Moose Earn Thrilling Doubleheader Split with Nighthawks
Published on July 3, 2019 under New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
Sanford Mainers News Release
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION - Shocking heartbreak turned to elation as the Mainers turned around a last at-bat 4-3 loss to take a 7-6 last at-bat win against the Upper Valley Nighthawks. The Maxfield Sports Complex was never a dull sight as both teams played exceptional baseball over the course of 15 innings.
Through the majority of game one, it looked as though the Mainers would coast to victory. They opened the scoring in the first inning when Nick Howie (Oakville, Ontario, Canada/Eastern Kentucky) doubled home Drew DeMartino (Pittsfield, Mass./Hartford) who himself doubled two batters earlier.
The Moose increased their advantage in the fourth after loading the bases following back-to-back singles from Howie and Elliott Curtis (Waterloo, Ontario, Canada/Kentucky) and a Jack Van Remortel (Carmel, Ind./Michigan) hit by pitch. Casey Buckley (Long Beach, Calif./Michigan) got Howie across the plate with an RBI groundout, putting the pressure on the hosts in the middle innings.
The offense was supported by another stellar start from Matt Rudis (Madisonville, Texas/Texas Christian). He threw his second gem in as many starts, holding the Nighthawks scoreless just as he did the Winnipesaukee Muskrats six days earlier. In his six innings, he allowed only one hit and walked two while striking out six, extending his shutout streak to 11 innings.
However, things took a turn for the worse in the seventh. Three outs away from defeat, the Nighthawks got their offense going. A leadoff base hit and three walks cut the Mainer lead in half and placed the tying and winning runs on base.
In a tough jam, manager Cejay Suarez called upon Nick Laster (Atlanta, Ga./Eastern Kentucky) to clean up the mess. Even though the tying run came across home plate, the move to the bullpen paid off as Laster bore down and retired all three batters he faced in the seventh, two on strikes, to force extra innings.
Starting the eighth inning, Shane Marshall (Webster, N.Y./Binghamton) entered the game as a pinch runner for Buckley on second base and the Mainers took advantage right away, advancing him to third base on a flyout to left field. After the next batter made an out, Sterling Hayes (San Diego, Calif./Vanderbilt) saved the day, poking a fastball to right field, scoring Marshall and reclaiming a 3-2 lead.
Unfortunately, the one run was not enough to curb a revitalized Nighthawk offense. Using a pinch-runner on second of their own in their half of the eighth, they wasted no time getting him to third, doing so on a bunt single. Another knock one batter later scored the tying run and advanced the winning run to third base. A successful stolen base prompted an intentional walk, setting the stage for Easton Kirk to drive home the game-winning run, capping off a win in walk-off fashion.
The Mainers did not dwell on the loss for too long as their offense kicked into gear as soon as game two started. Marshall got the action started by singling and DeMartino doubled him home straight away and advanced to third on the throw home. Ryan Turenne (Lynn, Mass./Maine) hit a hard groundball that demanded an athletic play by Kirk to get him out, an RBI out that had the Moose up 2-0.
Like game one, the lead went away just as quickly as it came. The Nighthawks got one back in the first inning on a Cole Frederick double and exploded for four runs with two outs in the second. Before they knew it, the Mainers found themselves behind 5-2.
Putting the early innings behind them, the Moose turned to Pat Petteruti (East Greenwich, R.I./Brown) to hold the Nighthawk bats in check. In his three innings of work, he did just that, permitting the hosts to one hit in his shutout effort, fanning two batters as well.
Petteruti's strong pitching inspired his team's offense. Brandon Lankford (Mocksville, N.C./UNC-Asheville) showcased the power that helped him to an All-Big South First Team selection last spring, drilling a 400-foot two-run home run over the center field wall in the fifth inning to bring the Mainers within one at 5-4.
They would level the score in their next turn at bat. The combination of Marshall and DeMartino came through again, executing a sequence similar to the first inning. This time it was a DeMartino single succeeding a Marshall double, tying the score at 5-5 with one inning left to play.
Once again, the Moose brought their bats in the seventh and completed the comeback. Robbie Armitage (Falmouth, Maine/Marist College) tomahawked a high fastball the other way, sending the ball into the right-field corner for an easy triple. A sliding catch by Jack Zyska in left field robbed Marshall of a hit, but it was enough to send Armitage home for the go-ahead sac fly.
With their lead restored, the Mainers kept hunting for insurance runs. DeMartino legged out an infield single and reached second base on an errant throw, giving Howie the opportunity to record his first RBI in game two when he ripped a single to left field.
Just like game one, the Nighthawks pushed to equalize and force extra innings. Two consecutive extra-base hits, a double and a triple, plated their sixth run and threatened to produce another extra inning contest.
Nevertheless, Matthew Pushard (Brewer, Maine/Maine) had other plans. With Frederick standing at third, he coaxed a weak groundout that kept the score 7-6. The next hitter flew out to shallow center field for a quick second out.
Wanting to score the tying run, Nighthawks skipper Keller Bradford sent Frederick to the plate. But, a strong throw from Marshall cut him down with room to spare, preserving a Mainers win.
The victory puts the Moose at 8-13, ending a four-game skid. They remain in sixth place in the Northern Division still just four-and-a-half games from a playoff berth.
The Mainers have the Fourth of July off but will make the trip to Rhode Island on Friday to square off with the Newport Gulls. As always, you can catch the call starting at 6:30 PM on the NECBL Broadcast Network and 104.3 FM/1220 AM "The Legends" back in Sanford. Until then, stay in the loop on all things Mainers by visiting sanfordmainers.com and following the team on social media.
New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from July 3, 2019
- Moose Earn Thrilling Doubleheader Split with Nighthawks - Sanford Mainers
- Gulls Drop Pair in Doubleheader against Sharks - Newport Gulls
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
