The NECBL Daily Rundown - 6/29/22- Mountaineers Post Fourth Shutout

June 30, 2022 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) News Release

Vermont Mountaineers 8 - Valley Blue Sox 0

W - Joseph Kosowsky 1-0 (Fairleigh Dickinson): 6.2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 6 K

L - Michael Volgende 0-2 (Tufts): 5.0 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

McKenzie Stadium in Holyoke, Mass. - The Vermont Mountaineers (18-2) posted their fourth shutout of the season in an 8-0 win against the Valley Blue Sox (11-9).

The Mountaineers began the effort in the third inning with first baseman Tom Ruscitti (Fairleigh Dickinson) and second baseman Stephen DiTomaso (George Washington) reaching home, but the rally got cut short after center fielder Gerry Siracusa (Massachusetts Lowell) was caught stealing by third baseman Charlie Ludwick (Eastern Kentucky) to keep the score at 2-0. The Mountaineers put together another two-run rally, with Ruscitti getting his second run of the night from a passed ball and left fielder Evan Fox (Stony Brook) earning his first run from a double to bump the score up to 4-0.

Vermont exploded once more in the seventh inning with another four runs to double the score to 8-0. Fox snags his second of the night while DiTomaso, right fielder Jack Cone (William & Mary) and shortstop Tyler Cox (Dartmouth) get one apiece. Blue Sox pitcher Jordan Yoder (Lafayette) closed out the game by limiting the damage with no hits allowed in the final two innings. Designated hitter Tom Josten (Central Florida) led the Mountaineers with two RBI as Cox was 2-for-2 at the plate while adding a run and an RBI to round out the offensive stats.

The Mountaineers take a day off before they go against division rivals, the Sanford Mainers (9-10) on Friday, July 1, at 6:30 pm while the Blue Sox also get a break to prepare for a West Divisional matchup with the North Adams Steeplecats (4-15).

Keene Swamp Bats 3 - Upper Valley Nighthawks 2

W - Robert Wegielnik 1-1 (Florida Atlantic) 2 IP 0 H 0 ER 0 BB 4 K

L - Austin Wainer 2-2 (Bryant) 3.1 IP 2 H 0 ER (1 R) 1 BB 2 K

The Keene Swamp Bats (8-11) snapped their six-game losing streak Wednesday night with a 3-2 victory over the Upper Valley Nighthawks (10-8). After a scoreless first, Jonathan Hogart (Louisiana Tech) put the Nighthawks on the board with a solo home run. In the bottom of the third, Keene took advantage of an error to lead off the inning and later scored on a groundout from Dan Covino (Central Connecticut State) to tie the game at one.

Upper Valley's defense continued to gift Keene when the Swamp Bats took the lead in the sixth inning on a reach on error by Brandon Anderson (Louisville). Keene had taken a 2-1 lead, and they would double that lead in the bottom of the eighth on the second home run of the season by Carter Mathison (Indiana). Trailing by two in the ninth, Upper Valley scored a run of their own on an error, making it a one run game. With the tying run on third and one out, Parker Murphy (Jacksonville) induced two fly balls to win the game for the Swamp Bats.

The two teams will meet again Thursday night with the series shifting to Maxfield Sports Complex in Vermont. The game will begin at 6:00 p.m.

Bristol Blues 2 - North Adams Steeplecats 1 (10 Innings)

W - Luke Garofalo 2-0 (Central Connecticut State): 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

L - Will Hearn 1-1 (San Francisco): 0.1 IP, 1 H, 0 ER (1 R), 0 BB, 0 K

Muzzey Field in Bristol, Conn. - The Bristol Blues (14-5) took a 2-1 win in an extra inning against the North Adams Steeplecats (4-15).

The Steeplecats got on the board first in the fifth inning when center fielder Hunter Pasqualini (Central Connecticut State) hit a bomb to the fence to put the Steeplecats up 1-0. Steeplecats' pitcher Randy Reyes (Central Connecticut State) put up an incredible stat line to keep the Blues in check until the sixth inning. Reyes put up a zero-run outing on the mound and only allowed one hit while striking out six batters.

The Blues then pulled through in the seventh with a game-tying run by second baseman Tyler Fote (Central Connecticut State) who got home from a single RBI from shortstop Chaz Myers (Pacific). As both teams stayed even through regulation, the Blues eventually took the win in the tenth after Myers hit a walk-off single RBI to bring third baseman Derek Tenney (Hartford) home, 2-1.

The Blues take a rest day before they face off against the Mystic Schooners (7-9) on Friday, July 1, at 12pm while the Steeplecats stay on the road for a matchup with the North Shore Navigators (3-16) tomorrow at 6:35pm.

Sanford Mainers 6 - North Shore Navigators 4

W - Brian Craven 1-1 (Davidson): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 3 BB, 1 K

L - Matt Potok 0-2 (Coastal Carolina): 5.0 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 4 K

Fraser Field in Lynn, MA - The Sanford Mainers (9-10) had a comeback win over the North Shore Navigators (3-16).

The Mainers were down two runs in the top of the ninth with Kevin Skagerlind (UMass Amherst) on second base and two out in the inning. Quinn McDaniel (Maine Orono) hit an RBI double to make it 4-3 in North Shore's favor. Then, Matthew Polk (Vanderbilt) flared a ball that dropped into right field to drive in McDaniel and tie the game.

After Brian Craven provided a shutdown inning in the bottom of the ninth for Sanford, Grant Knipp (Campbell) hit a 2-run home run to put the Mainers up 6-4, which is the score that Sanford won by.

Highlights from the Navigators included a Charlie Taylor (Tennessee) RBI single in the second inning and a Nathan Blasick (West Virginia) RBI double in the fifth inning.

The two runs driven in in extra innings were not the only RBI Grant Knipp collected, as he hit a game-tying RBI single in the third inning.

The Mainers will have a tough test today when they face the 18-2 Vermont Mountaineers at home at 6:30 p.m. The Navigators will remain at home today for a 6:35 p.m. game against the North Adams SteepleCats.

Newport Gulls 6 - Mystic Schooners 3

W - Kevin Seitter 1-0 (Quinnipiac): 6.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 12 K

L - Matthew Nunan 0-1 (Boston): 3.1 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 4 BB, 4 K

Cardines Field in Newport R.I. - The Newport Gulls (10-8) claimed their second win in a row in a 6-3 game against the Mystic Schooners (7-9).

After a slow start, the Gulls took the first two runs of the game in the fourth and fifth innings after right fielder Joshua Kuroda-Grauer (Rutgers New Brunswick) headed home off of a double by second baseman Trent Farquhar (Michigan State) and center fielder Colton Ledbetter (Samford) got home for a 2-0 lead. Newport kept up the momentum as they tacked on another two runs with Ledbetter getting a second off of a homer which also batted in third baseman Alec Makarewicz (East Carolina) to push the lead to 4-0.

The Schooners had a response in the eighth frame with a run of their own by third baseman Charlie Pagliarini (Fairfield) but were cut short with a strikeout by Gulls pitcher Cole Stasio (Baylor) which propelled the Gulls once again for another two runs to make the score 6-1. Makarewicz got his second of the night while Farquhar recorded one of his own.

The Schooners began to put together a comeback attempt in the final inning as they scored big with a two-run home run by Pagliarini to get himself and center fielder Anthony Donofrio (Quinnipiac) home, but their rally was stopped cold to end the game 6-3.

The Gulls will look to keep their momentum as they go against the Winnipesaukee Muskrats (8-9) on the road tomorrow at 6pm as the Schooners will try to bounce back in another division shadow against the Ocean State Waves (9-11) at 6:30pm.

Martha's Vineyard Sharks 9 - Ocean State Waves 2

W - Stephen Quigley 1-0 (Connecticut): 3.0 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K

L - Joe Cinnella 0-2 (Seton Hall): 3.0 IP, 6 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

The Shark Tank in Oak Bluffs, MA - The Martha's Vineyard Sharks (11-8) cruised to a 9-2 victory over the Ocean State Waves (9-11).

In a game that was decided by seven runs, one inning made the difference. After the Waves tied the game at two on a Drew Holderbach (Marietta) 2-run home run, the Sharks answered back very effectively.

The first nine Vineyard batters reached base in the bottom of the fourth. Ben Nardi (Catholic) led off with a walk. Then, Luke Masiuk (Northeastern) hit a single, which was followed by Matthew Maloney (Dayton) reaching on an error that allowed Nardi to score. After that, Jake Elbeery (Richmond) drove Masiuk in on a single to make it 4-2. Aiden Tierney (Mount St. Mary's) loaded the bases with a hit-by-pitch, which was followed by a Dorian Gonzalez (Miami) RBI single. Michael Snyder (Washington) also hit an RBI single, then Jake Berger (Harvard) took an RBI walk. Following that, Marcus Franco (Nova Southeastern) hit an RBI single and Ben Nardi took an RBI walk to make it 9-2.

The game remained that way for the rest of the game, as both pitching staffs held their opponents scoreless. The Sharks' staff was particularly strong, as Cade Lommel (Creighton), Stephen Quigley, and JD Mccracken (Tennessee) combined to allow just one earned run while striking 17 batters out.

The Sharks will be on the road today against the Danbury Westerners at 6:30 p.m. The Waves will be at home against the Mystic Schooners today at 6:30 p.m.

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New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from June 30, 2022

• DeFabbia, Vermont Edge Mainers 2-1 - Vermont Mountaineers
• Appel Gets Call to Big Leagues, Debuts for Phillies - Newport Gulls
• Gulls Hold On, Beat Schooners 6-3 in Divisional Battle - Newport Gulls
• The NECBL Daily Rundown - 6/29/22- Mountaineers Post Fourth Shutout - NECBL

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