Muskrats Steal Game 1 from Top Seed, Head Home with Chance to Advance

Published on August 3, 2011 under New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
Winnipesaukee Muskrats News Release


The Laconia Muskrats were confident about their playoff match up with the top-seeded Newport Gulls and showed exactly why Wednesday night in Rhode Island, stealing Game 1 by a score of 4-3.

Despite having never faced Gulls ace Jacob Lee (Arkansas St), who posted the best statistics of any pitcher in the NECBL this summer with a 4-0 record and a 0.66 ERA, Laconia liked their chances with Justin Wiley (Iona) on their side.

Wiley was 2-0 with a 2.71 ERA in three appearances against Newport this season, including a win down at the Gulls' Cardines Field. But Game 1 did not start out as the pitcher's duel everyone expected.

The Muskrats were able to strike first for three singles in the first inning, as Lee threw an unusual amount of fastballs. A Bijan Rademacher (Cal St Fullerton) sacrifice bunt put two runners in scoring position for Chris Costantino's (Walters St CC) RBI knock to centerfield. The Muskrats led 1-0.

The Gulls responded immediately, loading the bases twice in the bottom of the first on three singles, a double, and Wiley's ninth walk of the season. Conrad Gregor (Vanderbilt) brought in two runs on a two-out single, but that's all Newport would get as they left the bases loaded. The Gulls left 12 men on in the game, eight of which in scoring position.

The offenses were then held silent by both starters through the middle innings, with the Gulls leading 2-1. Once Lee mixed in his off-speed pitches with more frequency he begin to look dominant. At one point, he retired 17 of 18 batters.

Wiley was the first to falter, as the third out continued to elude him. Newport was able to get a base runner on after two outs in seven of the game's nine innings. With two out in the sixth, a Kyle Johnson (Washington St) double and a Robby Ort (Indiana St) single gave the Gulls a dangerous third run. The 3-1 lead seemed like more than enough for Lee.

But a few innings later, the bottom-third of Laconia's lineup, who had been a combined 0-7 against Lee, sparked a Muskrats' comeback. James Beck (Iona) and Kendall Keeton (Walters St CC) got things started with singles, as Lee begin to favor his fastball again. After a sacrifice bunt and a strikeout, the runners were in scoring position with two out, and the heart of the Muskrats order made Lee pay with a rally of their own.

Rademacher singled to bring in Beck, pulling the Muskrats within a run. Costantino amazingly got a 1-2 fastball from Lee, which he handled to bring in Keeton and tie the game at 3-3. Then, Dylan Kelly (Middle Georgia College) dropped a ball into shallow right field, scoring Rademacher for what would be the game-winning run.

Harry Glynne (CCSU) would benefit from the offensive turnaround, getting the win as the Muskrats' bullpen took over. Zach LeBarron (SNHU) contributed a scoreless eighth, and Brad Zambron (Grand Valley St) and William Prince (UNC Wilmington) combined to close out the ninth. Prince earned his fifth save, and his third against Newport this season.

Laconia's defense made four errors in the game, but was steady when it counted. John Ziznewski (Rockland CC), who made an error in the second, converted important double plays in both the eighth and ninth innings to squash the Gulls' chances. In the eighth, he tagged the runner advancing to second and threw on to first to end the inning. An inning later, he snared a liner and doubled a runner up at first.

The Muskrats' win snapped a 12-game win streak that the Gulls used to close out their regular season and grasp the best record in the NECBL. It also takes away homefield advantage for Newport, and gives Lee his first loss of the season.

Entering the game, Laconia's lineup looked strong, but featured some interesting deviations from the regular season. This is a result of the Muskrats simply being out of options, with so many key players departing due to injury and circumstance. Laconia only had one available player on the bench, with Beck playing as the designated hitter while Kelly caught Wiley for the first time.

But the series is going according to plan for the Muskrats and Manager Matt Alison, as he will give the ball to Costantino at home Thursday, with a chance to eliminate the top-seeded Gulls. Newport will counter with Brandon Sinnery (U of Michigan), whose one loss this summer came in Laconia on July 2nd.

Costantino will look to continue his dominance after hurling the NECBL's fifth no-hitter on July 17th. He followed it up with a record-setting, 14-strikeout performance, and has since been unbeaten. His 60 strikeouts this summer lead the League, and only trail Tyler Joyner's franchise record and previous League-high by one punch out.

The energized Laconia Muskrats host the Newport Gulls at Robbie Mills Field Thursday in Game 2, with a chance to eliminate the NECBL's best team and advance to the Eastern Finals. Game time is 6:05 PM.

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New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from August 3, 2011


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