Valley Blue Sox vs. Bristol Blues

Final Score: Valley 6, Bristol 4

Holyoke, MA - The Valley Blue Sox improved 6-6 Friday night following a 6-4 victory over the visiting Bristol Blues. After both teams were able to hold each other scoreless through the first inning, Bristol’s Gianno Merlonghi (Central Connecticut State) was able to find home plate after an error by the Valley shortstop. Nate Lincoln (Marist) and Trevor Hansen (Manhattan) were both able to find home following back-to-back ground outs, leading to a three-run top of the second inning. 

Valley was quick to answer the Blues’ offensive output in the bottom of the second. Michael Elko (Richmond) was able to score after a fielder’s choice at first, and Sebastian Mexico (Louisiana Tech) drove in two more after a single into the outfield, tying the ball game at three. 

Valley added three more runs in the bottom of the fourth after Mexico brought in two more RBIs after he launched a ball for a double. He was then able to score following a Gavin Schrader (Troy) sacrifice fly. The Blues were able to answer one run in the top of the fifth as CJ Egrie (Holy Cross) was able to score home plate, but it wasn’t enough as the Blue Sox’ defense was able to keep the Blues off the scoreboard with a stellar performance. The Blue Sox ace, Beau Elson (Fordham), was given the win while his fellow Valley teammate, Andrew Wertz (Salve Regina), was credited with the save. The Blue Sox pitcher, Houston Tomlinson (Texas A&M), was issued the loss.

See the Box Score Here

Mystic Schooners vs. Newport Gulls

Final Score: Newport 11, Mystic 9

Newport, RI- The Gulls overcame a late surge by the Schooners to hold on, winning 11-9 Friday night. The Schooners were the first to get on the board as Eric Cha (Northeastern) smacked a ball for an RBI double in the top of the second. In the following inning, Mystic struck again when Davis Johnson (Notre Dame) launched a ball over the outfield fence for a solo home run, bringing the lead to 2-0. 

The Gulls answered in the bottom of the fourth. Adrian Arezaga (Miami) scored two off a double, and Colby Wallace (Eastern Carolina) added an RBI single. Peter Craska (North Alabama) sacrificed himself to bring in one more run. The inning was capped off by a Cade Brown (Georgia) RBI single. The Gulls added to their lead in the fifth inning following a Michael Gupton (Samford) RBI single. 

The Schooners were able to cut the lead to two in the top of the sixth after AJ Aschettino (Northeastern) singled to bring in a run. However, the Gulls snatched that run right back when Kyle Branch (Oklahoma) was able to drive Will Fosberg (Northeastern) across home plate, making the score 6-3.

The Gulls continued their offensive output in the seventh inning when Colby Wallace was able to score. Later that inning, Will Fosberg added two more with a double to right field. Mystic was able to bring home two runs after  Kaiden Dossa (Yale) and Luke Holland (UNC Greensboro) RBI singles, in the top of the eight inning.

Newport extended the lead, answering two runs at the top of the inning with two runs of their own. Craska drove in one with an RBI single, and Gupton did the same with an RBI double. 

Mystic made a late surge in the top of the ninth, adding four runs. Dennis Gamester (Sacred Heart) was able to drive in one with a single, and Nick Locurto (Virginia Tech) scored after a ground out. Eric Cha added to his RBI total with a two-run double. However, the Gulls were able to get out of the inning and secure the victory. 

Box Score

North Shore Navigators vs. Vermont Mountaineers

Final Score: Vermont 8, North Shore 2

Montpelier, VT - The Vermont Mountaineers took advantage of a hot start Friday evening, cruising to an 8-2 victory over the North Shore Navigators.

Vermont got on the board in a hurry, scoring three runs in the bottom of the first. Sam Gates (George Washington) led off with a ground rule double, followed by a Jaylen Hernandez (Winthrop) single. Both were scored by Conlan Daniel (Wright State), who reached on an error, and a Braeden Smith (Charleston) groundout. Daniel would later come home on a Ty Acker (George Washington) single, solidifying the early lead.

The Mountaineers did not let up, as they scored three more runs in the following frame.  Hernandez singled again, and just like the first inning, was brought home by Daniel on another Navigator error. Daniel then scored on a single off the bat of Addison Ainsworth (Army), and Smith scored after reaching on a walk thanks to a Joey Pagano (St. Joes) RBI.

In the bottom of the third, already holding a 6-0 lead, Bennett Shealor (Gardner Webb) got a free pass to first after a hit by pitch and advanced to third after Gates’ second double of the game. Both were scored on Hernandez’s third hit in as many innings, with this one being his first double of the season. Vermont would not score again after this inning, but eight runs proved to be enough for the victory.

North Shore avoided the shutout in the top of the seventh, as a Jack Rickheim (Harvard) single plated Brody Dalton (West Virginia) for the Navigators’ first run. Nater Wachter (UConn) also scored on a steal of home, but it was too little, too late for North Shore. 

Box Score

Sanford Mainers vs. North Adams SteepleCats

Final Score: Sanford 6, North Adams 4

North Adams, MA- The SteepleCats hosted the Mainers for an extra innings nail-biter on Friday night. Coleman McGinnis (North Carolina-Asheville) got things started for Sanford by hitting an RBI single, quickly putting the Mainers up 1-0. In the bottom of the third, Corey Robinson (College of Central Florida) ripped a solo home run over the center field wall to tie the game at one apiece. In the top of the fifth, Trey King (Georgia) hit a sac fly to put Sanford ahead again, 2-1.

The later innings of the game are where things really got tight. In the bottom of the eighth, Billy Howard (Ashland) would hit an RBI single, tying the game for the SteepleCats at 2-2. Sanford answered back quickly, as Jack Toomey (Boston) hit into an error, scoring two and reaching first safely to give the Mainers a 4-2 lead going into the bottom of the inning. North Adams would not give up, as Eli Gries-Smith (Arkansas-Pine Bluff) scored on a wild pitch, and Nick Guachione (North Carolina-Asheville) walked in the tying run to make the score 4-4 after nine. 

Extra innings would belong all to the Mainers. In the top of the tenth, Sam Miller (Binghamton) hit an RBI ground rule double to drive in the go-ahead run to take back the lead. Brendan Sencaj (Bentley) hit an RBI single to drive in Miller, extending the lead to 6-4 for Sanford. Tyler Longoria (St Johns) entered the game in the ninth inning, earning a clutch strikeout to keep the SteepeCats from walking off the game after tying it. Longoria kept it going in the tenth, holding North Adams scoreless and securing the win for the Mainers. 

Box Score

Ocean State Waves vs Martha’s Vineyard Sharks

Final Score: Waves 3, Sharks 5

South Kingstown, RI – The Martha’s Vineyard Sharks battled to a 5-3 win over the Ocean State Waves on Thursday evening at Old Mountain Field, using late offense and shutdown relief pitching to improve to 6-5 on the season. The loss drops Ocean State to an identical 6-5 mark.

Ocean State had jumped out early with a run in the first on a double play ball from Brandon DeGoti (Miami), scoring Greg Pettay (South Alabama), who was hit by a pitch and advanced to third. The Waves added single runs in the second and third, with

with Jack LaRose (UConn) scoring on an error in the second, and Pettay scoring again in the third on another DeGoti RBI groundout.

Martha’s Vineyard got on the board in the second when Harley Goodner (Duke) reached on a throwing error that allowed Dylan Schlaegel (Dallas Baptist) to score from second. In the seventh, the Sharks capitalized on more Ocean State miscues to flip the game.

The Sharks trailed 3-2 after six innings but struck for three runs in the top of the seventh to take the lead for good. Ethan Puig (Miami) provided the biggest swing of the night, launching a two-run homer to right to put the Sharks ahead 4-3. It was Puig’s first home run of the season. Later in the frame, a pair of walks and a fielder’s choice set the table for Goodner, who scored from third on a throwing error by the catcher to make it 5-3.