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Comeback Bid Falls Short in Bay Sox'

July 5, 2017 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
New Bedford Bay Sox News Release


The New Bedford Bay Sox' comeback bid on Wednesday night fell one run short, as they lost to the Vermont Mountaineers 5-4 at Montpelier Recreation Field.

New Bedford nearly doubled the hit total of the Mountaineers, raking up 13 hits while having base runners on in every inning except for the first. But their continued struggles with men on came back to bite them again, as they dropped their four straight game in front of a healthy crowd in Vermont.

New Bedford fell behind yet again, as the Mountaineers plated three runs in the bottom of the second off of starter Brendan Jenkins (San Francisco). A hit batter and an error on a sacrifice attempt put runners at second and third with no outs for Brett Malm, who drove in both Mountaineers with a double to left field. Two batters later, Brett Aldridge laced a single to right to score Malm for a 3-0 Vermont lead.

The Bay Sox had a great chance to score in the top of that frame, as they loaded the bases with two outs, but Jordan Fucci (Samford) struck out to strand all three runners. They also stranded three in the fourth, but scored twice in that inning to cut their deficit to one run.

With one out, Nick Matera (Rutgers), Zachary Scott (St. Leo), new addition Michael Martinez (Rutgers), and Fucci all singled, with Martinez and Fucci driving in runs with their base knocks. Chandler Debrosse (Central Connecticut State) was the fifth Bay Sox to single in the inning, which loaded the bases with two down, but a drive to right field by Luke Bakula (Kansas) was hauled in to keep the score at 3-2.

The Mountaineers scored single runs in the fifth and sixth innings to regain a three-run advantage, with Jesse Forestell driving in Michael Hartnagel with an RBI single off of Jenkins in the fifth, and Abdel Amir Guadalupe Peterson launching a solo homer off of reliever Zack Reid (UMass Dartmouth) to lead off the sixth.

Bakula hit his first home run of the year to lead off the seventh inning, and his teammates scored another run in the eighth to shrink the Vermont lead to 5-4. Fucci and Nick Neville (Notre Dame) reached on consecutive walks, and Debrosse plated Fucci with an RBI single, which was his third hit of the evening. Reliever Reese Robinson, who came in prior to Debrosse's at-bat, struck out Bakula, pinch-hitter Cody Doyle (Sacred Heart), and Dan Schock (Sacred Heart) to preserve the one-run lead.

Matera singled to start the ninth, but was thrown out trying to swipe second base for the first out, which seemed to put the brakes on any chance that the Bay Sox would complete the comeback bid. Martinez did pick up his second hit in his debut with New Bedford, but was the 14th runner left on base after another strikeout cinched the win for Vermont.

With the loss, New Bedford falls to 8-13 on the season, and have lost seven of their last eight contests. They are averaging just two runs scored in those seven defeats, compared to the 11 runs they scored in their only victory during that stretch.

The Bay Sox will look to snap their current skid on Thursday night, as they will return to Paul Walsh Field for their fifth encounter with the Newport Gulls. The game will start at 6:30pm, and will be highlighted by an appearance by former Dartmouth High standout and current New York Jets running back Jordan Todman.



New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from July 5, 2017


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