NECBL New England Collegiate Baseball League

The NECBL Daily Rundown - June 10th, 2022

June 11, 2022 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) News Release


Walk-Offs by Ocean State and Newport highlight a six-game Friday slate!

Vermont Mountaineers 8 - Winnipesaukee Muskrats 3

W - Dillon Ryan 1-0 (UMass Boston): 1.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

L - Patrick Cuccurullo 0-1 (Montclair State): 3.0 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 1 K

Robbie Mills Field in Laconia, N.H. - The Vermont Mountaineers (3-0) added another victory to their 2022 season with an 8-3 win over the Winnipesaukee Muskrats (1-2).

The Mountaineers put the pressure on immediately with two singles to start the game and put runners on the corners. Evan Fox (Stony Brook) scored on an attempted 4-6-3 double play in which the batter, Gerry Siracusa (UMass Lowell) reached. Siracusa then stole second base, and was soon driven in by Ben Williamson (William & Mary) on a single.

In the bottom of the third inning, Winnipesaukee's Jacob Corson led off with a walk and eventually scored on a series of passed balls and wild pitches. In the fifth inning with one out, Vermont's Fox and Tyler Cox (Dartmouth) hit a pair of singles. Then, Williamson drove each of them in on a triple down the right field line to make it 4-1.

The Muskrats answered back in the bottom of the inning very quickly. Michael Borrelli (Saint Anselm) led off with a single, then Matt Brown-Eiring (Stony Brook) barreled a ball over the left-center field wall to bring Winnipesaukee back within one.

Pitching from both sides settled in from the sixth through the eighth inning, then the Mountaineers added a flurry of insurance runs. Each of the first four Vermont batters reached base safely, as Tom Ruscitti (Fairleigh Dickinson), Christian Pregent (Stetson), and Keagan Calero (Dayton) loaded the bases, then Fox got his fifth hit of the day for an RBI single. After Pregent scored on a wild pitch, Tyler Cox hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Calero. For the fourth run of the inning, Gerry Siracusa hit an RBI single and made it 8-3, which was what the final score ended up being.

The Mountaineers will look to continue their winning streak on the road against the Sanford Mainers at 4 p.m. today. The Muskrats will look to get back on track on the road against the Upper Valley Nighthawks at 6 p.m.

Keene Swamp Bats 3 - Mystic Schooners 2

W - Garrett French 1-0 (Rutgers New Brunswick): 2.0 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 4 K

L - Logan Koester 0-1 (George Washington): 1.0 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

S - Parker Murphy 1 (Jacksonville): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K

Dodd Stadium in Norwich, CT - The Keene Swamp Bats (3-0) kept their undefeated season alive in a tight one against the Mystic Schooners (1-2).

The Swamp Bats struck early with a Tony Santa Maria single (Rutgers New Brunswick) and Dan Covino (Central Connecticut State) RBI double to begin the game. Then, to begin the bottom of the second, Jimmy Chatfield (Yale) reached on an error. After him, Cole Singsank hit a single to put men on first and second base. After Chatfield stole third base, he was driven in on a sacrifice fly by Stanton Leuthner (Stony Brook). Later in the inning, Singsank scored on a wild pitch to give Mystic a 2-1 lead.

After the first inning, the Schooners' Jake Noviello (Fairfield) went three straight scoreless innings with four strikeouts. After getting the first two batters out in the top of the fifth inning, the Swamp Bats rallied. Santa Maria hit a single then stole second base, and that was followed by a Covino RBI single to tie it.

Carter Mathison (Indiana) led off the top of the sixth inning with a single, and advanced to second base on a Garrett Rice (Missouri Columbia) single. After Mathison got to third base on a flyout, Colin Wetterau (St. John's) drove him in on a go-ahead single.

The Swamp Bats' bullpen kept them in the lead to secure a 3-2 victory. Combined, the relievers went five scoreless innings of two-hit ball with nine strikeouts.

Keene will head back to their home ballpark for a matchup with the Bristol Blues at 6:30 p.m. today. Mystic will stay in Connecticut but will go on the road to face the Danbury Westerners at 6:30 p.m. today.

Bristol Blues 5 - Sanford Mainers 4

W - John Farley 1-0 (Manhattan College) 3 IP 6 H 1 ER 1 BB 4 K

L - Sonny Fauci 0-1 (St. Johns University) 3 IP 2 H 0 ER (3 R) 3 BB 4 K

Muzzy Field in Bristol, CT - The Bristol Blues (3-1) defeated the Sanford Mainers (0-3) in the first first ever matchup between the two teams.

Sanford wasted no time getting on the board as David Bermudez (Manhattan College) plated two runs on an RBI single with two outs in the bottom of the first inning. Bristol responded by scoring two runs on wild pitches to tie the game in the bottom of the second. That theme continued as Sanford scored a run of its own on a wild pitch in the top of the fourth. Sanford's 3-2 lead lasted until the fifth inning.

After AJ Gaich (Yale) walked to leadoff the inning, Griffin Arnone (Elon University) hit a single to keep the rally alive. Two outs later, Joseph Rios (Central Connecticut State University) laced a double off the right field wall to score both runs. Bristol took a 4-3 lead on the two-bagger. The Blues would add insurance on the next batter when Tyler Fote (Central Connecticut State University) poked a single to the opposite field, extending the Bristol lead to 5-3. The Mainers responded in the sixth with an RBI single by Quinn McDaniel (University of Maine Orono). That would be a wrap on the scoring for the night. From there, John Farley and Peter Phillips (Southern Connecticut State University) combined to throw three shutout innings, holding the score at 5-4.

After two straight home games, the Blues will travel to Keene to start a two game road trip. They face the Swamp Bats Saturday at 6:30 p.m. As for the Mainers, They will return home to face the Vermont Mountaineers on Saturday at 6:30 p.m.

Ocean State Waves 9 - North Adams Steeplecats - 8

W - Parker Bard 1-0 (Dayton): 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K

L - Nate Beal 0-1 (Pennsylvania): 1.1 IP, 1 H, 2 ER (3 R), 5 BB, 1 K

Old Mountain Field in South Kingstown, RI - The Ocean State Waves (2-2) walked off in unusual fashion, winning 9-8, against the North Adams Steeplecats (0-3).

North Adams jumped out to an early lead in the second inning after a costly error and a walk. With one out, shortstop Tommy DiTullio (Bryant) hit an RBI single to right field. The production continued as North Adams capatilized on another Waves error and an RBI groundout by center fielder Pasqualini (Central Connecticut St) to make it 3-0 after two.

Ocean State didn't take long to respond, however, scoring two in the bottom of the fourth off RBI's from outfielder Peter Ciuffreda (Lafayette College) and infielder Creek Robertson (Southern Mississippi). The Waves would tack on two more runs in the next inning to take a 4-3 lead after help from Brodey Heaton (Belmont) and Ciuffreda. Ocean State added another run to it's tally in the 6th inning on a wild pitch, putting the Waves up 5-3.

The game became a back-and-forth affair in the last three innings. The Steeplecats tied it up in the top of the 7th after a 2-run moonshot home run from first baseman Cedric Rose (Massachusetts Lowell). But, the man who had hit all day for Ocean State, Peter Ciuffreda, continued mashing the ball. Ciufredda hit a solo homer in the bottom of the 7th to once again give the Waves the lead, this time to make it 6-5.

In the top of the 8th, the game again took a turn. After tying it up and putting two men in scoring position, Cedric Rose came through again for the Steeplecats with a 2-run single to take a 8-6 lead. The bottom of the inning added more drama. Ohio native Max Johnson (Indiana) drove in a run for Ocean State on a single. The Waves then tied the game at 8 a piece with a bases loaded walk.

After a shutdown top of the ninth by Waves reliever Parker Bard (Dayton), Ocean State found itself with the winning run on third with only one out in the bottom of the ninth. After an intentional walk loaded the bases, the home team walked it off in unusual fashion: a walk-off balk. Justin Szestowicki (North Carolina) strolled home and scored the winning run for the Waves.

Ocean State plays again at home tonight, this time against the Newport Gulls (2-1). The Steeplecats return back to North Adams tonight to host the Marthas Vineyard Sharks (2-1)

Newport Gulls 5 - Valley Blue Sox 4 - 10 innings

W - Logan Mcguire 1-0 (Georgia Tech): 2.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K

L - Michael Volgende 0-1 (Tufts): 0.1 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K

Cardines Field in Newport, RI- In walk-off fashion, the Newport Gulls (2-1) squeezed past the Valley Blue Sox (1-2) 5-4 in ten innings.

Both teams got off to quick starts. In the bottom of the first, Newport snatched the first lead of the game. After a one-out double by left fielder Joshua Kuroda-Grauer (Rutgers) and a hit-by-pitch, center fielder Colton Ledbetter (Samford) knocked in 2 on a double with two outs. Valley would respond quickly and take the lead in the top of the 2nd. Groundouts from designated hitter Steven Luttazi (Massachusetts Amherst) and shortstop Anthony Sherwin (Bucknell) each scored a run to tie the game at 2, before an RBI single by third baseman Robert Mattei (Hope International) gave the Blue Sox the lead.

Newport would then tie the game and take the lead. In the bottom of the 4th, a lead-off single via Ledbetter kicked off the inning. Ledbetter found his way to third after a walk and two outs and ran home to knot the game at 3 after an RBI single by right fielder Benzan Rounds (Harvard). In the 5th inning, the Gulls stole the lead back when DH Slate Alford (Mississippi St) stroked an RBI double into the outfield.

The score stayed the same until the 8th as good pitching silenced both offenses. Valley pitchers Terry Murray (Rhode Island) and Andrew Roman (Salve Regina) combined to give up only one run, which wasn't earned, from the 5th inning into the 9th. Newport reliever Kevin Seitter (Quinnipiac) kept his team ahead by one until the 8th, giving up only one run and two hits over three innings of work.

In the top of the 8th, Valley tied the game after a stolen base by catcher Damaurys Rodriguez (Bryant) put a runner in scoring position. Center fielder Jack Krause (Bowling Green St) capitalized, scoring Rodriguez on an single to knot things at 4. The score would stay the same through the 9th, forcing extra innings.

Valley failed to score in the top half of the 10th despite an automatic runner starting on second to begin the inning. This left the door wide open for the Gulls to win the game, and Newport took advantage. The home team scored its automatic runner after an RBI single from third baseman Luke Beckstein (Northeastern).

Newport travels to Ocean State (2-2) tonight, looking to improve to 3-1. The Blue Sox look to get back on track tonight at home against the Navigators (0-3).

Upper Valley Nighthawks 7 - North Shore Navigators 4

W - Austin Wainer 1-0 (Bryant University) 6 IP, 4 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 9 K

L - Graham Jeffries 0-1 (Salve Regina University) 5 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

Fraser Field in Lynn, MA - The Upper Valley Nighthawks (2-1) defeated the North Shore Navigators (0-3) at the 2022 home opener at Fraser Field.

Austin Wainer got things started for the Nighthawks with six dominant innings. The game was scoreless until the top of the fourth. After William Sullivan (Troy University) and Luca Trigiani (St Joseph's University) both singled, Kyle Novak (James Madison University) drove home both runs on a two out, two run RBI single. The score remained 2-0 Upper Valley until the Nighthawks tacked on five more runs in the top of the seventh. Three of the runs were scored off the bat of Jonathan Hogart (Louisiana Tech University) as cleared the bases thanks to an error by the pitcher. Later in the inning, Sullivan and Trigiani drove in runs on a single and double respectively. This made the score 7-0 Nighthawks. The Navs responded in the bottom half of the inning with three runs. The runs came off RBI walks by Justin Cassella (Elon University) and Connor Bertsch (Dartmouth College), and an RBI groundout by Ty Dooley (Radford University). From there, the scoring halted until the bottom of the 9th when the Navigators scratched across one more run on a wild pitch.

The Nighthawks will head to Vermont for their home opener against the Winnipesaukee Muskrats on Saturday at 6:00 p.m. As for the Navigators, they will travel to Holyoke to face the Valley Blue Sox on Saturday at 6:35 p.m.



New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from June 11, 2022


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