Swamp Bats Thumped by Westerners
July 22, 2016 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
Keene Swamp Bats News Release
DANBURY - Every cloud supposedly has a silver lining. But the Keene Swamp Bats (15-19) have yet to really find it in the month of July. Keene took it on the chin Friday against the Danbury Westerners (17-19) at Rogers Park in Connecticut, falling 14-4 in their second straight loss by more than 10 runs. It's the first time this season the Swamp Bats have dropped back-to-back games by double digits.
The Swamp Bats are now 3-13 in the month of July, 2-8 in their last 10, and have dropped three in a row. The loss also puts Keene five and a half games out of first place.
For the fourth time this week, the Swamp Bats took the first lead. Catcher Evan McFarland (Sr., Lock Haven U) was hit by a pitch to lead off the 3rd inning and advanced to second on an error by Danbury starting pitcher (Jr., Post U). In the next at-bat, third baseman Dom Iero (Sr., Kent St.) hit an RBI single to left field to score McFarland giving the Swamp Bats a 1-0 lead.
The Swamp Bats kept the inning going. Shortstop Joshua Shaw (So., St. John's U) reached first on an error by Westerners shortstop Coco Montes (So., South Florida U), and centrfielder Lucas Loupa (Sr., Franklin Pierce U) loaded the bases on an infield single to the pitcher's mound. Keene only scored one more run in the 3rd off a sacrifice fly by DH Aubrey McCarty (Jr., Florida A&M) to take a 2-0 lead halfway through the 3rd.
Keene extended their lead in the top of the 4th when McFarland hit a two-run RBI single to left to put the Swamp Bats up 4-0.
McFarland finished 1-for-3 with a run scored and two RBIs.
It didn't take too long for Danbury to get back in the ball game. In the bottom of the 5th, Westerners right fielder Giovanni Dingcong (Jr., St. Thomas Aquinas Col.) hit a single-shot home run to deep center to put the home team on the board for the first time. After DH Ryan Nelson (Sr., Quinnipiac U) and catcher Tyler Dietrich (So., U of South Florida) continued the inning with back-to-back singles, Montes tied the game with a three-run dinger to right center to knot the game at 4-4.
It was Montes' fourth home run of the season. The Westerners lead the NECBL in homeruns with 36.
Danbury blew things open in the bottom of the 6th. After second baseman Paul Rufo (Jr., Binghamton U) led off with a double, third baseman David Villar (So., U of South Florida) cleaned off the base paths with a two-run homer to right center, giving the Westerners their first lead at 6-4. First baseman Shawn Blake (Jr., Elon U) followed in the next at-bat with a solo-shot, also to right center, to put the Westerners up 7-4.
The Westerners finished with four homeruns. In the last two games, the Keene pitching staff has given up a combined 10 home runs.
After Blake's home run, Keene starting pitcher Zach Hart (So., Franklin Pierce U) was replaced on the mound by Ivon Clough (Jr., SNHU).
The right-handed Hart took the loss on the mound for the Swamp Bats, dropping his season record to 2-3. Through five innings, the Wallingford, CT native surrendered eight hits, seven runs (four earned), and one walk while striking out three.
Clough gave up a double to Dingcong in his first batter faced, and another Danbury run came into score when left fielder Ryan Kemp (Jr., Middle Tennessee St. U) reached on a 6-4 fielder's choice, and Dingcong scored off a throwing error from Swamp Bats second baseman Jordan Howard (Jr., Lee U). The Westerners led 8-4 at the end of six.
Howard now has 14 errors on the season, the second most of any player in the NECBL.
Danbury put the game entirely out of reach in the bottom of the 8th. Keene put their newest addition to the roster on the pitcher's mound in the form of right-handed reliever Noah Rizio (Jr., Keene St. Col.).
Clough finished with four strikeouts and one walk in two innings of work. He allowed one unearned run to score.
Rizio walked five of his first six batters faced, allowing the Westerners to take a 10-4 lead with only one out. Danbury centerfielder Kyle Hart (Sr., Southern Connecticut St. U) added another run with an RBI single to left center. Three more runs scored in the next at-bat when Rufo hit a two-run RBI single to center field and an error by the center fielder Loupa allowed an additional run to score. The Westerners led 14-4 at the end of eight.
Eight Westerners in the starting lineup notched a hit and scored a run.
In his first inning as a Swamp Bat, Rizio surrendered six earned runs, five walks, two hits and only struck out one through 10 batters faced.
Danbury reliever Daniel Jagiello (Sr., Long Island U) put the Swamp Bats down in order in the top of the 9th, throwing only four pitches.
Westerners middle reliever Justin Snyder (Jr., Bryant U) was the winning pitcher. The lefty out of Georgetown, MA tossed three scoreless innings, giving up only two hits and striking out one. It was first win of the season on the mound.
The Swamp Bats are back home Saturday in doubleheader action. At noon, Keene will face the Winnipesaukee Muskrats (15-19) in a make up game, followed by a scheduled 6:30 meeting with the North Adams Steeplecats (18-18). Both games can be heard on the NECBL Broadcast Network, FM 104.1 and AM 1220 ESPN Keene. Fans can get into the noon game for free as part of Fan Appreciation Day at Alumni Field.
New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from July 22, 2016
- Bay Soxs Win - New Bedford Bay Sox
- Swamp Bats Thumped by Westerners - Keene Swamp Bats
- Mogues Leads Vermont Past Newport, 2-1 - Vermont Mountaineers
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