The NECBL Daily Rundown - 6/30/22- Valley's Big Bats, Mystic's Comeback

July 1, 2022 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) News Release

Valley Hits Double Digits, Mystic Comes Back for Dramatic Extra Innings Win

Upper Valley Nighthawks 12 - Keene Swamp Bats 3

W - Randall Alejo 2-1 (St Rose): 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

L - Greysen Carter 0-1 (Vanderbilt): 2.2 IP, 8 H, 0 ER (9 R), 2 BB, 3 K

Maxfield Sports Complex in Hartford, Vt. - The Upper Valley Nighthawks (11-8) had an explosive performance against the Keene Swamp Bats (8-12) with a 12-3 win.

The Nighthawks jump started their efforts with a 7-run second inning to put them up 7-0. The inning was highlighted by a three-run homer by third baseman Ryan Ignoffo (Eastern Illinois) who brought home center fielder Tyler Sorrentino (Charleston) and second baseman Max Grant (Canisius). Upper Valley followed up with another three runs to push their lead to 10-0 through three innings. Sorrentino and Grant snagged one more run each along with left fielder Johnny Decker (Marist) scoring his first.

After the Nighthawks got another run on the board by right fielder Jonathan Hogart (Louisiana Tech), the Swamp Bats responded with two runs by shortstop Paxton Tomaini (Florida Southwestern State) and first baseman Garrett Rice (Missouri Columbia) in the seventh inning to put the score at 11-2. In the bottom of the seventh, Grant punched in his third run of the night to keep ballooning their lead to 12-2. The Swamp Bats made a last-ditch effort to cut the deficit with a ninth inning run by catcher Jake Berg (Jacksonville) following a walk, a single, right fielder Jaden Brown (Texas Arlington) getting him home, but the Nighthawks cut Keene off to end the game 12-3.

Ignoffo, who leads the league in RBI, posted four more off of a 3-for-4 performance, while on Keene's side Rice led the team in the same category with two RBI.

The Nighthawks stay home to host the dominant Vermont Mountaineers (19-2) tomorrow at 6pm. The Swamp Bats head back home to face the Danbury Westerners (9-11) at 6:30pm.

Newport Gulls 6 - Winnipesaukee Muskrats 5

W - Josh Grosz 1-0 (east Carolina): 3.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K

L - Cooper Dundas 0-1 (Tusculum): 2.0 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 1 K

Robbie Mills Sports Complex in Laconia, N.H. - The Newport Gulls (11-8) took home a close 6-5 win against the Winnipesaukee Muskrats (8-10).

The Muskrats took the lead in the second inning with two runs in a single play when center field Cristian Mercedes (Southern New Hampshire) and right field Brady Day (Kansas State) got home off of a single by third baseman Matthew Alifono (Adelphi) for a 2-0 score.

The Gulls responded quickly when right fielder Alec Makarewicz (East Carolina) slammed a bomb down field for a two-run homer in the top of the third and the Gulls tacked on a third run in the fourth by left fielder Kolton Freeman (Dartmouth) following a double hit by catcher Parker Haskin (Elon) for the first lead change, 3-2.

The Muskrats didn't waste any time and snagged two runs to get themselves ahead, 4-3 after catcher Zach DeMattio (Wheaton) hit a two-run homer of his own, scoring second baseman Patrick Roche (Boston) home.

Newport continued the back and forth scoring with third baseman Slate Alford (Mississippi State) and shortstop Joshua Kuroda-Grauer (Rutgers New Brunswick) getting a run each in the sixth and eighth innings for a score of 5-4. After the Gulls got one more run by center fielder Colton Ledbetter (Samford) in the ninth, Winnipesaukee rallied for a comeback attempt but fell short as they could only get one run by Day, for his second of the night, and end the game with a close 6-5 score.

Muskrats pitcher Ryan Qualey (Massachusetts Dartmouth) performed on the mound for one inning as he didn't allow any batters on base. The Gulls pitching committee was also impressive as they totaled 11 strikeouts while for batting, Alifano and Demattio led the Muskrats with two RBIs each and Day racking up two runs to lead the category between both teams.

The Gulls host Coastal Division rivals, the Ocean State Waves (9-12) tomorrow at 6:35pm as the Muskrats try to get back on track when they face the Sanford Mainers (9-11) at home at 6pm.

Martha's Vineyard Sharks 4 - Danbury Westerners 3

W - Camron Hill 3-0 (Georgia Tech) 2 IP 0 H 0 ER 1 BB 4 K

L - Vincent Bianchi 0-1 (St Johns) 1 IP 1 H 1 ER 0 BB 3 K

Rogers Park in Danbury CT - The Martha's Vineyard Sharks (12-8) picked up their fifth consecutive win with some late inning heroics against the Danbury Westerners (9-11).

The game was a back and forth affair starting with Martha's Vineyard getting on the board first. In the top of the second, Henry Wallen (Miami, Florida) hit an RBI single to score Harrison Brown (Austin Peay St). Danbury immediately responded later in the inning when Nicholas Romano (Georgia Tech) scored on a wild pitch to tie the game.

The third inning was the same story with both teams bringing across one run. Vineyard retook the lead on an RBI single from Michael Snyder (Washington) and Danbury tied it again on a Harrison Feinberg (USC) RBI single. With the score knotted at two, Danbury took their first lead in the fifth inning on Feinberg's second RBI of the game. His sac fly brought home Hank Thomas (Ohio State) and gave the Westerners a 3-2 lead. The Sharks would come back via the long ball on a solo home run from Matt Woods (Bryant) to tie it in the seventh, and a homer by Thomas Bramley (Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania) to take the lead in the ninth. With Martha's Vineyard back on top, Camron Hill secured the final three outs for the Sharks.

The Sharks will return home to take on the North Shore Navigators on Friday at 7:05 p.m. The Westerners will head north to face the Keene Swamp Bats at 6:30 p.m.

Mystic Schooners 6 - Ocean State Waves 5 (10 innings)

W - Connor Harris 3-1 (George Washington) 2-0 0 H 0 ER 0 BB 4 K

L - Dom Cunha 0-1 (Fordham) 1 IP 0 H 0 ER (1 R) 3 BB 3 K

Old Mountain Field in Kingstown R.I. - The Mystic Schooners (8-9) took down the Ocean State Waves (9-12) in an extra-innings showdown.

After two scoreless innings on both sides, Kevin Ferrer (UConn) led off the third inning with a solo home run to put Mystic ahead 1-0. The score stayed that way for a while with Jonathan Gonzalez (Stetson) cruising through the first five innings for Mystic before running into trouble in the sixth. Khyree Miller (Winthrop) knocked in the tying run with an RBI double that plated Alex Ramirez (URI).

Ocean State tallied two runs in the seventh when Ramirez hit an RBI single, and later came around to score on a wild pitch. The Waves scored twice more in the eighth on a two-run single by Max Johnson (Indiana). Trailing 5-1 in the ninth, the Schooners got the first four batters of the inning to reach via walk or hit by pitch. With the bases were loaded and one out, Charlie Pagliarini (Fairfield) walked to make it a 5-2 game. After the second out was recorded via a strikeout, the Schooners were down to their last out. After a wild pitch scored a second run, Eddie Micheletti (George Washington) hit a two-run single to tie the game at five. The game would go to extras and Mystic kept the momentum going. In the tenth, Addison Kopack (URI) walked in the go-ahead run, and the score would remain 6-5 as the Schooners pulled off a dramatic come from behind victory.

The Schooners will return to Dodd Stadium to face the Bristol Blues at 12:00 p.m. on Friday. The Waves will stay in state to face the Newport Gulls at Cardines Field on Friday at 6:35 p.m.

Vermont Mountaineers 2 - Sanford Mainers 1

W - Anthony DeFabbia 2-0 (Stetson): 5.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 K

L - Sonny Fauci 1-2 (St Johns): 6 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 5 BB, 8 K

S - Jack Metzger 4 (Dartmouth): 3.1 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K

Goodall Park in Sanford, ME. - The Vermont Mountaineers (19-2) edged the Sanford Mainers (9-11) in a pitching duel to win their league-leading nineteenth game.

Vermont starter Anthony DeFabbia (Stetson) and Sanford starter Sonny Fauci (St Johns) combined to give up only five hits and struck out fifteen batters in the first six innings. Despite giving up two runs and taking the loss, Fauci lasted six innings, giving up only three hits and striking out eight. DeFabbia ultimately won the pitching matchup, giving up only two hits and a run while striking out seven in just under six innings of work.

Mainers' relievers Zackary Given (Massachusetts Amherst) and Zachary Rodgers (Massachusetts Lowell) pitched two innings without giving up a hit. Mountaineers' righty Jack Metzger (Dartmouth) entered the game after DeFabbia was pulled and gave up two hits in over three innings to earn the ten-out save.

Vermont took the lead early in the first inning through a Tom Josten (Central Florida) solo home run. A bases loaded walk brought another Mountaineer home in the top of the sixth, extending the lead to 2-0. Sanford got a run back in the bottom of the inning off a Matthew Polk (Vanderbilt) RBI double. No player on either side had multiple hits.

Vermont looks to stay hot when it visits Upper Valley to face the Nighthawks (11-8) at 6:00. The Mainers travel to Winnipesaukee to play the Muskrats (8-10) at 6:00.

North Shore Navigators 4 - North Adams SteepleCats 0

W - Jake Gigliotti 1-0 (Northeastern): 7.0 IP, 6 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K

L - Cooper Omans 1-1 (Nova Southeastern): 4.1 IP, 8 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 4 K

Fraser Field in Lynn, Mass. - The North Shore Navigators (4-16) blanked the North Adams SteepleCats (4-16) thanks to a dominant pitching performance by starter Jake Gigliotti.

Gigliotti, who has only given up two runs in over twenty-four innings of work this season, navigated through the SteepleCat lineup in his seven inning outing. Even though he allowed eleven baserunners, the North Shore starter held strong and didn't give up a run, pitching through a bases loaded jam in the second inning. North Adams' Alex Lane (Bryant) and Justin Sierra (Fairleigh Dickinson) were the only two SteepleCats to record multi-hit games.

The Navigators scored each of their four runs in a different inning. North Shore struck quickly in the bottom of the first after a Connor Bertsch (Dartmouth) RBI single. Bertsch was one of three Navigator batters to end the game with two hits, joining Max Viera (Northeastern) and Charlie Taylor (Tennessee). A Jake McElroy (Holy Cross) sacrifice fly in the fourth put North Shore up two before a Max Viera single in the fifth made it a 3-0 ballgame. The home team scored their final run in the bottom of the eighth thanks to a Charlie Taylor single.

North Shore travels to Marthas Vineyard to play the Sharks (12-8) today at 7:05 while North Adams stays on the road and faces the Blue Sox (11-9) at 7:05.

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New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from July 1, 2022

• Mainers Drop Friday Night Contest to Winnipesaukee - Sanford Mainers
• Mountaineers Win Game Two of Governor's Cup - Vermont Mountaineers
• The NECBL Daily Rundown - 6/30/22- Valley's Big Bats, Mystic's Comeback - NECBL

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