Swamp Bats Lose Third Straight
July 11, 2016 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
Keene Swamp Bats News Release
LACONIA - The month of July has not been polite to the Keene Swamp Bats. They're now 1-5 this month, and drop to 13-12 overall as the Winnipesaukee Muskrats (14-11) topped the Swamp Bats 5-3 Monday in front of 156 fans at Robbie Mills Park. The Muskrats also surpassed the Swamp Bats for first place in the NECBL Northern Division.
The loss was also Keene's third in a row, their fifth straight away from home, and their seventh loss in the last nine contests. The Swamp Bats have not won back-to-back games since beating the Sanford Mainers on June 26th and the Newport Gulls on June 28th.
After notching only one hit against Vermont on Sunday, the Swamp Bats offense struggled early with only one hit through the first four innings. Keene also struck out seven times through the first four innings.
Winnipesaukee's starting pitcher Andrew Politi (So., Seton Hall) had a season-high eight Ks through seven innings of work. Politi improved his season record to 3-1 on the mound, giving up only four hits, one earned run and two walks to go with the strikeouts.
The Muskrats got on the board first in the bottom of the 4th inning when second baseman James Garnett (Sr., Plymouth St.) blasted a three-run homer into left field to make it 3-0 Winnipesaukee at the end of four. It was Garnett's fourth home run of the season.
The Swamp Bats are now 1-11 on the season when their opponent scores first.
Keene answered quickly in the top of the 5th when Patrick Sullivan (So., U of Georgia) went yard to left center for a single-shot. Sullivan's first home run of the season made it 3-1 Winnipesaukee halfway through the 5th.
The Muskrats extended their lead in the next frame with Garnett coming through on another big hit. This time, it was a two-run RBI double to right field to make it 5-1 Muskrats after five.
Garnett finished 2-for-3 with a season-high five RBIs. He was also hit by a pitch in the 2nd inning.
The Swamp Bats got another run back in the top of the 7th. Sullivan reached on an error by Garnett at second base to bring Jordan Howard (Jr., Lee U) home from 3rd, making it 5-2 Muskrats. Howard led off the 7th with a walk.
Trailing by three entering the 9th, the Swamp Bats had to face off against Winnipesaukee closer Cain Spangler (Sr., Florida International U). Keene was not phased as Howard led off the top of the 9th with a single-shot dinger to centerfield, cutting Winnipesaukee's lead to 5-3.
Howard continues to lead the NECBL in home runs; he now has seven.
Brandt Stallings (So., Georgia Tech) followed up the homer with a single, and pinch-hitter Parker Sniatynski (Jr., St. Louis U) reached on a two-out walk, but left fielder Lucas Luopa (Sr., Eckerd) flew out to right field to end the game. Keene is now 1-3 against Winnipesuakee this season.
Swamp Bats' starting pitcher Andrew O'Brien (Jr., Riverside City College) took the loss on the mound, dropping his season record to 1-2. Through six innings of work, O'Brien surrendered six hits, five runs and two walks. He also had three strikeouts.
The Swamp Bats are back in action Tuesday, travelling to Kingston, RI to face the best team in the NECBL in the Ocean State Waves (16-9) in a double-header. First game starts at 4:00, and the second is set to start at 6:30. Both of Tuesday's games can be heard on the NECBL Broadcast Network, FM 104.1 and AM 1220 ESPN Keene.
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New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from July 11, 2016
- Monday Night Mayhem for Sanford as Vermont Rolls - Sanford Mainers
- Mountaineers Win Seventh Straight Home Game - Vermont Mountaineers
- Swamp Bats Lose Third Straight - Keene Swamp Bats
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