The NECBL Daily Rundown - 7/7/22 - Ciuffreda Walks It off for Ocean State

July 8, 2022 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) News Release

Ocean State Waves 4 - Winnipesaukee Muskrats 1 (10 inn.)

W - Jack Erbeck 1-1 (Fairfield): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

L - Ian Murphy 0-1 (St. John's): 2.0 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 3 K

Old Mountain Field in Kingston, R.I. - The Ocean State Waves (12-15) had a walk-off win against the Winnipesaukee Muskrats (10-14).

Peter Ciuffreda (Lafayette) hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the tenth for Ocean State to give the home team a dramatic victory.

The pressure is heightened in extra innings with the base runner automatically being put at second base. Ocean State's Jack Erbeck stepped up to the moment when he struck out the first two batters in the top of the tenth inning, then he induced a lineout to keep the game tied. This set up a great opportunity for the Waves. Jake Studley (Connecticut) hit an infield single, setting up Ciuffreda for this three-run blast.

Both pitching staffs were on top of their game. The Waves struck out 15 batters and the Muskrats struck out 12. A standout reliever was Nicholas Conte (Duke), who threw two shutout innings for Ocean State with one base runner and five strikeouts.

The Waves will be on the road today against the Valley Blue Sox at 7:05 p.m. The Muskrats will be on the road today against the Newport Gulls at 6:35 p.m.

Sanford Mainers 4 - Upper Valley Nighthawks 3

W- Brady Afthim 3-0 (Connecticut): 3.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 6 K

L- Patrick Williams 1-1 (Lipscomb): 1.0 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Maxfield Sports Complex in Hartford Vt.- The Sanford Mainers (11-14) took home a close 4-3 win over the Upper Valley Nighthawks (12-13).

Shortstop Quinn McDaniel (Maine Orono) struck big on the very first hit of the game as he smacked a homer to put the Mainers up 1-0. The Nighthawks got themselves a run in the third inning when first baseman William Sullivan (Troy) hit third baseman Ryan Ignoffo (Eastern Illinois) home to tie the score 1-1.

McDaniel continued to dominate in the fifth inning to help push Sanford out to 3-1 when he brought home second baseman Devan Bade (Binghamton) and right fielder Joey Rezek (East Carolina) off of a single, but the Nighthawks caught back up in the bottom seventh with a two-run effort of their own with hits by Sullivan and second baseman Max Grant. The Mainers rallied past Upper Valley with one more run, driven in by third baseman David Bermudez (Manhattan) and Afthim shut the door for the late 4-3 win.

McDaniel was on fire at bat as he was 2-for-4 with three RBI and a run while on the mound for the Nighthawks, pitcher Chris Lotito (Seton Hall) totaled the most strikes on the night with five.

The Mainers look to continue their bounce back with a matchup against the North Adams Steeplecats (5-19) tomorrow at 6:30pm as the Nighthawks face the Vermont Mountaineers (22-3) for just the third time this season at 6:30pm.

Vermont Mountaineers 7 - Keene Swamp Bats 2

W - Joseph Kosowsky 2-0 (Fairleigh Dickinson): 6.2 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 4 K

L - Matthew Buchanan 0-2 (Virginia): 4.1 IP, 4 H, 2 ER (3 R), 2 BB, 2 K

Alumni Field in Keene, NH. - The Vermont Mountaineers (22-3) downed the Keene Swamp Bats (10-15) thanks to effective pitching.

Vermont starter Joseph Kosowsky (Fairleigh Dickinson) dominated over the course of his near seven innings of work. The right-hander gave up two hits and a walk while striking out four. Kosowsky did not allow more than one baserunner in an inning. Only one Swamp Bat was able to get into scoring position while Kosowsky was on the mound. The Mountaineer was relieved after the second out of the seventh inning and earned the win.

After three innings of no runs, Vermont scored the first run of the game in the top of the fourth. A Jack Cone single (William & Mary) put the Mountaineers on the board. Vermont bolstered its lead in the fifth with a four-run inning. An Adam Retzbach (Lehigh) single and Tom Josten (Central Florida) three-run bomb extended the Mountaineers advantage to 5-0. Josten joined Evan Fox (Stony Brook) as the only Vermont players with multiple hits.

The Mountaineers added another in the sixth before Keene scored its only two runs of the game in the bottom of the eighth off a Garrett Rice (Missouri) two-run homer. Vermont tacked on one more run in the ninth to make it a 7-2 ballgame.

Vermont looks to win its twenty-third game when it hosts Upper Valley (12-13) today at 6:30 p.m. Keene faces Mystic (13-10) at home at 6:30 p.m.

Bristol Blues 3 - Newport Gulls 2

W - Colin McVeigh 2-0 (Fairfield): 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 5 K

L - Chase Allen 0-2 (Michigan): 4.0 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 4 K

S - Luke Garofalo 4 (Central Connecticut State): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

Muzzy Field in Bristol, Conn.- The Bristol Blues (19-6) won 3-2 against the Newport Gulls (16-9) after pulling ahead and halting a comeback attempt.

The Blues put in an explosive effort in the fourth inning as they got all three runs in the frame on one play. Designated hitter Joseph Rios (Central Connecticut State) smashed a dinger out of the park to right field to bring home first baseman Ben Huber (Connecticut), right fielder Ryan Wilson (Davidson), and himself for a big 3-0 lead.

The Gulls mounted a comeback attempt beginning in the sixth with a sacrifice fly by center fielder Colton Ledbetter (Samford) to get catcher Jacob Burley (Brown) the Gulls' first run then a second run in the top of the eighth with Ledbetter batting in another runner, second baseman Trent Farquhar (Michigan State) to make it 3-2. The Blues shutdown the Gulls immediately after in the eighth by catching a runner stealing and in the ninth, Garofalo made the save with two strikeouts and helped put out another runner to conserve the win.

Rios was immaculate at bat with three RBI and was 2-for-2 while adding a run and a stolen base. The Gulls pitching duo, John Lumpinski (Binghamton) and Josh Grosz (East Carolina) held on strong as they held down the Blues offense to no runs and two hits the rest of the game to give their offense a chance at a comeback.

The Blues head on the road to face Martha's Vineyard Sharks (13-11) tomorrow at 7:05pm as the Gulls try to get back on track at home when they face the Winnipesaukee Muskrats at 6:35pm.

Valley Blue Sox 5 - Danbury Westerners 4

W - Jacob Terwilliger 2-0 (Bucknell): 1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 3 K

L - Sam Majewski 1-1 (Mitchell): 1.2 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 2 K

McKenzie Stadium in Holyoke, Mass - The Valley Blue Sox (13-13) defeated the Danbury Westerners (12-14) in a back-and-forth battle.

The Blue Sox and Westerners traded runs all night. The scoring started in the bottom of the first inning when Blaze Fadio (Lafayette) scored on a wild pitch. In the top of the third inning, Danbury's Jett Lovett (Georgia Tech) hit an RBI single. Michael Beccheti (Fairfield) followed that up with an RBI groundout to give the Westerners the lead.

In the bottom of the third inning, Antonio Guerrero (Washington) hit a single and advanced to third on a Damaurys Rodriguez (Bryant) double. Michael Casaleggio (Palm Beach Atlantic) drove Guerrero in on a sacrifice fly to tie it up. Both teams added a run in the fifth inning after a Harrison Feinberg (Southern California) double and Guerrero scoring on a passed ball.

In the bottom of the seventh inning, Rodriguez led off with a walk and stole second base. Chase Hanson (Hope International) drove him in on a single to make 4-3. In the top of the eighth inning, the Westerners loaded the bases and tied the game up on a fielder's choice. The first two Blue Sox players were retired to start the bottom of the eighth, then Antonio Guerrero tripled. The next batter was Rodriguez, who drove him in on a single.

The first two Danbury batters in the top of the ninth reached base, but Jacob Terwilliger got the final three outs without allowing the tying run to score.

The Blue Sox will stay at home today for a 7:05 p.m. matchup with the Ocean State Waves. The Westerners will face the North Shore Navigators on the road for a 6:35 p.m. game.

Mystic Schooners 7 - Martha's Vineyard 2

W - Jonathan Gonzalez 2-0 (Stetson): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 7 K

L - Benjamin Wiegman 0-1 (Louisville): 0.1 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 0 K

The Shark Tank in Oak Bluffs, MA - The Mystic Schooners (13-10) defeated the Martha's Vineyard Sharks (13-11) after some offense in the late innings.

After Vineyard tied it up in the bottom of the sixth inning, the Schooners looked to take the lead back. With men on second and third base, Anthony Donofrio (Quinnipiac) hit a 2-run single to make it 3-1. After Donofrio stole second and third base, Eddie Micheletti (George Washington) drove him in on a sacrifice fly. In the eighth inning, Mystic's Logan Allen (Bryant) hit a 2-run home run to make it 6-1.

The Sharks' runs came off a Dorian Gonzalez (Miami) RBI double and a Sebastian Jimenez (Florida State) solo home run.

The Schooners will continue on the road for a 6:30 p.m. matchup today with the Keene Swamp Bats. The Sharks will stay at home for a 7:05 p.m. matchup today with the Bristol Blues.

New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from July 8, 2022

• Mainers Storm Back in Seventh to Top North Adams - Sanford Mainers
• Vermont's Rally Comes up Short to Upper Valley - Vermont Mountaineers
• The NECBL Daily Rundown - 7/7/22 - Ciuffreda Walks It off for Ocean State - NECBL
• Sanford Rallies Past Upper Valley in the Ninth - Sanford Mainers

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