Sanford Bats Silenced Again as Ocean State Sweeps Season Series
July 5, 2023 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
Sanford Mainers News Release
Sanford Mainers' Michael Simes and Cameron Johnson
(Sanford Mainers, Credit: Madison Giltner Photography)
SANFORD, Maine - Just a couple of days removed from a walk-off victory on the heels of only three hits, the Sanford Mainers offense was held to two in a 5-1 loss to Ocean State on Wednesday night.
In similar fashion to their last home game, which came against North Shore on Monday, it was an early sacrifice fly that gave the Mainers an early 1-0 lead.
Devan Bade (Binghamton) reached base on a dropped third strike that rolled all the way to the backstop allowing the green and yellow designated hitter to reach base for the 19th game this season out of the 20 he has appeared in.
Bade advanced to second on a wild pitch during Jack Toomey's plate appearance one hitter later that resulted in a base-on-balls to put two runners on the basepaths. Toomey was erased an at-bat later when Jeremiah Jenkins (Maine) grounded into a fielder's choice that left runners on the corners with one out.
Devin Russell (Maryland) fell into an 0-2 count against Ocean State's starter Wyatt Lunsford-Shenkman (East Carolina), but drove the third pitch he saw into center field to score Bade on a sacrifice fly.
After Cody Bowker (Georgetown) worked four scoreless innings of two-hit baseball with three strikeouts, Michael Simes (UMass Lowell) came out of the bullpen in relief.
Simes worked a 1-2-3 with two swinging strikeouts in the top of the fifth inning, but in his second inning of work he pitched to eight Waves batters and watched the Mainers lead sail away.
Simes allowed back-to-back singles to David Mershon (Mississippi State) and Kyree Miller (Charleston), which ended up as two runners in scoring position when Miller found his way to second on the throw that attempted to get Mershon at third base.
Garrett Howe (Samford) tied the game with a sacrifice fly that also kept Miller at bay on the basepaths. Miller did not stay put for too much longer as after a walk to Brodey Heaton (Belmont), Parker Rowland (Arkansas) cleared the bases with a three-run home run over the short porch in right field.
The righty on the mound allowed a hard-hit double to Christian Ficca (Georgetown) one at-bat later, but he settled down to escape the inning with the Mainers trailing 4-1.
Two innings later, in the eighth, the Waves found success against a different arm out of the Mainers bullpen. Rowland greeted Peyton Heisner (Merrimack) out of the bullpen with a single before the lefty on the bump yielded a walk to Ficca.
After a fielder's choice put runners on the corners, Matthew Graveline (Ohio State) grounded into another fielder's choice that tacked on an insurance run to put the Waves lead up to four runs. The visitors loaded the bases, but Connor Caverly (Springfield) got the final out of the inning in relief of Heisner.
Caverly worked a scoreless top of the ninth inning, but it was the Waves' bullpen that ended up with the upper hand. Three Ocean State relievers combined to allow just two baserunners, both of which were walks, in four innings of work and ended the game setting down the final nine Mainers in order.
Sanford looks to rebound tomorrow when it hosts Danbury in the second make-up game of an originally scheduled doubleheader on Saturday, June 17.
Images from this story
 Sanford Mainers' Michael Simes and Cameron Johnson (Madison Giltner Photography) |
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New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from July 5, 2023
- Sanford Bats Silenced Again as Ocean State Sweeps Season Series - Sanford Mainers
- Vermont Sweeps Season Series Against Danbury with a 7-3 Win - Vermont Mountaineers
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