Schooners Take Game Two; NECBL Championship
August 11, 2016 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
Sanford Mainers News Release
SANFORD - The Mystic Schooners took the NECBL Championship in an 8-2 Thursday night at Goodall Park, sweeping the Sanford Mainers on-route to their first championship in team history.
Mystic set the tone early, scoring in the top part of the 1st inning to take an early lead over the Mainers, a lead they would not relinquish. Nick Mascelli (Wagner) singled to kick-off the inning, as Ryan Ramiz (Seton Hall) followed him with a single of his own to put two men aboard. Later in the inning, Rich Slenker (Yale) hit a long fly-ball to left field, a sacrifice fly, to make the score 1-0, scoring Mascelli.
The Schooners attacked Mainers' starter *Ben Wessel (Rhode Island) *again in the 2nd, scoring twice in the frame to extend their lead to three. Even after scoring twice, the Schooners left the bases loaded.
Not content to go down at home, Sanford battled back. The Moose scored once in the 5th inning when *Mike Landestoy (Texas Christian) *singled in *Todd Czinege (Villanova) *who had walked to cut the Schooners lead to 3-1. Sanford seemed prime to score again, but *Shaine Hughes (Monmouth) *was cut down trying to advance to third on the same play by Schooners catcher Martin Figuroa (Rhode Island).
The Mainers struck again in the 6th when *Chris Gaetano (Monmouth) *scored on a *Tristan Chari (Vanderbilt) *sacrifice fly, to make the game 3-2, the closest the Moose would get.
Mystic put the game away very quickly in the 7th off of reliever *Will Tribucher (Michigan)*, after Slenker hit a two out double to score a run and Chace Lunceford (Louisiana Tech.) hit a two-run home run to left-center field. At the innings end, Mystic had scored four times, all with two men out. The Schooners added an insurance run in the 8th, which brought the game to its final score.
Wessel went four innings, and allowed five hits, three runs, three earned, walked no one and struck out two in the loss for the Moose. Mystic starter Kevin Magee (St. Johns) went five innings of one-run baseball to earn the win for the visiting Schooners.
The Mainers will resume play at the onset of the 2017 NECBL season, after winning the NECBL Northern Division regular season and postseason title in 2016, and appearing in the team's fourth NECBL Championship.
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New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from August 11, 2016
- Mystic Schooners Win NECBL Championship - Mystic Schooners
- Schooners Take Game Two; NECBL Championship - Sanford Mainers
- Schooners Defeat Mystics to Advance to the NECBL Championship - Mystic Schooners
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