ocean State pitcher Kyle O'Neill brought a no-hitter into the seventh and final inning, but a big Bay Sox rally put the winning run on first, as the home squad scored twice and had the bases loaded with two down for Noah Rivera (Becker). Waves reliever Jack Ipsen was able to whiff Rivera to end the last inning madness, as two dropped fly balls allowed the Bay Sox to make things extremely interesting down the stretch.

Josh Goldstein (Southern New Hampshire) had the first New Bedford base hit, leading off the seventh with a single. After a groundout, back-to-back singles by Rafe Chaumette (Trinity) and Paul Gozzo (UConn) plated the first Bay Sox run and ended O'Neill's exceptional start. Sam Henrie (Southern New Hampshire) was retired via the infield fly rule, as his pop fly eluded shortstop Will McGillis, and another run scored on a dropped third out on a fly ball to right by Tommy Seidl (Harvard). An intentional walk loaded the bases, but Ocean State (18-22) escaped for their fourth win in their last five contests.

Stanley Vargas (New England College) took the loss for New Bedford (12-29), as he allowed four runs (three earned) in four innings, but the senior from Boston flashed some brilliant pitching early in the game. Vargas mowed through the first seven batters of the game, striking out six Division I hitters including five in a row between the first and third innings. He ran into issues with one down, as a walk and an error from Rivera at third base on a potential double-play grounder placed the first two runners on base of the game for either side. Leadoff hitter Joe Simone ripped a single up the middle, with Vargas ducking out of harm's way, which scored Nicholas Elsen to give Ocean State a 1-0 lead. The throw from center by Chaumette was dropped by 1B Henrie, but the Bay Sox were able to gun down McGillis at third base to prevent further damage in the third inning.

Goldstein produced the first of two Bay Sox' "Web Gems" on the afternoon to silence the Waves in the fourth inning, as he dove to nab a liner from Dillon Morton, then tossed to his Penmen teammate Henrie at first to double up Casey Dana, who singled with one down.

Vargas appeared to tire quickly in the oppressive conditions, as he allowed three walks and three hits over the last ten batters that he saw before being removed with the bases loaded and no outs in the fifth inning. Logan Maitland (UMass Dartmouth) entered and immediately struck McGillis to bring home a run. A passed ball by Gozzo allowed the second run of the inning to score, and a bloop single to short left that fell in front of Ryan Markey (St. John's) thanks to the cloudless sky and breezy conditions made it 4-0. Maitland also left the game with the sacks packed, but Christian Rosati (Southeastern) stranded all three ducks on the pond with a strikeout and a pop out to short.

Rosati tossed 1.2 innings of scoreless baseball, and Henrie moved to the mound to make his second appearance of the season to pitch the final inning in a seven-inning doubleheader. Henrie made a terrific defensive play on the hill, snatching a grounder from Garrett Hodges with his bare hand before tossing to his old position for the out. Henrie has now tossed two scoreless frames this season after making nine appearances on the mound for the Bay Sox last season.

The Bay Sox will host the Waves for the second game of their doubleheader on Tuesday night, and they conclude their season with a "home and away" twin-billing in Winnipesaukee on Wednesday.



New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from July 30, 2019


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