
Vermont Opens Season with 5-2 Win over Mystic
Published on June 7, 2023 under New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
Vermont Mountaineers News Release
NORWICH, Conn. - The Vermont Mountaineers opened the 2023 New England Collegiate Baseball League campaign with a 5-2 victory over the Mystic Schooners on Wednesday night at Dodd Stadium. The Schooners fall to 0-2 on the young season.
The Mountaineers wasted little time to score their first runs of the 2023 campaign. Grant Voytovich(Bucknell / Wexford, Pa.) for the first hit for Vermont, before Brandon Butterworth (Western Carolina / Charlotte, N.C.) doubled to put a pair of runners in scoring position. Luke Cantwell (Fairleigh Dickinson-Teaneck / Warrington, Pa.) brought in both to give the Mountaineers a 2-0 lead in the opening frame.
Mystic was able to cut the lead in half after Bobby Marsh scored on a sacrifice fly, after reaching on a single and moving all the way to third on a wild pitch.
The Schooners escaped a jam after a lead off single and error put a runner in scoring position, but got out of it unscathed.
Vermont starter Nathan Knowles (Arlington, Va. / William & Mary) ran into some early trouble after giving up Mystic's lone run in the opening frame. He got out of a bases-loaded jam in the third to maintain a 2-1 Mountaineers lead.
The Mountaineers tacked on another run in the fourth inning. After a trio of walks, Tyler Cox (Dartmouth / Los Angeles, Calif.) scored on a wild pitch to make it 3-1 in favor of the road team.
Aidan Tucker (Tufts / Oradell, N.J.) came in relief for Knowles in the fourth and faced one over the minimum to keep the Mountaineers ahead by a pair of runs.
Vermont added one more run in the fifth. Cantwell was hit by a pitch with one away, before moving to second on a wild pitch. Nathan Goranson (William & Mary / Millville, N.J.) delivered with a key two-out single to plate Cantwell and make it 4-1.
Tucker had back-to-back 1-2-3 innings to preserve a three run advantage for Vermont. He fanned two batters in three innings of work while allowing a hit.
Mystic cut into the lead in the home half of the seventh. George Athanasiadis led off the frame with a walk and moved to second on a strike three wild pitch. Sam Kirkpatrick came up with a two-out single to make it 4-2 in favor of Vermont. Mountaineers' third reliever, Patrick Gardner (Fairleigh Dickinson-Teaneck / Staten Island, N.Y.) caught Landon Moran looking as the tying runner at the plate to get out of the inning.
Nick McAuliffe (East Stroudsburg / Phillipsburg, Pa.) came in relief in the eighth and shutdown the Schooners in order, going into the ninth. Voytovich came around to score after a walk and a pair of stolen bases, before scoring Vermont's fifth run of the game to make it 5-2 on a wild pitch. McAuliffe retired the last batter with his first strikeout of the summer to earn the two-inning save.
Knowles finished his first start of the summer going three innings, allowing one run on three hits and finished with a pair of strikeouts. Schooners starter Dominic Baratta went four innings, allowing three runs on four hits and three walks. He struck out four batters.
Vermont concludes its Connecticut road trip with a double header at Rogers Park, home of the Danbury Westerners. First pitch is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. for game one. You can follow all the action on the NECBL Broadcast Network.
New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from June 7, 2023
- Vermont Opens Season with 5-2 Win over Mystic - Vermont Mountaineers
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