Swamp Bats Win In 13 Innings, Defeat Blue Sox For Fourth Straight Victory
Published on July 9, 2013 under New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
Keene Swamp Bats News Release
Ryan Lukach drove in the winning run on a bunt single in the top of the 13th inning in a long and wild Western Division contest against the Holyoke Blue Sox.
Nick Kozlowski, Hofstra University, made his first start of the season for the Swamp Bats and did well enough to keep Keene in the ballgame.
Kozlowski went five innings, giving up two runs on six hits and one walk with six strikeouts along the way.
Holyoke scored the first two runs of the game off of Kozlowski in the first and the third, but that is all that the Keene starting pitcher would surrender.
Paul Covelle, out of Franklin Pierce University, threw two scoreless innings in the sixth and seventh, but Keene ran into trouble in the eighth.
Covelle walked the first batter in the bottom of the eighth, bringing in James Connell of Kennesaw State University, gave up two more runs, as Holyoke tied the game at 4-4.
Keene scored their four runs in the sixth and seventh, three of those coming in a big top of the sixth.
A leadoff double by Brian O'Grady, Rutgers University, got things started, and was driven in by a Tommy Monnot, Kent State University, sacrifice fly. Monnot then scored on a RBI double by Ryan Lukach, Hartford University, to tie the game at 2-2. The third straight hit, this time by Louisville's Zach Lucas drove in Lukach to give Keene the lead at 3-2.
The fourth Keene run came in the seventh off of an O'Grady sacrifice fly to push the Keene lead to 4-2.
But after the Blue Sox scored two in the bottom of the eighth and neither team could scratch across a run in the ninth, the game moved into extra innings.
Keene couldn't capitalize on an O'Grady leadoff single in the top of the tenth and Holyoke couldn't score a one out walk as John Birkbeck, Kent State University, held the game scoreless to push the game into the 11th.
Monnot led off the 11th with a single and moved over on a sacrifice bunt, but Keene couldn't capitalize again with a man in scoring position and one out.
Birkbeck held Holyoke again in the bottom of the 11th, Keene couldn't score in the top of the 12th, and Holyoke again failed to create anything off of Birkbeck in the bottom of the 12th.
Keene finally pushed ahead in the top of the 13th inning. Ryan Lukach came to bat with one out and men on the corners, and laid down a nice bunt single down the third baseline to give the Swamp Bats the 5-4 lead.
Birkbeck ran into trouble in the bottom of the 13th, surrending a leadoff hit and seeing that runner advance to second on a sacrifice bunt. San Jacinto's Dustin Cook came on with one out and sealed the deal for Keene, earning the save and giving the Swamp Bats the win in 13 innings.
The win is Keene's fourth straight and six in their last seven. The Swamp Bats (9-12) will be back at Alumni Field on Wednesday night for a double header against the Saratoga Brigade. The first game is a make up game, which is currently in the top of the third, where Keene have the lead 2-0.
New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from July 9, 2013
- Blue Sox Road-Bound against Mountaineers - Valley Blue Sox
- Sox drop heartbreaker to Keene in 13, 5-4 - Valley Blue Sox
- Swamp Bats Win In 13 Innings, Defeat Blue Sox For Fourth Straight Victory - Keene Swamp Bats
- Pair of Eagles Fly Mainers Past Schooners - Sanford Mainers
- Westerners Have Upcoming Home Games - Danbury Westerners
- Gulls Hold off Bay Sox in 5-4 Win - Newport Gulls
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