Photography by Remi Frisby

Written by Ryan Zimmerman
Director of Broadcasting and Media

GROTON – For the seventh time this summer, after finding themselves behind by two runs with two innings to go, the Mainers capitalized on a late rally to sink the Schooners 9-6.

At the game’s inception, it looked as though the two squads were on course for a pitcher’s duel. Jake Noviello (Franklin, Mass./Fairfield) and Brandon White matched each other pitch for pitch throughout their first four innings of work, each surrendering just one run on two hits or fewer. The Schooners drew first blood on a throwing error in the second inning while Shane Marshall (Webster, N.Y./Binghamton) leveled things up on a solo home run in the fourth.

Once the fifth inning rolled around, the Mainers got their bats going. On the strength of two walks and a single, Marshall got the chance to bat with the bases loaded. He came through by roping a double into the left-center field gap, plating three runs and putting his team up 4-1.

However, their newfound momentum could not hold off the Schooners in their next turn at-bat. They slugged two home runs, a three-run shot by Will Lucas and a two-run bomb off Ben Maycock’s bat four hitters later, to make up the deficit in no time. By the end of the frame, the hosts had turned a three-run deficit into a 6-4 advantage.

Right away, the Mainers threatened to tie the game back up. An Orlando Adams (Atlanta, Ga./Kentucky) single preceded back-to-back bases on balls to Ryan Turenne (Lynn, Mass./Maine) and Jack Van Remortel (Carmel, Ind./Michigan) to load the bases with two outs. Unfortunately, a Sterling Hayes (San Diego, Calif./Vanderbilt) line drive could not evade the grasp of his Schooner shortstop counterpart, halting the Moose rally.

The two clubs traded zeroes in the seventh before the Mainers broke out in the eighth. Connor Tate (Bishop, Ga./Georgia) walked to kick off the frame and advanced two extra bases on a passed ball and wild pitch on consecutive tosses. Adams earned a free pass of his own to place runners on the corners.

The Schooner infield played back in hopes of inducing a double play to keep their lead intact, but Turenne laid down a perfect bunt to bring Tate home and bring the Moose within one.

As runners stood on first and second base, the next two batters utilized their plate discipline to level the score. Hayes and Drew DeMartino (Pittsfield, Mass./Hartford) both let four balls go by to tally the tying run.

The stage was set for Marshall to bat with the sacks full once again, and for the second time in five innings, he took full advantage. He knocked a single over the outstretched glove of shortstop Isaiah Byars, giving the Mainers a pair of runs to pull ahead late. A wild pitch sent DeMartino across the plate, providing a three-run edge with just six outs separating them from another comeback win.

That was all Jacob Parker (Monroe, Ga./Georgia Southern) needed to shut the door on the Schooners. He pitched two innings and registered six strikeouts en route to his fifth save and the 14th Moose victory.

The Mainers are back in action once again tomorrow as they head to Danbury to face off with the Westerners. Coverage begins at 6:30 PM from Rogers Park on the NECBL Broadcast Network and 104.3 FM/1220 AM The Legends back in Sanford. Until then, stay in touch with the team by going to sanfordmainers.com or following them on social media.