Swamp Bats Take Advantage of Fielding Miscues, Beat Raging Tide 4-1
Published on June 26, 2011 under New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
Keene Swamp Bats News Release
OLD ORCHARD BEACH, Maine - Right fielder Brett DeLoach (Blackshear, GA/Georgia) went 4-for-4 with one run scored, three singles and an RBI triple to guide the Keene Swamp Bats past the Old Orchard Beach Raging Tide, 4-1, on Sunday night at Old Orchard Beach Ballpark.
Keene improves to 7-3 overall and wins the first matchup between both franchises since the Raging Tide moved from Lowell, Mass. as the Lowell All-Americans. Old Orchard Beach falls to 1-10.
Swamp Bats relief pitcher Kyle Gehrs (Independence, MO/Iowa Western CC) earned the win on two scoreless innings of work, one hit, no walks and two strikeouts. Michael Hepple (Newington, CT/Eastern Conn. St.) earned the hard-luck loss on two innings pitched, one unearned run, one walk and one punchout. Bryan Benzor (Loganville, GA/Georgia) notched his first save of the season closing out the ninth on one hit, no walks and one strikeout.
Brad Monroe (Hampton, NH/Southern NH) was dealt the no-decision along with Raging Tide counterpart Rich Anastasi (Waldiwck, NJ/Fordham) going six innings, giving up one run (earned) on four hits, no walks and five strikeouts. Anastasi also went six, yielding one run (earned), six hits and one walk while fanning two batters.
Both teams flashed the leather early on in the contest as Raging Tide third baseman Joel Stubbs (Norwich, Ontario/Binghamton Univ.) made a diving play towards the second base bag on a grounder off of Alex Chittenden's (Indianapolis, IN/Louisville) bat and finished across the diamond for the second out of the ball game. Monroe returned the favor in the second inning with a highlight reel behind-the-back catch on a sharp grounder from catcher Stephen Wadsworth (Wayland, MA/Holy Cross) turning a 1-6-3 double play to end the inning. First baseman Marcus Way (Naples, NY/Harvard) was recorded out on the nifty play after he reached in the previous at-bat with a single to left field.
Keene opened up the scoring in the fifth as Colby May (Guyton, GA/Georgia) laced an RBI single to right field plating Brett DeLoach (Blackshear, GA/Georgia) from third base. DeLoach led off the inning with a single, stole second base and reached third on a passed ball before May's third RBI of the season.
Left fielder Matt Marquis (Annandale, NJ/Maryland) responded quickly for the Raging Tide in the bottom half of the frame launching a 1-0 fastball over the left field wall for his second home run of the season.
In the eighth, the Swamp Bats took advantage of two consecutive fielding miscues to take a 2-1 advantage.
After reaching on a walk with one out, Mark Podlas (Remsenberg, NY/Virginia) stole second base but Wadsworth's throw sailed into centerfield. With the ball in the middle of the outfield, Podlas raced towards the third base bag and reached safely, however centerfielder Billy Bereszniewicz' (Sudbury, MA/Binghamton Univ.) throw to third landed in the Swamp Bats dugout allowing Podlas to score.
DeLoach made it 3-1 in the top of the ninth roping an RBI triple to centerfield plating Kevin Brown (Northborough, MA/Bryant Univ.) from second base. Brown led off the inning with a single and stole second before DeLoach's seventh RBI of the season. DeLoach made it 4-1 later in the inning scoring on a wild pitch from third base by Raging Tide pitcher Oliver Van Zant (Westport, CT/Bowdoin Coll.).
Old Orchard Beach threatened in the bottom of the ninth with runners on second and third with one out but Benzor struck out right fielder Francis Whitten (Westborough, MA/Maine) swinging and Marquis on a groundout to short to seal the victory.
Keene returns to action on Tuesday, July 28 at home against the Laconia Muskrats at 6:30 pm. On Monday, July 27 at 12 pm at Fenway Park, shortstop Alex ChittendOH/Kent St.) and pitchers' Jeff Thompson (Greenville, IN/Louisville) and Taylor Williams (Camas, WA/ Washington St.) will compete against the Team USA Collegiate National Team in an exhibition contest representing Team NECBL.
New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from June 26, 2011
- New Bedford Outlasts Vermont in Extras - Vermont Mountaineers
- Blue Sox Defeat Westerners 8-0 - Valley Blue Sox
- New Bedford Outlasts Vermont in 10 - Vermont Mountaineers
- Swamp Bats Take Advantage of Fielding Miscues, Beat Raging Tide 4-1 - Keene Swamp Bats
- Game Time Change - Vermont Mountaineers
- Westerners And Blue Sox Battle Tonight - Danbury Westerners
- Bay Sox Edge SteepleCats 3-2 - North Adams SteepleCats
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