Late Hitting And Sportman's Heroics Give Keene 5-4 Victory
August 4, 2013 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
Keene Swamp Bats News Release
Keene's 2013 NECBL playoffs started off with a barnburner on Sunday night, defeating the Holyoke Blue Sox 5-4.
Keene's starter Nathan Kirby wasn't on his all-star form, but pitched well enough to keep his team in the game.
The left-hander out of the University of Virginia went six and a third innings, surrendering three runs on five hits and two walks. He also had a season high 12 strikeouts on the night.
Holyoke got on the board first with a second inning Dillon Hamlin RBI single.
But Keene responded quickly with two runs of their own in the bottom of the inning on a Zach Lucas, Louisville, 2 RBI single to make it 2-1 Keene.
Holyoke answered with two more runs of their own the very next inning, on a wild pitch and a hit by pitch to make it 3-2 Holyoke.
The Swamp Bats tied the game at 3-3 in the fifth on a Zach Lauricella, St. John's, RBI fielder's choice.
The game would remain that way until the bottom of the eighth. Rutgers' Brian O'Grady gave Keene the lead on a bases loaded sacrifice fly and the Swamp Bats tacked on one more run after Tommy Monnot's RBI single to make it 5-3.
After Matthew Clancy's, St. John's, scoreless one and two thirds inning's of relief, James Connell, Kennesaw State, came on in the ninth to close things out. With two outs and two men on second and third, Matt Reida, singled into centerfield. One run scored, but JP Sportman gunned out the tying run at the plate, to end the game in thrilling fashion.
Keene now leads the best of three series 1-0. Game Two will be at Holyoke on Monday night, with first pitch set for 6:35 p.m.
New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from August 4, 2013
- Late Hitting And Sportman's Heroics Give Keene 5-4 Victory - Keene Swamp Bats
- Gulls Take 1-0 Series Lead with 11-4 Win vs. Sanford - Newport Gulls
- Three-Run Sixth Powers Mountaineers to Game 1 Win, 4-1, Sunday Night - North Adams SteepleCats
- NECBL Playoffs Start Sunday - NECBL
- Mainers Are in the Playoffs - Sanford Mainers
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