Winnipesaukee Takes a Tough One from Mainers on Thursday Night
June 8, 2018 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
Sanford Mainers News Release
Sanford, ME - On the back of a strong start on the mound by senior right hander Al Wallach, the Winnipesaukee Muskrats were able to come into Goodall Park on Thursday night and take home a win against the home town Sanford Mainers by a final of 8-1. Winnipesaukee's pitching staff had the mirror image of the night that Sanford had on Wednesday as four pitchers combined for the four hit, one run win.
For the second straight game, the Mainers had runners on base with one out or less but were unable to capitalize on those opportunities, this time however they were unable to keep the other side off the scoreboard. Winnipesaukee, on the other hand, was able to take advantage of the chances that escaped them in the 17-1 drubbing they received at the hands of Plymouth on Opening Day in route to their victory on Thursday night.
Winnipesaukee struck first as they put up two runs in back to back innings, the third and fourth, on the strength of a two RBI double, an RBI triple and an error. Wallach went five innings for the Muskrats giving up only two hits and striking out seven in what was his first start in almost a year as he redshirted 2018 at Framingham State.
After both teams left runners on base in the fifth, the Muskrats put the distance between them and the Mainers they needed with a four run 6th inning, all with two outs. In fact, five of the eight Winnipesaukee runs on Thursday night came with two outs.
Brad Czerniejewski (Lake Forest, Ill./Texas Christian University) led the way offensively for Sanford in his first start of the 2018 NECBL season going 2-4 at the place with a couple of singles but wasn't able to score on either chance. Jake Alu (Hamilton, N.J./Boston College) and Jonathan White (Lawrenceville, Ga./Presbyterian) had the other two hits on a tough night for the Mainers.
After Tripp Barfield (Washington, N.C./UNC-Asheville) had a rough go of things on the mound in the 6th, only able to get two outs, Mike Vasturia (Medford, N.J./Maryland) came in and got out of the inning to keep the lead at 8-0. In the bottom half of the 6th the Mainers picked up their only run in the game as Nick Howie (Oakville, Ontario, Canada/Eastern Kentucky) grounded into a fielder's choice that scored Johnny Rizer (Cypress, Texas/Texas Christian University).
Vasturia came back out and threw a scoreless 7th only allowing one hit and picking up his first strikeout on the new season. In fact, from the 6th inning on the bullpen did their job once again by keeping the Winnipesaukee offense at bay with Ryan Twitchell (Cumberland, Maine/U. of Rhode Island) and Cole Whitney (Campbell Hall, N.Y./Georgia Southern) both throwing a scoreless inning with one strikeout apiece in the eighth and ninth.
One of the biggest bright spots defensively for Sanford was the arm of Josh Zbierski (Stafford Springs, Conn./Southern New Hampshire) as he was 3 for 3 on catching runners stealing in the game with three absolute strikes thrown to second base.
The fortunate thing for the Mainers is that they made solid contact with a lot of pitches but just were unable to find gaps and get the runs home they needed. But, as is the case every summer in the NECBL, there is a ton of baseball to be played and Sanford will have plenty of opportunities to bounce back from a tough loss in just their second game of the year.
The Mainers are on the road for the first time on Friday, June 8, at 6:30 PM as they take a trip to Plymouth to battle with the hot offense of the Pilgrims who are coming off a loss on Thursday themselves at the hands of the Mystic Schooners.
You can listen and watch the game as always on the NECBL Broadcast Network or tune in to 102.3 FM The Legends in Sanford, Maine or log on to their website for the free stream. Make sure to head to www.sanfordmainers.com for all the latest news and notes for your Sanford Mainers and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube to make sure you get all the inside access all season long.
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New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from June 8, 2018
- Keene Wins Their First Game of the Year - Keene Swamp Bats
- Nighthawks Fall to Swamp Bats - Upper Valley Nighthawks
- Herrrmann and Arella Combine to Shut out New Bedford, Mountaineers Pick up First Win, 3-0 - Vermont Mountaineers
- Gulls Defeat Wareham Gatemen in Exhibition Action - Newport Gulls
- Winnipesaukee Takes a Tough One from Mainers on Thursday Night - Sanford Mainers
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