The NECBL Daily Rundown - June 19th, 2022

June 20, 2022 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) News Release

A franchise-record breaking offensive explosion for Upper Valley headlined Sunday's full slate of matchups.

Upper Valley Nighthawks 19 - North Adams SteepleCats 8

W - Aaron Munson 1-0 (Angelo State): 5.0 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 4 BB, 2 K

L - Kaleb Sophy 0-2 (Shippensburg): 1.2 IP, 4 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 1 K

Joe Wolfe Field in North Adams, MA - The Upper Valley Nighthawks (5-6) set a franchise record for runs scored in a game with a 19-8 victory over the North Adams Steeplecats (3-9).

The Nighthawks could not stay off the bases the entire game. Tyler Sorrentino (Charleston) led off the game with a walk, which was followed by a Max Grant (Canisius) double off the wall to drive him in. With Grant advancing to third base on the throw home, he scored on a groundout that happened in the next at-bat.

The next inning brought a true rally from Upper Valley. The team hit four singles, walked twice, and reached on an error in the second frame, which scored five runs to make it 7-0. The offensive explosion continued throughout the game, and much of that was thanks to the Nighthawks' Ryan Ignoffo (Eastern Illinois).

Ignoffo already collected two RBI in the first two innings, and had an opportunity to add to his total in the third inning with runners on the corners. He took a big hack at a pitch and made great contact to dead center field. It soared over the wall to make it 10-2. When Ignoffo came up in the eighth inning, the Nighthawks had separated even more, as they had a 15-2 lead. With the bases loaded, Ignoffo hit another bomb to dead center field and over the wall for a grand slam. This was his second home run, along with his sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth RBI of the day.

Also stuffing the stat sheet was Tyler Sorrentino, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI and three walks.

The Nighthawks' next game will be against the Sanford Mainers tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. The SteepleCats will be on the road tomorrow for their next game, which will be against the Danbury Westerners at 6:30 p.m.

North Shore Navigators 4 - Newport Gulls 1 (DH, 7 Innings)

G1:

W - Jack DiLauro 1-1 (Holy Cross): 5.0 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 K

L - Logan Mcguire 1-1 (Georgia Tech): 3.0 IP, 7 H, 3 ER, 0 BB, 5 K

S - Matt Potok 1 (Coastal Carolina): 2.0 IP, 3 H, 0 ER (0 R), 0 BB, 1 K

North Shore Navigators 1 - Newport Gulls 0 (DH, 8 Innings)

G2:

W - Gannon Kadlecik 1-1 (Radford): 1,0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 0 K

L - Chase Allen 0-1 (Michigan): 1.2 IP, 1 H, 0 ER (1 R), 1 BB, 2 K

Fraser Field in Lynn, Mass. - The North Shore Navigators (3-9) had a walk-off sweep of their double header against the Newport Gulls (7-4) with scores of 4-1 and 1-0.

Game 1 - The Navigators got on the board first when center fielder Jake McElroy (Holy Cross) made it to first by error, and scored off of a double hit by second baseman Jake Gustin (Bryant), who would get to home himself two plays later off a single to right field by left fielder Nathan Blasick (West Virginia) for a quick 2-0 lead. The Navs followed that performance with another two run inning in the second with runs by first baseman Jake Bullard (Stetson) and right fielder Stan DeMartinis III (Bryant) to rack up the lead to 4-0.

After Mcguire closed out his time on the mound by allowing only one hit and pitcher Garrett Simpson (Wright State) didn't allow any, the Gulls got on the board from second baseman Luke Beckstein (Northeastern) getting home off of three consecutive singles for a 4-1 score to prevent a shutout. From there, it was a pitcher showdown between Garrett and DiLauro as Garrett only allowed four hits in 2.5 innings and DiLauro allowed three to close out the game 4-1.

Game 2 - This second game was a brawl on the mound as neither team could score through the regular seven innings, forcing an extra eighth. From there the Navigators blocked the Gulls and scored a walk-off run for a 1-0 final score.

Newport's starting pitcher Kevin Seitter (Quinnipiac) was impeccable on the mound, as he had six no-hit innings with three walks and six strikeouts, while North Shore's starter Cooper Smith (Stetson) had an equally impressive line with seven innings and only two hits, two walks and six strikeouts. The only run of the game came when third baseman Trace Willhoite (Lipscomb), placed on second due to ITB rules, scored on a passed ball for the Navs to walk off with a 1-0 score.

North Shore hosts again as they will face Martha's Vineyard Sharks (5-6) for an early 12pm game while the Gulls get a break before they hit the road for a matchup against the Keene Swamp Bats (6-5) at 6:30pm on Tuesday.

Sanford Mainers Sweep Keene Swamp Bats in Doubleheader

Goodall Park, Sanford, Maine - After a suspension due to poor weather conditions on Saturday, the Sanford Mainers went on to sweep the Keene Swamp Bats in a doubleheader at Goodall Park on Sunday afternoon.

Game One: Mainers 8 - Swamp Bats 6

Game one of the doubleheader began on Saturday and was all Mainers as they burst out to a 6-0 lead before inclement weather suspended play in the third inning. Matthew Polk (Vanderbilt) was mostly responsible for the Sanford lead, hitting a pair of home runs, a two-run followed by a three-run, to give his team a five-run advantage. Devan Bade (Binghamton) would later score on an error to tack on another run for the Mainers.

Keene would fight back the following day, scoring on two RBI singles by Paxton Tomaini (Florida Southwestern) and Jaden Brown (Texas Arlington). One inning later, Garrett Rice (Missouri Columbia) would hit a three-run homer to left field to tie the game at 6-6.

Unfortunately for the Swamp Bats, the Mainers were not done scoring as they regained the lead on an RBI single by Jayson Kramer (Saint Johns) and would add to it in the ninth when David Bermudez (Manhattan College) would cap off scoring with an RBI double.

Game Two: Mainers 5 - Swamp Bats 1

W - Matthew Sapienza (Georgetown): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K

L - Alex Greene (Virginia): 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

Aidan Kane (Delaware) got things started for the Mainers in game two, sending a deep fly ball to right field resulting in a triple and putting him in the perfect position to take advantage of a Swamp Bats wild pitch to give Sanford a 1-0 lead.

The Swamp Bats would tie the game up in the fourth off an RBI single by Brandon Anderson (Louisville) but a wild pitch by Keene pitcher Dylan Johnson (Saint Johns) would allow another run to score for Sanford, giving the Mainers a 2-1 advantage.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Mainers would load the bases for Polk, who would clear them with a double to give his team a four-run advantage that the Swamp Bats would be unable to recover from. Polk finished the game with one hit, three RBIs, and two walks to lead Sanford offensively.

Both teams take a break on Monday but return to action on Tuesday, June 21st, at 6:30 p.m. with the Swamp Bats hosting the Newport Gulls while the Mainers host the Upper Valley Nighthawks.

Valley Blue Sox 3 - Danbury Westerners 2 (10 innings)

W - Connor Bailey 1-1 (Xavier) 3 IP 2 H 1 ER 1 BB 0 K

L - Renn Lints 2-2 (Bucknell) 0.0 IP 1 H 0 ER (1 R) 0 BB 0 K

Mackenzie Stadium in Holyoke, MA - The Valley Blue Sox (6-6) stormed back in the late innings to take down the division rival Danbury Westerners (6-6) in an extra innings walk off.

The game started as a pitchers duel as both teams were scoreless through the first six innings. Danbury's Zach Grace (Wake Forest) and Valley's Jack Kramer (Sacred Heart) got things going for both teams. Danbury struck first in the seventh inning on three singles, with Hank Thomas (Ohio State) driving in the game's first run. Danbury would score again in the eighth inning as Jake Hyde (Georgetown) scored on a wild pitch, puting the Westerners up 2-0.

With the Blue Sox down to their final three outs, Daniel Melnick (Quinnipiac) led off the ninth with a walk. Two flyouts later, Valley was down to their last out with Sam Franco (Perdue) coming up. Franco lined a single into center field, and the ball got by the centerfielder. Melnick came around to score, and the throw to third went into Valley's dugout, awarding Franco home and tying the game at two. In extra innings, Connor Bailey survived the ghost runner and made it out of the tenth unscathed.

In the bottom of the inning, Charlie Ludwick (Eastern Kentucky) led off with a walk-off single to complete the comeback for Valley.

The Blue Sox will travel to Connecticut to battle the Mystic Schooners at Dodd Stadium at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. The Westerners will return home to face the North Adams Steeplecats at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday.

Bristol Blues 2 - Ocean State Waves 1

W - Peter Ostensen 1-0 (Fairfield) 6 IP 1 H 0 ER 3 BB 4 K

L - Nick Payero 0-3 (Seton Hall) 6 IP 2 H 1 ER 2 BB 8 K

Muzzy Field in Bristol, CT - The Bristol Blues (10-2) added to their seven-game win streak by defeating the Ocean State Waves (5-8) on Sunday afternoon.

After leading off the game with a walk and hit by pitch, leadoff hitter Zach Stephenson (UConn) stole third base, setting up an RBI fielder's choice off the bat of Griffin Arnone (Elon). The Blues went up 1-0, and the score would stay that way for a while.

Peter Ostensen and Nick Payero both went six innings, each allowing two hits or less. Offense continued to be hard to come by until Bristol struck again in the eighth inning.

With the bases being loaded after a walk, double, and intentional walk, Cal Parillo (Rhode Island College) grounded into another fielder's choice, marking the second run the Blues had scored on that play in the game. With Luke Garofalo (Central Connecticut State) in to close it out, Ocean State did not go down without a fight. Jake Studley (UConn) hit a one out single and later advanced to second on a passed ball. This set up Chase Meggers (Oregon) to cut the lead in half with an RBI single. However, the rally wasn't enough as Bristol held on to win.

Both teams will enjoy an off-day on Monday before facing each other again on Tuesday, this time at Old Mountain Field in Kingston at 6:30 p.m.

New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from June 20, 2022

• Vermont's Offense Powers Past Muskrats on Monday - Vermont Mountaineers
• Ignoffo, Sears Take Home Week 2 Awards - NECBL
• The NECBL Daily Rundown - June 19th, 2022 - NECBL

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