Bennett's Eighth Inning Home Run Helps Claim Game Over Mainers

June 24, 2012 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
Sanford Mainers News Release


The Sanford Mainers have already lost to the Laconia Muskrats three times this season, and today they hoped to turn the series around in Laconia. However, in the end the Mainers lost a heart breaker 6-5.

Jason Inghram took the mound for his third start of the season and his second against the Muskrats. He went 6.2 innings, giving up 5 hits, 4 runs, 1 walk, and 3 strike outs.

Through the first three innings, Inghram retired the Laconia line-up in order. Heading into the fourth inning, he ran into trouble after giving up a lead-off walk to Vince Conde and then a single to Marcus Davis.

With two runners on and nobody out, Danny Collins moved the two runners up by grounding back to the mound for out number one.

Inghram got Tyler Jackson to pop out to second base for the second out, and what started out as a big out with two runners in scoring position, turned bad quickly.

Ethan Bennett sent a ball to the fence in right-center field for a 2-RBI double to put the Muskrats up 2-0.

Donny Duschinsky mimicked Bennett and hit an RBI double, extending the lead to 3-0.

The momentum quickly changed in the top of the fifth. Paul Kronenfeld and Nate LaPointe reached base on back-to-back singles to start the inning.

A sacrifice bunt attempt by Brian Doran worked to his advantage as he reached base with an infield single when the Muskrat defense waited for the ball to roll foul and stayed fair.

The bases were loaded and still nobody out. Mark Weist put the Mainers on the board for the first time with an RBI single, scoring Kronenfeld.

The story for the Mainers came in the next at bat, when Troy Black who has had a slow start for the team this season, smacked a grand slam off the scoreboard. The Mainers found themselves with the lead 5-3.

Heading into the bottom of the seventh inning, the Muskrats tied the game up on a solo home run by Dylan Kelly and and RBI double off the bat of Conde. The tying run was credited to relief pitcher, Steven Rice, taking away the chance of a Inghram's first win of the season.

In the bottom of the eighth, Rice served up a solo home run to Bennett putting the game back in the Muskrat's favor 6-5.

Nic Manuppelli came into the ninth inning with one out for a two-out save, good enough for his fifth on the season.

The Mainers are now 0-4 against the Muskrats this season and fall to 4-8 on the year. They will face the Mystic Schooners tomorrow night at 6:30pm at Goodall Park in Sanford, Maine.

Brandon Alphin is scheduled to make his first start of the season for the Moose.



New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from June 24, 2012


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