North Shore 8th-Inning Comeback Downs Sanford
June 16, 2021 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
Sanford Mainers News Release
Sanford Mainers exchange handshakes
(Sanford Mainers)
LYNN, Mass. - The Sanford Mainers played the North Shore Navigators for the first time this season on Tuesday night. After overcoming an early deficit, the Navigators used three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to propel them to a 4-2 win.
Alex McKenney (Maine) made the start for Sanford, his second of the season. He worked around early trouble to only allow one run, finishing after four innings and allowing three hits, two walks, and collecting four strikeouts.
North Shore scored the first run in the third frame after a lead-off triple ended up scoring on a wild pitch. Sanford was able to respond and take the lead in the sixth, sparked by a single and a double in consecutive at-bats by Dayne Leonard (Virginia Tech) and Marty Higgins (St. John's). Three batters later, Ryan Turenne (Maine) singled through the hole on the right side of the infield to score Leonard and Higgins to take a 2-1 lead.
McKenney was followed by Anthony Redfern (Georgetown) and Spencer Hill (Northern Illinois) who kept the Navigators scoreless in the fifth and sixth innings. Neither of them allowed a hit in their shutout innings.
In the eighth inning, North Shore sent nine batters to the plate, scoring three runs to take a 4-2 lead that they would hold headed to the ninth. Big hits in the inning from Jacob Gustin and pinch-hitter Matthias Haas provided the spark to overcome Sanford.
The Mainers didn't go lightly in the ninth inning, as they loaded the bases with two outs trailing by two runs. However, North Shore closer Justin Butera was able to shut the door to strand all three.
The Mainers were led offensively by Higgins who went 3-5 with two doubles, and Turenne who had two hits with two RBI in the loss.
Sanford will take on North Shore in the return game of two straight on Wednesday night at Goodall Park, before hitting the road again to Keene on Thursday.
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- North Shore 8th-Inning Comeback Downs Sanford - Sanford Mainers
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