Bay Sox Mix Things up, Top Mystic

Published on June 26, 2016 under New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
New Bedford Bay Sox News Release


The New Bedford Bay Sox shuffled their batting order on Sunday night, and it proved to be the right move in a 4-3 home victory over the Mystic Schooners.

Andrew Penner (Los Angeles Valley) was a perfect 3-for-3 with two runs batted in from the leadoff spot, while former leadoff man T.J. Dixon (Samford) drew three walks and stole three bases in his new perch at the nine spot. Dixon also singled and scored a run, which was driven in by Penner, who leads the team in hitting with a .385 batting average.

Chris Cobb (North Georgia College & State) picked up the win in relief of starter Gabriel Rodriguez (Eastern Florida State), who went five-plus innings and allowed just one run on four hits with four strikeouts. Cobb pitched 1.2 innings and allowed a run, and lockdown reliever Darrien Ragins (Delaware State) picked up the save, facing just one batter. Mystic threatened in the ninth inning off of Matthew Leon (Seton Hall), as they brought the go-ahead run to the plate twice and scored one run in the final frame. Ragins, who pitched 4.1 innings of scoreless relief on Friday evening, ended the game with a strikeout on a full count to give New Bedford their fourth win of the season.

The Bay Sox (4-9) struck first in the bottom of the first inning, with the cloudless sky in New Bedford providing a two-out run. Penner led the game off with a single, and was moved to second base on a sacrifice bunt by newcomer Ryan Tufts (Virginia Tech). After slugger Ryan Wolfsberg (Hamilton) popped out to first base, cleanup hitter Ryan Baldwin (Barry) hit a meek pop-up to short, but Schooners shortstop Nick Mascelli lost the ball in the sun for an RBI single that scored Penner. Alex Mata also hit a bloop single to center field to put runners on the corners, but the home squad could only put one run on the board in the first.

New Bedford loaded the bases in the second inning with just one out on two infield hits and a hit batter, but could not capitalize as Tufts grounded into a 4-6-3 double play to end the threat. Tufts, from nearby Bridgewater, MA, made his presence felt on the defensive end early in the contest, making several stellar plays at shortstop, with three putouts and a great effort on the only Mystic hit during the first three frames. Chandler Debrosse (Central Connecticut State) also made a slick play in the fourth inning on a ball that seemed destined for right field, turning counterclockwise at the edge of the infield before firing to first for the out.

After squandering chances to score in the third and fourth innings, the Bay Sox entered the top of the fifth clinging to a 1-0 lead. The visiting Schooners (8-7) struck for a run to tie the game at 1-1. Rodriguez walked the leadoff hitter for the second straight inning, but then allowed back-to-back singles, neither of which were hit particularly hard, to surrender the lead. Rodriguez was able to give up just the one run, retiring the final three Mystic hitters on a sacrifice bunt and two groundouts to his infield.

The Bay Sox took the lead in the bottom of the sixth, scoring two runs without recording a hit to take a 3-1 lead. Both Robbie Doring (Dayton) and Debrosse drew walks to start the frame, then after a strikeout of pinch-hitter Jakob Goldfarb (Oregon), Dixon drew another free pass to load the bases. Penner hit a sacrifice fly to right field to give New Bedford a 2-1 lead, and Debrosse smartly moved to third on the throw home. The Bay Sox, who have been victimized often by the double steal, scored their third run on a stolen base from Dixon which allowed Debrosse to easily cross the plate. Dixon broke for second early but his speed and nifty slide into the base beat the pickoff attempt from the Schooners.

Mystic cut the lead to 3-2 in the top of the seventh inning on yet another leadoff walk allowed by Cobb. With two outs, Toby Handley drove in Zach Goldstein with an RBI single for the second Schooners run. Cobb was replaced with two runners on and two down by Leon, who retired Brett Bond on a grounder back to the pitcher to end the inning.

The combination of Dixon and Penner put an insurance run on the board in the eighth inning, as Dixon drew his third walk of the game, and followed that with his third steal of the night. Penner brought him home with his third single of the contest, as the catcher/first baseman collected two RBIs and scored a run, which made him the Citizens Bank Player of the Game in the victory. That run was needed, as Mystic scored once in the ninth, but could not deal New Bedford their sixth loss on runs scored in the eighth inning or later this year.

New Bedford has a busy week ahead, with seven games in seven nights. They will play the Vermont Mountaineers on Monday night in Montpelier, and then host the North Adams SteepleCats on Tuesday in their next home tilt.

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New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from June 26, 2016


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