The SwampBats moved to within a half game of the league-leading Vermont Mountaineers with a feisty, come-from-behind win. 

Keene took the lead on the second batter of the game when Princeton’s Jake Koonin hit one over the fence in left field at pitcher-friendly Montpelier Recreation Field for his league-leading seventh home run of the season. The next major action came in the bottom of the third, which was an unusual half-inning. First, a Mountaineers hitter reached base on a catcher’s interference call. That runner came home on an ensuing triple to the rightfield corner. The next hitter lifted what appeared to be a sacrifice fly to center field, but after the runner slid in safely, the SwampBats successfully appealed that he left third base early, resulting in an unusual inning-ending double play.

Vermont took the lead on another odd play in the fourth. A flare toward center resulted in an inside-the-park home run when the center fielder lost his footing. The next Mountaineer launched a home run over the right field fence to give them a 3-1 lead. SwampBats starter Ryan Van Buren (Maryland) escaped a jam with runners on second and third later in the inning, and finished after four with no walks and three strikeouts. The SwampBats took the momentum back right away in the fifth when Delaware’s Aaron Graeber smashed a double 402 feet to dead center and scored on JD Jones’ (Rutgers) single. After an Austin Hawke (Wake Forest) single, Jones came home on a wild pitch to tie the game at three. The Mountaineers manufactured a run on two infield singles and two walks in the bottom half to retake the lead at 4-3, but Isaac Williams (Centreal Florida) induced a foulout to strand the bases loaded. In the bottom of the sixth, the bases were loaded with nobody out, forcing Manager Shaun McKenna into a pitching change. He brought in Penn State’s Ben Shenosky who proceeded to perform a Houdini act. He produced two ground balls and a strikeout to incredibly strand all three runners and keep the deficit at one.

The top of the seventh inning was outrageous. Alex Calarco led off by belting a towering game-tying home run to right field. After a groundout and a pitching change, the SwampBats loaded the bases on walks from Penn State teammates Joe Jaconski and Bryce Molinaro, with a Koonin single in between. Florida Atlantic’s Nick Romano gave the SwampBats the lead with a sacrifice fly to deep right field, which proceeded perhaps the most bizarre moment of the season so far. With play relaxed, suddenly the Mountaineers threw the ball into center field attempting to appeal a tag-up of second base, allowing another run to score. Ripken Reese (Kent State) walked and Graeber was hit by a pitch to load the bases again. The Mountaineers made an error on a ground ball which scored two more runs before the inning finally came to a close with the SwampBats ahead 8-4. Shenosky pitched through the eighth allowing one hit and no runs while striking out two to earn the win. Jaden Varner (Kent State) recorded the final two outs to earn the save with the tying run at bat. 

Keene (17-8) returns home on Tuesday to play the Sanford Mainers on M+T Bank and Southwestern Community Services Inclusion Night.