Martha Vineyard Sharks vs. Danbury Westerners - Game One

Final Score/8: Martha’s Vineyard 6, Danbury 8

Oak Bluffs, MA – The Danbury Westerners took the first game of the doubleheader, defeating the Sharks 8-6 in extra innings as the teams battled the whole game for the lead.

The Westerners started the scoring off in the very first inning, Peter Link (Sacred Heart) popped a ball in the air for a sacrifice fly.  Diego Urreta (Fairleigh Dickinson) scored following a pass ball. 

The Sharks tied the ball game in the bottom of the fourth inning, following two scoreless innings that saw both teams' defenses step up. The Sharks’ Blake Binderup (Texas A&M) singled to drive in a run, and then Evan Applewick (Miami) strutted home after  Max Kaufer (South Carolina Columbia) sent a ball for a sacrifice fly. 

Danbury grabbed the lead back at the top of the fifth. Gavin Donohue (Sacred Heart) singled to bring home a run.  Donohue came home after the fifth as a pass skipped past the Martha’s Vineyard catcher. However, the Sharks were quick to steal the lead back with a three-run bottom of the fifth inning.  Gio Colasante (Harvard) doubled to drive in two runs, and Binderup singled to drive in Colasante. 

The Westerners tied the game up in the top of the sixth with an Aidan Paradine (Siena) RBI single. 

The game stayed tied heading into the eighth and extra innings. The Westerners took the lead right away with a two-run moonshot by  Brice Estep (Coastal Carolina). The homerun was followed by Diego Ureta scoring to cap off the top of the inning.  

The Sharks scored in the bottom of the eighth, but it wasn’t enough as Danbury was able to get out of the first game with a win.

The Danbury pitcher JT Gunzy (Siena) was credited with the win while his counterpart, Andrew Abler (Harvard),  was issued a loss on the season.

Game Two was set to start at 7:30 pm

Game One Box Score here

Martha Vineyard Sharks vs. Danbury Westerners - Game Two

Final Score/7: Martha’s Vineyard 3, Danbury 2

The Martha’s Vineyard Sharks took the second game 3-2 over the Dnabury Westerners, splitting the night and walking the game off in the seventh inning.

The Sharks attacked early with Carter Bentley (Northeastern) singling to drive in two runs. The Westerners tied the ball game in the top of the fourth inning, starting the scoring with a Michael Stellrecht (Binghamton) RBI double, followed by a Garret Larsen (Yale) single to bring in a run.

The Sharks secured the victory in the bottom of the seventh inning as Ethan Puig (Miami) waddled to home plate and grounded a ball into the outfield for the walk-off single.

Martha’s Vineyard pitcher Nash Villegas (Texas Tyler) was issued a win on the season, while his counterpart Declan Wywoda (George Washington) was given the loss

The Sharks return to action Thursday as they host the Ocean State Waves, while Danbury returns to the diamond as they host the North Adams SteepleCats Thursday night.

See Game Two Box Score here

Newport Gulls vs. Bristol Blues 

Final Score: Bristol 6, Newport 1

Bristol, CT- The Blues hosted the Gulls for a mainly one-sided matchup in favor of the home team. In the bottom of the second, Nate Lincoln (Marist) kicked things off when he drove in a run on an error by the shortstop to make it 1-0 Blues early in the contest. In the bottom of the third, Dean O’Niell (UMaine-Orono) hit an RBI double, driving in two runs and adding to the lead to make it 3-0 Blues. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Nate Lincoln (Marist) scored on an error by the catcher to make the score 4-0, Blues. Bristol would continue to add to their lead in the bottom of the eighth when Mikael Peterson (Brown) scored on a wild pitch and Joey DiMucci (Penn State) hit a sac fly, making the score 6-0 Blues going into the ninth inning. 

Newport bats were silent until the top of the ninth, when Randy Seymour (Michigan State) drove in a run on a groundout to make the score 6-1, avoiding the shutout. That was all Newport could get done as Bristol took the win 6-1. 

Newport hosts the Blue Sox on Wednesday, July 9th at 6:35 pm, while Bristol takes a day off before heading to Holyoke to take on the Blue Sox as well, on Thursday, July 10th. 

You can view the box score here

Valley Blue Sox vs. Ocean State Waves 

Final Score: Valley 10, Ocean State 9

South Kingston, RI- The Waves hosted the Blue Sox for an incredible matchup that went into extra innings, with an offensive showout. The Blue Sox got to work right away, when Nick Spaventa (UPenn) hit a grand slam, quickly making the score 4-0 Valley In the top of the second, Michael Elko (Richmond) walked in a run, making it 5-0 Valley and adding to the lead. 

Ocean State struck in the bottom of the second, when Jack LaRose (UConn) advanced to second on an error, driving in a run to put the Waves on the board at 5-1. The next inning, Ryan Gerety (Northeastern) hit an RBI groundout, and Gavin Gregor (Bryant) hit an RBI double for a little rally, making the score 5-3. The next inning, Coen Niclai (Oregon) would add more with a solo home run, putting the Waves down by one at 5-4.

In the top of the fifth, Kai Cunningham (Santa Clara) drove in a run after being hit by a pitch, and Mike Lucarelli (Penn State) drove in two after reaching first on a fielder’s choice to give Valley a more comfortable lead at 8-4, In the bottom of the seventh, Gavin Gregor (Bryant) would answer back with an RBI single, helping the Waves cut the lead to 8-5. 

Ocean State would rally in the bottom of the eighth, beginning when Justin Hackett (Bryant) was hit by a pitch, and Brandon DeGoti (UMiami) hit an RBI single to put the Waves down 8-7 Ryan Gerety (Northeastern) came in clutch and walked in the game-tying run, to send the game into the ninth, tied at 8-8. 

Nothing would happen in the ninth, so the game would head to extras. In the top of the tenth, Sean Darnell (Troy) scored on a wild pitch to put the Blue Sox up at 9-8. 

The Waves answered right back in the bottom of the tenth, when Brandyn Durand (Bryant) hit a solo home run to tie the game at 9-9 and keep hope alive for the fans in South Kingston. 

In the eleventh inning, Valley would put the game away when Mike Lucarelli (Penn State) scored on a Nick Spaventa (UPenn) sac fly, and Jack Niedringhaus (Xavier) would keep the Waves’ bats silent in the bottom half to secure the 10-9 win on the road. 

Ocean State hosts the Schooners on Wednesday, July 9th at 6:30 pm, while the Blue Sox head to Newport to take on the Gulls at 6:35 pm.

You can view the box score here