For Keene, the game represented first place in the Northern Division. For Vermont, it represented the continuation of their season.

Vermont had everything on the line, and they exploded onto the scene, beating the Swampbats for the second time at Alumni field this season.

Michael Bacica, pitching in relief for the second time in 48 hours, gets the loss in what was a bullpen heavy game for Keene.

Marc Davis, starting for Keene, went 5 and 1/3 innings of 3 run ball, getting a no-decision and obtaining eight more strikeouts. His curve filthy as always, Davis was yanked in the fifth because of pitch count.

Keene (26-18), is now one and half games in front of North Adams and for Keene, it is all up to what North Adams does tomorrow in a doubleheader with the Valley Blue Sox.

If North Adams sweeps Valley, Keene will be the two seed and will have to play an extra playoff game on Saturday.

If North Adams loses both or one of these games, Keene retains first place and will be off until Sunday.

But for now, Keene gets a piece of tough luck to a surging Vermont team.

The Mountaineer offense struck first with an Austin Gauthier solo shot to center, putting Vermont ahead 1-0.

Gauthier, an All-Star starter for the Vermont team, got his first homer of the entire season.

Keene retaliated in the latter part of the inning when David Matthews took a Ryan Murphy inside fastball deep to right field for his eighth homer of the season.

Hitting off the barn in right, Matthews gets his first homer in nearly two weeks.

Keene took their first lead of the night with two outs in the fifth when Kevin Welsh knocked in Andrew MacNeil on an RBI double down the right-field line. A batter later, Welsh scored on a Randall Bednar RBI single, putting Keene up 3-1.

MacNeil, though not an All-Star this season, has sure played like one, starting multiple rallies for Keene at the bottom of the order.

Up 3-1, Keene looked ready to take the season series against the Mountaineers.

That changed rapidly when Cam Climo doubled down the left-field line and one pitch later, on a Marc Davis fastball, Connor Charping hit a two-run dinger, his first of the season, to deep left field.

Tied at three, Bacica came in to stop the bleeding. After walking Corey DiLoreto, Straton Podaras singled. Working with a confined strike zone, Bacica then walked Brian Goulard on a controversial ball four call and, with bases loaded, walked Austin Gauthier to score Corey DiLoreto. 

Down by one, Keene was unable to get more runs off of Ryan Murphy as the right-hander went seven innings of three-run ball against the Bats.

Vermont added one more in the seventh when Connor Charping, after doubling into center, scored on two passed balls from Bacica.

The score 5-3, things got ugly in the eighth. After Erick Zecha gave up a solo homer to Straton Podaras, the first batter he faced, he then walked two more to load the bases with two outs.

On a 1-2 count, Connor Charping launched a Zecha curve to center, scoring Brian Goulard and Curtis Robison.

It was not over yet as Corey DiLoreto then ripped a Zecha fastball to left-center to score Curtis Robison.

Down by six, Keene added one consolation run in the bottom of the eighth when Kevin Welsh hit his second dinger of the season to deep left, putting the score at 9-4.

Ryan Steckline, relieving Murphy for the Mountaineers, secured Murphy his fifth win of the season with two innings of one-run ball.

For Keene, the loss hurts. For Vermont, it could mean a postseason berth and the way their pitching staff has hurt Keene’s lineup, they could find themselves contending for an NECBL championship.

Upper Valley is out of the playoffs after losing to Valley 6-0 so Keene will not have to worry about the Nighthawks.

For now, however, all eyes turn to the Valley-North Adams doubleheader tomorrow afternoon, with first place on the line for Keene.

It’s your move, Steeplecats.