Ringo's ninth inning game-tying grand slam sparks Holyoke's come-from-behind victory
August 6, 2011 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
Keene Swamp Bats News Release
KEENE, NH - Down 9-5 in the top of the ninth inning, Justin Ringo (Palos Park, IL/Stanford) smashed a game-tying grand slam home run to right field and Paul McConkey (Knoxville, TN/Kentucky) drew a bases loaded walk in the top of the tenth to complete the Holyoke Blue Sox, 11-9, come-from-behind victory over the Keene Swamp Bats in game one of the Western Division Championship Series on Saturday night at Alumni Field in front of 867 fans.
Holyoke takes a 1-0 series lead in the best-of-three format. The Blue Sox get a chance to clinch the Western Division Championship tomorrow night at home at 6:30 pm.
Ryan Harvey (Manalapan, NJ/Seton Hall) earned the win in relief on two scoreless innings pitched, yielding no hits and one walk. TJ Ferguson (Westmoreland, NH/Franklin Pierce) suffered the loss on one inning of work, one hit, two runs and three free passes.
Trailing 9-4 in the ninth, Holyoke shortstop Eric Smith (La Canada, CA/Stanford) led off the inning with an infield single jumpstarting the Blue Sox five-run ninth inning rally. After catcher Ronnie Freeman (Lawrenceville, GA/Kennesaw St.) struck out looking and Sam Eberle (Chattanooga, TN/Jacksonville St.) reached first base on a throwing error by Keene pitcher Eddie Medina (Staten Island, NY/St. John's), designated hitter Tom Murphy (West Monroe, NY/Buffalo) lined a single up the middle to make it 9-5.
Trey Mancini (Winter Haven, FL/Notre Dame) followed with a walk setting up Ringo with the bases loaded opportunity. Ringo pulled a fastball deep right field launching his first home run of the postseason.
Keene built its 9-4 lead midway through the ballgame behind a grand slam from designated hitter Brett DeLoach (Blackshear, GA/Georgia) in the fifth, a Kevin Brown (Northborough, MA/Bryant) RBI double to right centerfield in the sixth inning and a Tom Conley (Quincy, MA/UMass-Amherst) run-producing single in the seventh.
In the top of the seventh, Freeman crushed a two-run home run to centerfield that sliced the Swamp Bats lead in half to 8-4 at the time.
Murphy also cranked a home run in the contest, a two-run shot to centerfield that ricocheted half way up the centerfield light pole, for an early 2-0 advantage in the second inning.
Offensively for Keene, Brown went 3-for-5 with two runs scored and two runs batted in while DeLoach was 2-for-4 with one run and five RBI's. For Holyoke, Freeman went 2-for-6 with one run and two RBI's, Murphy collected two hits, three runs and three runs batted in and Ringo who was 1-for-4 with one run and four runs driven in.
Scott Silverstein (Brookville, MD/Virginia) was stellar out of the bullpen relieving Swamp Bats starter Brad Monroe (Hampton, NH/Southern NH) who only pitched two innings. Silverstein tossed four scoreless innings on three hits, three walks and a game-high five strikeouts.
New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from August 6, 2011
- Ringo's ninth inning game-tying grand slam sparks Holyoke's come-from-behind victory - Keene Swamp Bats
- Blue Sox Use Late Heroics in 11-9 Extra Innings Victory - Valley Blue Sox
- Mainers Lose Game One To Laconia In Extras - Sanford Mainers
- Laconia, Sanford, Holyoke and Keene Advance to NECBL Semi-Finals - NECBL
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