By holding the most potent offense in the NECBL to just one run, the New Bedford Bay Sox forced Game 3 of their best-of-three playoff series with the Mystic Schooners in a 2-1 victory on Thursday night at Paul Walsh Field.

And they did it with two dominant pitching performances from their best late-season arms, Darrien Ragins and Matthew Leon.

Darrien Ragins (Delaware State), who was one of the best closers in the NECBL during the regular season, started Game 2 on the mound for New Bedford, as several of their starting pitchers were either injured or unavailable to throw.  Ragins threw six scoreless innings, and after a testy seventh inning that saw the visitors score a run and have an unlikely play cost them more offense, Leon (Seton Hall) shut down the final two frames for the win.  Ragins’ performance was one of the strongest of the season, and earned him the First Citizens Player of the Game.

Ragins began the season as a long relief option for manager Kyle Fernandes, tossing a season-high 4.1 innings on June 24th at Plymouth.  He took over the closer role soon after that stellar outing, picking up the first of his nine saves against the Schooners two days later.

Ragins started off slow, allowing a walk while expending a lot of pitches during the first couple batters.  He flashed his All-Star talent following the free pass, striking out three consecutive Schooners between the first and second innings.  His teammates had a chance to give him a lead in the second inning, as Alex Mata (St. Leo) and Connor Hoover (North Georgia) were in scoring position with one down on a walk, a single, and a passed ball.  They were both left on the basepaths, as Ryan Baldwin (Barry) and T.J. Dixon (Samford) were unable to hit in the clutch.

Ragins walked the bases loaded in the third inning, and had to deal with the meat of the Mystic lineup with just one out.  After a mound visit by coach Fernandes, Ragins induced two fly ball outs to the right side, retiring the Schooners’ top home run hitter (Martin Figueroa) and leading RBI producer (Richard Slenker) to escape the jam and keep the game scoreless.  Ragins expended a lot of energy in the first three innings, throwing 63 pitches – 30 balls and 33 strikes – to obtain only nine outs.

The Delaware senior worked around allowing the leadoff runner to reach base in four straight innings, and retired the side in order just once (the second inning).  Mystic placed runners on first and second with two outs in the sixth, and threatened to end the scoreless tie as the Bay Sox tried to get every last pitch out of their spectacular closer.  Ragins got right fielder Casey Baker to pop up to Hoover at short to end the threat.  Ragins threw 111 pitches – 65 strikes and 46 balls – in his six inning outing, allowing four hits and four walks while striking out six Schooners. 

The Bay Sox finally broke through for the first runs of the game in the bottom of the sixth.  Mata drove in Jakob Goldfarb (Oregon) with a double to make it 1-0, and Ted Shaw (Sacred Heart) drove in Robbie Doring (Dayton) with a sacrifice fly to give New Bedford a two-run cushion.  Goldfarb reached with one out after taking a fastball to the knee, and Doring reached on an error from Slenker at first base. 

Justin Jacobsen (Bridgewater State) was first out of the bullpen for New Bedford, and allowed the first Mystic run without getting an out.  Left fielder Ryan Ramiz singled to left field, and then got to third on a stolen base and an errant throw from catcher Andrew Penner (Los Angeles Valley).  He was driven in by another single from Toby Handley to cut the lead in half.  The Schooners loaded the bases with just one out, as Jake Stearns (Southern New Hampshire) allowed two more baserunners on an error from Mata at third and an intentional walk. 

The Bay Sox benefited from an unbelievable call on a ground ball from Chase Lunceford to keep their lead.  Lunceford, who finished tenth in the NECBL in batting average at .326, hit a weak grounder to Shaw, who attempted to turn the inning-ending double play.  Shaw made a throw to Hoover for the first out at second base, but Hoover was tripped up by Mystic’s Nick Mascelli, and did not make an attempt for the third and final out.  Lunceford was called out due to interference, which ended the inning.

Leon came in to pitch the eighth inning for New Bedford.  Leon is the reigning NECBL Pitcher of the Week, and has not allowed an earned run in 13 straight appearances, going back to June 26th against the Schooners.  Leon was helped out by Dixon on a deep blast to the warning track by Casey Baker, as the speedy center fielder covered a lot of distance to make the catch.

After Mystic’s Danny Marsh struck out the side in the bottom of the eighth (he had five Ks in two innings of relief), Leon came back in to pitch the ninth inning.  He picked up a fly out to left, a strikeout that required a throw to first after Penner dropped the ball, and then Mascelli lined a single to the left side.  Leon buckled down and got Figueroa to fly out to left to end the game and claim his first postseason save.

Game 3 will be in Mystic, CT on Friday night, starting at 6:05pm.  If New Bedford wins, they will travel to either Newport or Danbury in the next round.

By Adam Belue