Five games were played between eight teams on Sunday night, exactly one week from the All-Star break. Vermont and Upper Valley split their doubleheader, while an excellent pitching performance in North Adams powered the Steeplecats over the Navigators. The Blues fought off a Schooners comeback to stay within .5 games of Newport in the South Division, and Sanford’s pitching allowed just 4 hits in their win over Vermont.

South Division

Bristol Blues vs Mystic Schooners

Final Score: Blues 9, Schooners 8

Bristol, CT – The Bristol Blues defended Muzzy Field on Sunday evening against the Mystic Schooners in a tightly contested game. The Blues scored six runs in the third inning and held off a late Schooners rally to win it 9-8.

Bristol got the scoring going in the third inning, when they put up a six-spot in the run column. The Blues took turns getting hits with runners in scoring position, with Thomas Ahlers (Keene St), Dean O’Neill (UMaine), Trevor Hansen (Manhattan), and Shanley Wall (East Stroudsburg) all collecting RBI singles in the inning. Luke Nomura (Fairfield) also grabbed an RBI on a groundout during the frame, and Bristol was not done there.

In the fourth, the Blues added another run off of Gianno Merlonghi’s (Central Connecticut St) RBI groundout that scored Ahlers and made it 7-0. The Schooners responded with a run in both the fifth and sixth innings. In the fifth, the Schooners responded. Michael Torres (Miami) put the ball in play, and an error scored Davis Johnson (Notre Dame). Bristol made it 7-2 when Maddix Dalena (UConn) ripped a solo shot in the sixth.

In the bottom of the inning, Alex Irizarry (Quinnipiac) capitalized on a wild pitch to score another run for Bristol, which was followed up by Scott Gell (Stony Brook) ripping an RBI single to make it 9-2. Despite trailing by seven with only a couple of frames left, Mystic battled back, scoring six runs over the last three innings. 

In the seventh, Luke Holland (North Carolina Greensboro) ripped a two-RBI double to left field and eventually came around to score. In the ninth, David Mendez (Vanderbilt) followed the same blueprint with his own double that scored two. Mendez came around to score in the inning off of Dalena’s second extra base hit of the game, but Kyle Emmons (Penn St) was able to shut the door for Bristol, giving him a save and his team a 9-8 win.

James Pazdera (Ramapo College) got the win for the Blues, tossing six innings of two-run (one earned) ball. Robert Ogg (Rollins) took home the loss for Mystic as he allowed six runs in less than three innings. The Schooners look to rebound Monday when they travel to face the Newport Gulls. Meanwhile, Bristol will resume action on Tuesday when they visit the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks.

Box Score

Upper Valley Nighthawks vs. Martha’s Vineyard Sharks(Game One)

Final Score/7: Upper Valley 5, Martha’s Vineyard 4

Oak Bluffs, MA – Despite making the trek to Martha’s Vineyard, the Upper Valley Nighthawks acted as the home team in game one of the doubleheader, delivering a 5-4 walk-off win over the Sharks. 

The Sharks scored early, jumping out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first. Gio Colasante (Harvard) came home on a wild pitch, followed by a Brady Krzciok (Central Michigan) RBI single. 

Upper Valley responded with a pair of two-run home runs in the third and fourth innings, as Michael Trommer (Bucknell) and Nick Shuhet (Rider) went deep to give the Nighthawks the 4-2 lead. The Sharks had a two-run home run themselves, as a Jackson Miller (Ole Miss) blast in the top of the sixth tied the game at four.

With the ending coming quicker due to doubleheader rules, the Nighthawks came up in the bottom of the seventh with a chance to walk it off. Trommer delivered his second hit of the day and later scored on an error off a ball put in play by Nick Monile (North Florida). 

Mateo Wells (High Point) earned the win for the Nighthawks, going 1.1 innings in relief, striking out three. Nash Villegas (Texas Tyler) was issued his first loss of the season for the Sharks. 

Martha’s Vineyard will be the home team for game two of the doubleheader. 

Box Score

Martha’s Vineyard Sharks vs Upper Valley Nighthawks(Game Two)

Final Score/8: Martha’s Vineyard 7, Upper Valley 6

Oak Bluffs, MA – After dropping game one on a walk-off, the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks responded with a walk-off of their own in game two, defeating the Upper Valley Nighthawks 7-6 in eight innings.

The Sharks fell behind early, giving up two runs in the first and three in the second. Ryan Preisano (Wake Forest) ripped a two-RBI single for the Nighthawks, while Michael Trommer (Bucknell) hit his second homer of the day. 

The Sharks responded in the bottom of the second on a Landon Scilley (Liberty) RBI. A big four-run inning in the fourth tied the game at five, as RBIs from Scilley, Max Kaufer (South Carolina), and Brayden Martin (Maryland) highlighted the big inning. 

Upper Valley jumped back in front in the eighth with a run, but with their backs against the wall, the Sharks scored two in the bottom of the frame, handing the Nighthawks their 16th loss of the season as they drop to 14-16.

With the win, the Sharks improve to 19-13 and get the day off tomorrow before they host the Bristol Blues on Tuesday. The Nighthawks also get a day off tomorrow, hosting the Sanford Mainers on Tuesday

The Box Score is here

--

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.