Eight teams were in action Sunday as the heat showed itself on a humid June night, and runs were plentiful. Upper Valley’s late surge over North Adams gets them their seventh victory of the season. A five-run seventh gave Bristol the win over Ocean State. In Vermont, the Blue Sox took over in the seventh inning, scoring eight runs and putting them above .500. The Sharks tallied 14 hits and 11 runs against Danbury, as they win six of their last seven games.

Upper Valley Nighthawks vs. North Adams SteepleCats

Final Score: Upper Valley 7, North Adams 3

North Adams, MA – The first game of the Sunday slate saw the Upper Valley Nighthawks defeat the North Adams SteepleCats 7-3. 

Upper Valley got the scoring started in the top of the third inning, as Anthony Brotz (Marist) doubled to center and was brought home on a Cole Fellows (Columbia) base hit. With the score 1-0, North Adams responded in the bottom of the frame on Corey Robinson's (College of Central Florida) double, scoring Nelphie Lopez (Stetson), who singled earlier in the inning.

Upper Valley immediately responded in the top of the fourth, as Ryan Preisano (Wake Forest) singled, and was brought home on a Cooper Blauser (Jacksonville State) double. Kyle Neri (Rider) and Cameron Boardman (Hartford) were both hit by pitches in the inning as well, leaving a bases-loaded opportunity, but North Adams starter Jeremy Cheeseman (Fairleigh Dickinson) retired the final two batters via strikeout to limit the damage. Cheeseman finished with seven punchouts on the day.

The Nighthawks added two more runs in the top of the seventh off the bat of Anthony Greco (William & Mary), who singled, scoring Brotz and Nick Monile (North Florida), both of whom also singled in the inning. North Adams went 1-2-3 in the bottom of the inning, leaving the score at 4-1.

Upper Valley wasn’t done there, as Neri reached on a walk and came home after Cameron Boardman (Hartford) blasted the first pitch of his at bat over the fence for a 2-RBI shot. Monile followed with his second hit of the game and scored on an RBI single from Fellows to make it 7-1 in favor of the Nighthawks. 

North Adams managed to score two in the bottom of the ninth on an RBI from JT Thompson (Rutgers New Brunswick) and a run from Qwynn Ahearn (Penn), but it wasn’t enough for the SteepleCats as they ended up falling 7-3 and dropping to 3-8 on the season.

Meanwhile, Upper Valley climbs to 7-5, hosting the North Shore Navigators in a 6 pm contest tomorrow. North Adams hits the road on Tuesday to face the Mystic Schooners.

See the box score here

Danbury Westerners vs Martha’s Vineyard Sharks

Final Score: Sharks 11 , Westerners 0

Oak Bluffs, MA - The Martha’s Vineyard Sharks defeated the Danbury Westerners 11-0 behind a  14-hit performance and stellar defensive play, allowing only three hits all game. The game started off scoreless through three innings as both defenses only gave up a combined three hits. 

The Sharks were the first to get on the board in the fourth inning, waking up their bats for an offensive explosion. Blake Binderup (Texas A&M) was the first to get on the board after he launched a ball over the outfield wall for a two-run home run. Kyle Cincinnati (Mt St. Mary’s) added to the lead with a two-run double, and Will Hampton (Vanderbilt) capped off the inning with an RBI single. 

The Sharks added to their lead with another explosive inning in the sixth, adding five more runs to the lead. Dylan Schlaegel (Dallas Baptist) started off the inning with an RBI single, and Kyle Cincinnati added one more in the early part of the inning. Later in the inning, two runs came across following an error by Danbury, and Binderup drove in Brady Krzciok (Central Michigan) to finish the inning. 

Martha’s Vineyard added one more in the bottom of the seventh when Hampton doubled to bring home Cincinnati. The Sharks’ defense was able to continue its stellar performance by shutting out the Westerners to secure the win.

Sharks' pitcher Matthew Hetl (Stetson) was credited with the win, and the Westerners' ace Kenan Elarton (Arizona) was given the loss. The Martha’s Vineyard Sharks are back in action Tuesday night as they continue their home stand against the visiting Bristol Blues. The Danbury Westerners return to action following a break as they host the Sanford Mainers Tuesday night.

See the box score here

Bristol Blues vs. Ocean State Waves

Final Score: Bristol 6, Ocean State 2

Bristol, CT – The Blues hosted the Waves for a close matchup Sunday night, but a huge seventh inning for Bristol gave the Blues a 6-2 edge.

Nate Lincoln (Marist) kicked things off for the Blues in the bottom of the first inning when he hit a single to drive in the first run of the game and put Bristol up 1-0. The very next inning, Brandyn Durand (Bryant) answered right back for Ocean State when he hit an RBI single to tie the game up at one apiece. In the top of the fourth, Zach Plasschaert (Fresno State) scored on a wild pitch to give the Waves a 2-1 lead. 

Ocean State’s Sal Valenzuela (Pima CC) racked up six strikeouts and 0 ER on 3 IP, holding Bristol scoreless during his time on the mound. 

In the bottom of the seventh inning, Tommy Ahlers (Keene State) would hit an RBI single to tie the game at 2-2, showing fight for the Blues. Joe Tiroly (Virginia) would step up to the dish with the bases loaded and hit a rope off the left field fence, clearing the bases, and scored on a wild throw to third to give Bristol a 6-2 lead. There was no looking back after that, as that would remain the final score

The Blues head to Martha’s Vineyard to play the Sharks on Monday at 7:05 p.m., while the Waves take a day off before hosting the Nighthawks at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 24th.

You can view the box score here

Vermont Mountaineers vs Valley Blue Sox

Final Score: Mountaineers 4, Blue Sox 12

Montpelier, VT – The Valley Blue Sox exploded for eight runs over the final three innings to pull away from the Vermont Mountaineers, securing a 12-4 win on Sunday night. With the win, Valley improved to 7-6 on the season, while Vermont dropped to 5-8.

The Blue Sox jumped ahead in the top of the second thanks to Cade Carr (Samford), who launched a two-run home run to left. Vermont quickly responded with a two-run frame of their own, as Conlan Daniel (Wright State) scored on an RBI groundout by Griffin Brown (Michigan State), followed by a wild pitch that brought in Braden Smith (Charleston).

Valley took the lead for good in the third. Michael O’Conor (Eastern Illinois) tripled to deep center and scored when Gavin Schrader (Troy) singled him home, making it 3-2. The Sox added another run in the fifth as O’Connor once again came around, this time scoring on a groundout after back-to-back singles from Clay Burdette (Xavier) and Schrader.

The Mountaineers cut the deficit to one in the bottom half of the inning, when Addison Ainsworth (United States Military Academy) reached on a hit-by-pitch, advanced on a wild pitch, and came home on a double play groundout.

But Valley broke the game wide open with a five-run seventh inning. Sebastian Mexico (Louisiana Tech) led off with a solo home run, and the Blue Sox went on to string together five more hits in the inning, including RBI singles from Schrader, Chris Walsh (Northeastern), and Michael Elko (Richmond). A costly error on a stolen base attempt allowed two more runs to cross, stretching the lead to 9-3.

Vermont got a run back in the seventh on a Daniel RBI groundout, but the Blue Sox capped the night with three more in the ninth. Walsh walked and scored on a Wyatt Hunt (Monmouth) single, while Reese Kozar (Niagara) added another RBI with a groundout.

Riley Williams (Mt St Mary's) earned the win in relief with three solid innings, allowing just one run. Andrew Jergins (Georgetown) worked a scoreless ninth to close things out. Bryce Gluckman (Stetson) took the loss for Vermont.

The Blue Sox return home Monday to face the Mystic Schooners, while Vermont looks to rebound on the road against Keene.

Box Score

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The New England Collegiate Baseball League is a wooden bat college summer league that fields teams in all six New England states. Partially funded by Major League Baseball, the New England League started play in 1994 and has sent over 230 alumni to the Major Leagues with nearly 30 alumni taken in the first round of the MLB Draft. For continuing coverage of the NECBL, visit NECBL.com and follow the league on Twitter, Instagram and on Facebook.