Vineyard Overwhelms Vermont in 2022 Finals Opener
Published on August 6, 2022 under New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) News Release
NECBL Championship Series - Game 1
#4 Martha's Vineyard Sharks 16 - #1 Vermont Mountaineers 3
W - Zachary Clesas 1-0 (Wheaton): 8.0 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 6 K
L - Nicholas Beavin 0-1 (Norwich): 2.0 IP, 5 H, 3 ER (5 R), 2 BB, 0 K
Montpelier Recreation Field, Montpelier V.T. - The Martha's Vineyard Sharks (1-0) crushed the Vermont Mountaineers 16-3 (0-1) on the road in Game 1 of the 2022 NECBL Championship Series.
The Sharks dominated from the start, taking a quick four-run lead in the first. A Marcus Franco (Nova Southeastern) single, a Luke Masiuk (Northeastern) sacrifice fly, an error and a wild pitch plated the four Vineyard baserunners. Martha's Vineyard added another in the fifth to take a 5-0 lead off a Michael Snyder (Washington) double. In the bottom of the second, Vermont's Mark Trotta (William & Mary) doubled to lead off the inning. Two singles behind him loaded the bases and Trotta eventually scored on a wild pitch, giving the Mountaineers their first run of the evening.
Vineyard didn't take long to extend their lead, tacking on three in the fourth through a Marcus Franco three-run bomb. They extended their offensive explosion into the fifth, where the Sharks scored eight runs. Logan Chambers (Tennessee) started the inning off with a solo homer. Thomas Bramley (Penn St) and Marcus Franco doubles brought in the next two Martha's Vineyard runs. Jadyn Jackson's (Georgia Tech) two-run single made it 13-1 before a walk added another. In his second at bat of the inning, Thomas Bramley hit a two-run single to bring the Sharks' total to sixteen. By the end of the inning, the Mountaineers brought in Nic Notarangelo (Endicott), their starting center fielder, to pitch. Two other non-pitchers took the mound for Vermont before the game ended.
Martha's Vineyard's offense cooled down and the score stayed the same until the bottom of the ninth. Sharks starter Zachary Clesas (Wheaton) navigated through the Mountaineers lineup seamlessly, giving up just six hits, one walk and one run while striking out six over eight innings. It was the righty's longest start of the season by three innings. Vineyard brought in its own position player, Cabot Maher (Villanova), to make his first appearance on the mound this summer in the ninth. Tyler Wells (New Haven) and Anthony DeFabbia (Stetson) each had RBI singles against Maher, scoring two consolation runs for the Mountaineers.
The Sharks had fifteen hits and five different batters with multi-hit games. Marcus Franco led the Sharks with four hits and five RBIs. Logan Chambers recorded three hits while Danny Crossen (Northeastern), Thomas Bramley and Jadyn Jackson all had two.
The series now shifts to Martha's Vineyard, with the Sharks hosting the Mountaineers at 7:00 PM tonight in Game 2. A Vineyard win would crown the Sharks Fay Vincent Cup Champions for the first time in franchise history. A Vermont victory would force a winner-take-all Game 3 in Montpelier tomorrow at 6:30 PM.
New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from August 6, 2022
- Martha's Vineyard Sharks Win 2022 Fay Vincent Cup - NECBL
- Vineyard Overwhelms Vermont in 2022 Finals Opener - NECBL
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