Mainers Rally in the Eighth to Top Swamp Bats
July 14, 2022 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
Sanford Mainers News Release
KEENE, Nh. - "You merely adopted the dark; I was born in it, molded by it."
The Mainers answered the call late in the game to come back and defeat Keene, 9-6. After yesterday's heart-wrenching loss to Winnipesaukee, Sanford responded in a big way against the Swamp Bats, capped off by a four-run eighth inning.
Keene struck in the first inning on a three-run home run from Tyler McKenzie (Vanderbilt), 3-0, It was his third blast of the year, but Keene didn't stop there.
A solo shot from Garrett Rice (Missouri) in the second stretched the lead, then an RBI fielder's choice from Lucas Costello (Wake Forest) scored Paxton Tomaini (Florida Southwestern State), 5-0.
The Mainers bounced back in the third with runners on the corners, and one out, Quinn McDaniel (Maine) came up and launched a three-run homer on the first pitch to cut into the lead.
A walk, a hit by pitch and a wild pitch put Aidan Kane (Delaware) and Jake Rainess (Maine) in scoring position. Then, David Bermudez (Manhattan) delivered a two-run double to tie the game, 5-5.
Stellar pitching from Zachary Rodgers (UMass-Lowell) and Nick Hohenstein (Siena) kept the game tied until the bottom of the sixth when lightning struck twice.
Rice smoked his second home run of the night over the left field fence for his sixth of the year, 6-5.
In the eighth, Parker Murphy (Jacksonville) came out of the bullpen for Keene, and the Mainers waited for him to throw strikes.
Rainess walked, and then Bermudez got his pitch and drove it off the top of the wall for a double, inches from his first home run of the year, to put runners at second and third. On a Joey Rezek (East Carolina) ground ball, Rainess beat the throw to the plate, and everyone was safe, 6-6.
With runners on the corners, a pickoff attempt from Murphy went wayward of Rice and allowed Bermudez to score from third, 7-6.
Later in the inning, the bases were loaded for McDaniel, and he roped one off the fence and drove in Rezek and MJ Lucas (UNC-Asheville), 9-6.
Similar to Bermudez's shot, McDaniel nearly had his second grand slam of the year.
The Mainers handed the ball over to their ace Brady Afthim (UConn) for the final three innings, and he shut down the Swamp Bats, striking out seven, allowing just one base runner on no hits.
With tonight's win, Sanford improves to 14-16 overall, while Keene falls to 12-19.
The green and yellow are back at home tomorrow for a home-and-home doubleheader with the Mystic Schooners. Matthew Sapienza (Georgetown) will start in game one.
New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from July 14, 2022
- Mainers Rally in the Eighth to Top Swamp Bats - Sanford Mainers
- Vermont Comes up Short against Upper Valley - Vermont Mountaineers
- Newport's Cardines Field Advances to Championship Round in National Summer Ballpark Competition - NECBL
- The NECBL Daily Rundown - 7/13/22 - Vineyard Takes Their Bats on the Road, Swamp Bats Sweep - NECBL
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