Photography by Remi Frisby

Written by Ryan Zimmerman
Director of Broadcasting and Media

LACONIA – Though the Mainers ended tonight’s contest with more hits, the Winnipesaukee Muskrats capitalized on their scoring chances down the stretch to earn a 7-4 win.

In the early stages, the Moose offense found their groove and jumped to an early lead. Nick Howie (Oakville, Ontario, Canada/Eastern Kentucky) led off the second inning with a base hit and promptly advanced to second on an Erik Stock (Virginia Beach, Va./UConn) walk. A two-out Orlando Adams (Atlanta, Ga./Kentucky) single sent Howie across home plate, getting the Mainers on the board.

Adams continued his attack on NECBL pitching in the fourth inning, blasting a bomb over the right-field scoreboard, increasing the Moose lead to three. The dinger marks his fifth in seven games with 15 runs batted over that span.

However, the Muskrats caught fire at the dish. Starting with a Tatem Levins solo home run, they tallied four runs on four hits, erasing the Mainers to pull ahead 4-3.

Their insurance came in the sixth after putting their patience on full display. After a Vicente Mendoza strikeout to start the frame, the next three Winnipesaukee batters reached without putting the ball in play, granting Levins another shot at an RBI. The first baseman took full advantage, ripping a fastball up the middle of the diamond to give his team some breathing room with a 5-3 advantage.

The Muskrats tacked on one more run in the seventh despite not recording a single hit. Three consecutive one-out walks set up Jake Coro with a run-scoring opportunity, and his fielder’s choice got the job done. They attempted a delayed steal to sneak a second run across in the inning, but the combination of Ryan Turenne (Lynn, Mass./Maine) and Drew DeMartino (Pittsfield, Mass./Hartford) teamed up to gun Mendoza down.

The Mainers rode the momentum of the key play the half-inning previous to re-ignite their offense in the top of the eighth. Connor Tate (Bishop, Ga./Georgia) ripped a double into right-center field which scored Howie and brought the tying run to the batter’s box. Despite Elliott Curtis (Waterloo, Ontario, Canada/Kentucky) hitting the ball on the screws, a highlight caliber stab by Jake Coro robbed him of a hit and held the Moose rally to just one.

Having made an important defensive play of their own, the Muskrats used their own stroke of good fortune to kickstart their eighth-inning rally. Two bases on balls and two singles recorded run number seven, but with the bases loaded and only one out, Jacob Parker (Monroe, Ga./Georgia Southern) activated his clutch gene on the mound once again. He punched out the next two batters he faced to halt an additional scoring threat.

The Mainers had set themselves up for another comeback opportunity, but this time it was not meant to be. Scott Meylan took the mound and fanned two batters en route to his first save of the season, preserving the win for his Muskrats.

The Moose are on the road tomorrow as they head to Mackenzie Stadium for a doubleheader with the Valley Blue Sox. You can catch all the action beginning at 3:35 PM on the NECBL Broadcast Network, as well as 104.3 FM/1220 AM The Legends back in Sanford. Until then, stay connected to the team by visiting sanfordmainers.com and following their social media accounts.

To watch the game highlights, click here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ga8SVDhOllQ