Ali Koskoris

Keene N.H. – The Keene Swamp Bats played their first game of the 2012 NECBL playoffs against the Mountaineers Friday night, demolishing Vermont22-0with stellar defense and sweltering hitting.

After a solid defensive first inning from Kevin McAvoy (Bryant), the Swamp Bats came out with hot bats to put up four.  With one out, Dylan Delacruz (Central Connecticut St.) singled.  Grant Kay (Iowa Western Community College) continued his powerful hitting with a two-run home run.  JP Sportman (Central Connecticut St.) followed by ripping a homer on a fantastic nine-pitch at bat.  Frankie Schwindel (St. John’s) smoked another home run, giving Keene back-to-back-to-back home runs against Vermont starter Alex Haines (Seton Hill).

The Mountaineers threatened in the top of the third, when, with two outs and a runner on, Logan Pierce (Troy) ripped a rocket to straight centerfield, sure to be a home run.  Centerfielder Mike Papi (Virginia) leapt up and caught the line drive, his glove right above the top of the fence, robbing Pierce of a homer.

Sportman kept the energy going, leading off the bottom of the inning with his second home run of the evening, putting Keene up 5-0.  One out later, Jared Walsh (Georgia) upheld the Swamp Bats hitting spree with Keene’s fifth homer of the game.

McAvoy’s strong pitching continued through his outing, highlighted by back-to-back strike outs in the top of the seventh inning with bases loaded and one out; he allowed no one to cross the plate.  McAvoy finished going seven innings, giving up no runs on four hits, with one walk and six strike outs.

Keene continued to smash the ball in the bottom of the seventh inning against Mountaineer reliever Steve Ostapeck (Villanova).  Kay reached base on a dropped third strike, and then sprinted to third base on a wild pitch.  Schwindel hit Kay in on an RBI single with one out.  Walsh smoked his second home run of the night next to score Schwindel and put the Swamp Bats up 9-0.  Three batters later, Dylan Moore ripped a three-run home run to chase Ostapeck off the mound.

Brad Schnelle (Seton Hill) came in for relief, but couldn’t do much better against Keene’s scorching bats.  The Swamp Bats loaded the bases on a Papi walk, a single from Kay, and hit batter in Sportman.  Schwindel stepped up and hammered a grand slam line drive over the left field fence to put Keene up 16-0.  Schwindel finished the game going 4-6 with two homers, six RBI and fourruns scored.

The Swamp Bats hitting would not be stifled in the eighth.  Brett Barrett (Southern Maine) led off with a double.  Papi walked with two outs, and Delacruz followed with a monster three-run home run to force Vermont reliever Casey Brighton (Plattsburgh) off the rubber.

Brian O’Grady (Rutgers) replaced Brighton in hopes of finally earning the third out. Walsh and Barrett hit consecutive RBI singles to score Sportman and Schwindel.  Kay also crossed the plate on a wild pitch.  O’Grady recorded the third out on a Fran Whitten (Maine) strike out with runners on the corners.  Heading into the ninth inning, Keene led Vermont 22-0.

Swamp Bat reliever Zachary Brian (St. Anselm College) finished the job, striking out Greg Partyka (Bradley) to end the game. 

Keene finished with nine home runs and 22 hits.  McAvoy earns the win and Haines receives the loss.  The Swamp Bats head to Montpelier, VT Saturday to take on Vermont for game two of a best-of-three series.  First pitch is scheduled for 6:30pm.