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DeFabbia, Vermont Edge Mainers 2-1

June 30, 2022 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
Vermont Mountaineers News Release


SANFORD, Maine - The Vermont Mountaineers picked up their third win of the season against the Sanford Mainers by a score of 2-1 on Thursday night at Goodall Park in a North Division New England Collegiate Baseball League battle.

The Mountaineers improve to 19-2 on the summer at the midway point and maintain a 6.5 game lead over second place Upper Valley. The Mainers dropped to 9-11 on the year and sit 9.5 games behind the first place Mountaineers. Vermont defeated the Mainers back in a double header on June 11 at Goodall Park and the two teams will play three more times, all at Montpelier Recreation Field.

Vermont jumped out to a quick 1-0 with the second batter of the game. Tom Josten belted a 2-0 pitch 392 feet to right field for his second home run of the summer. The blast was 103 mph off the bat, according to TrackMan.

Vermont starter Anthony DeFabbia came out strong, retiring the first eight hitters he faced. He had four straight strikeouts before a two-out single in the third, but got a ground out to end the inning with no other damage.

After the first inning home run by Josten, the game became a pitcher's duel between DeFabbia and Sanford's starter Sonny Fauci combined for 14 strikeouts through five innings, split evenly between the two. Fauci gave up three free passes compared to zero by DeFabbia in that span.

Fauci ran into trouble in the sixth. A leadoff walk, an error and a single loaded the bases with no outs. With Josten, Tyler Cox, and Ben Williamson on, Jack Cone worked a seven pitch, full count walk to score Josten from third, again loading the bases. However, Fauci escaped with no more damage with a strikeout, flyout, and a ground out after surrendering just one run.

The Mainer's finally got on the board in the bottom of the sixth. DeFabbia gave up his first walk, a one-out free pass, to Alex Knapp after a seven pitch battle at the plate. Two batters later Matthew Polk doubled to the left field corner, as Knapp crossed the plate. That chased DeFabbia from the game and Vermont brought in Jack Metzger out of the pen. Metzger made quick work of the first batter he faced and got him strikeout on three straight pitches to end the threat.

Metzger quickly got through the seventh inning after Vermont's bats went silent in the top of the frame, using just 10 pitches, eight of them for strikes, to retire the Mainer's.

The hosts threatened in the bottom of the eighth inning with back-to-back infield singles by Devan Bade and Joey Rezak to the right side to put a pair of runners on base. Metzger settled down though, striking out the next two batters and inducing a ground out to short to hold onto the 2-1 lead.

DeFabbia finished the game with five and two thirds innings pitched, striking out seven and allowing one run on two hits and a walk. Metzger had a strong relief appearance to earn his fourth save. He pitched three and a third innings, striking out four and allowing just the two singles in the eighth. Fauci took the loss for the Mainer's, going six full innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on just three hits and had eight strikeouts. He issued five walks.

The Mountaineers come back to Vermont for a Friday night contest against in-state rival, the Upper Valley Nighthawks at the Maxfield Sports Complex in White River Junction, Vermont. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. in the second game of the Governor's Cup Series. You can follow along online on the NECBL Broadcast Network.

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New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from June 30, 2022


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