Swamp Bats K 17 Times, Drop Third Straight
July 6, 2016 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
Keene Swamp Bats News Release
NEW BEDFORD - The Keene Swamp Bats (12-9) are 11-2 on the season when scoring the game's first run. The only two times they've lost after drawing first blood were against Valley at home on Sunday, and now at New Bedford (9-13) on Wednesday.
The Swamp Bats struck out a season-high 17 times and lost their third in a row, falling to the New Bedford Bay Sox 5-2 on Wednesday in front of 425 fans at Paul Walsh Field.
It was Keene's third straight loss on the road, their third straight loss overall and their fourth loss in the last five games.
Keene starting pitcher Ryan Avidano (Jr., U of Georgia) hit the ground running in his fifth start of the season, not allowing any hits and striking out three batters in the first three innings.
The Swamp Bats got on the board first in the top of the 4th inning. Jack Morock (So., Iowa Western CC) led off the inning with a walk, and reached third on a one-out double to left field by Brandt Stallings (So., Georgia Tech). Morock then reached home on a passed ball by New Bedford catcher Andrew Penner (Jr., L.A. Valley College).
Morock finished 0-for-3 with a walk, a run scored and two strikeouts. The Elkhorn, Nebraska native has gotten a hit in only two of his last 23 at-bats.
New Bedford answered the bell in the bottom of the 4th. With two on and nobody out, Bay Sox first baseman Ryan Wolfsberg (Sr., Hamilton College) hit an RBI-single to left field to knot the game at one run apiece.
After Bay Sox starting pitcher Brandon Schlimm (Jr., St. Bonaventure) retired the Swamp Bats in order in the top of the 5th, the home team grabbed their first lead of the game when centerfielder T.J. Dixon (Sr., Samford) hit an RBI-double into left field to give the Bay Sox a 2-1 lead.
Dixon finished 2-for-4 with a run scored, a double and an RBI.
New Bedford expanded their lead in the bottom of the 5th when Penner hit an RBI-single to Keene shortstop and newcomer Josh Shaw (So., St. John's) with runners on the corners and two outs. It was 3-1 Bay Sox at the end of five.
The Swamp Bats got a run back in the top of the 6th when Parker Sniatynski (Jr., St. Louis U) scored from 3rd off a wild pitch by Schlimm.
Sniatynski led the Keene offense, finishing 2-for-4 with a run scored. The Brookfield, Wisconsin native has gotten a base hit in his last five starts.
New Bedford tacked on some insurance in the bottom of the 6th when Wolfsberg scored from 3rd off a passed ball from Keene catcher and college teammate Tommy LaCongo (Jr., St. Bonaventure). New Bedford led 4-2 after six.
Wolfsberg led the Bay Sox offense, going 3-for-4 with two runs scored, two RBIs and a home run. He's now gotten a hit in five of his last eight at-bats.
Schlimm was pulled after six solid innings of work for the Bay Sox, and the bullpen picked up where he left off. The Swamp Bats were put down in order in the top of the 7th by right-handed reliever Phil Reese (Sr., Holy Cross).
Reese struck out three of the six Swamp Bats he faced in 1.2 innings of work.
The nail in the Keene coffin came in the form of a single-shot home run to deep center by Wolfsberg in the bottom of the 8th with one out, making it 5-2 Bay Sox.
Stallings reached first on a passed ball in the top of the 9th, but New Bedford closer Darrien Ragins (Sr., Deleware St.) struck out the next three Swamp Bats looking to end the game.
Ragins got his fourth save of the season and finished with four Ks in 1.1 innings.
Avidano took the loss on the mound for the Swamp Bats, dropping his season record to 2-1. Through six innings, the 6-7 lefty was still pretty solid, allowing three earned runs to score off of six hits. He also struck out six batters while walking two others.
Schlimm meanwhile improved his season record to 2-1 on the mound, striking out 10 Swamp Bats and walking only one other through six innings. Schlimm surrendered five hits, but both of Keene's runs were unearned.
The Swamp Bats start a three-game home stand Thursday against the North Adams Steeplecats. First pitch from Alumni Field is scheduled for 6:30. The game can be heard on the NECBL Broadcast Network, FM 104.1 and AM 1220 ESPN Keene. The Swamp Bats are set to start Tommy Doyle (Jr., U of Virginia) on the mound.
New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from July 6, 2016
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- Mainers Score Three in the Seventh to Beat Vermont 7-1 - Vermont Mountaineers
- Swamp Bats K 17 Times, Drop Third Straight - Keene Swamp Bats
- SteepleCats Win Third Straight - North Adams SteepleCats
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