A busy seven game slate gave fans some great competition on Tuesday night in the NECBL. North Shore swept their doubleheader against Vermont. The bats came alive  for Upper Valley with an 11-run performance against Sanford. North Adams scored early and held off Keene for the win. Valley and Danbury both had great pitching performances that powered them over Newport and Ocean State. Bristol exploded for 14 runs against Martha’s Vineyard.

North Division

Vermont Mountaineers vs North Shore Navigators- Game One

Final Score/7: Vermont 1, North Shore 2 

Lynn, MA – The North Shore Navigators took the first game of the doubleheader against the Vermont Mountaineers, defeating them 1-2 in a close fought battle that saw both teams’ defense take control, allowing a total of nine hits from both teams.

It was the Navigators who scored early in the bottom of the second. Nater Wachter (UConn) lined the ball to center field, causing an error, and allowing for a run to score. 

Vermont was able to tie the game up in the top of the sixth after five scoreless innings by the Navigators. Joe Pagano (St Joseph’s) struck a ball to right field, driving home the tying run, and reaching second base in the process. However, the tie did not last long as the Navigators’ Alex Marot (Charleston Southern) launched a ball over the outfield wall for a solo home run to close out the shortened game. 

The Navigators starter Trey Yesu (Bridgewater State) who was given the win while his fellow gator Ryan Griffin (Northeastern) was credited with the save. The Mountaineers pitcher Thomas Rosario (Florida Southern) was issued a loss on the season.

Game Two of the double header was scheduled to start at 6:00 pm.

See Game One Box Score here

Vermont Mountaineers vs North Shore Navigators- Game Two

Final Score: Vermont 0, North Shore 2

Lynn, MA – The Navigators of the North Shore completed the sweep of the Vermont Mountaineers by taking game two of the double header, 2-0, behind an eighth strikeout shutout performance by the Navigators pitching staff.

The Navigators were able to get on the board early with an Alex Marot (Charleston Southern) single to left field, driving in Sam Parks (Stonehill College) for the first run. North Shore then added to their lead in the very next inning as Davis Baker (UPenn) scored on an error made by the shortstop. 

Both teams traded scoreless innings following the second as the Navigators defense shutout the Mountaineers.

The Navigators’ Zach Kittrell (Alabama Southern) was credited with the win and Pierce Friedman (Maine Orono) was given the save. The Mountaineers pitcher, Luke Deschenes (Seton Hill), was given a loss. 

The Navigators return to action Thursday night with a doubleheader against the Upper Valley Nighthawks. The Vermont Mountaineers return the diamond Wednesday night against the Keen SwampBats. 

See Game Two Box Score Here

North Adams SteepleCats vs. Keene SwampBats 

Final Score: North Adams 8, Keene 5

Keene, NH- The SwampBats hosted the SteepleCats for a matchup full of home runs, where the away team was in command. In the top of the first, Robert Stang (Dayton) got things started with a BANG when he hit a three-run home run to put the SteepleCats up 3-0 on the road.In the bottom of the first, Jack Herring (East Carolina) clapped right back when he hit a solo home run, putting the SwampBats down by two at 3-1. 

In the top of the third, Corey Robinson (C of Central Florida) scored on a wild pitch, adding another run to increase the Cats’ lead to 4-1. In the bottom of the third, Marshall Lipsey (Florida Atlantic) responded right back with a solo home run, once more putting Keene down by two at 4-2.

In the top of the fourth inning, Nelphie Lopez (Stetson) hit a solo home run, refusing to let the SwampBats creep back and put North Adams up 5-2. In the bottom of the fourth, Nick Romano (Florida Atlantic) answered to Lopez, hitting a solo home run of his own to put the SwampBats down by two at 5-3.

In the top of the fifth inning, Max Palinski (Wabash Valley) reached first on a fielder's choice, scoring Gabriel Natividad (Winthrop) to make the score 6-3. Michael Toth (UMass Amherst) followed by hitting an RBI single, scoring Palinski and making the score 7-3 North Adams. In the bottom of the inning, Ty Mainolfi (Boston College) hit an RBI double which was followed by a Ripken Reese (Kent State) single that scored Mainolfi to put Keene down by two, at 7-5.

In the top of the eighth inning, Nelphie Lopez (Stetson) put the game away for North Adams when he hit an RBI single, adding an insurance run to make the score 8-5.

North Adams improves to 15-16, while Keene remains at the top of the North Division, and the NECBL, at 22-11.  

You can view the box score here

Sanford Mainers vs Upper Valley Nighthawks

Final Score: Upper Valley 11, Sanford 4

Hartford, VT – The Upper Valley Nighthawks defeated the Sanford Mainers 11-4 behind a 13-strikeout performance from the pitching staff and a 13-hit game from the offense. 

After a scoreless first two innings, the Nighthawks got on the board in the third with a monster five-run inning. Nick Shuhet (Rider) kicked off the scoring with a two-RBI single, before RBIs from Jake Elbeery (Minnesota), Michael Trommer (Bucknell), and Cameron Boardman (Hartford) extended the Upper Valley lead.

Sanford’s Kyle Douin (Southern Maine) responded with a triple in the fourth, scoring two, and later came home on a Peter Keblinsky (Southern Maine) RBI to bring the score to 5-3. Upper Valley extended its lead right away with a Cole Fellows RBI, but Sanford restored the two-run deficit with a Brendan Sencaj (Bentley) double in the fifth. 

That was all the Mainers would get in this one, as Upper Valley scored two in the bottom of the fifth, one in the sixth, and two more in the seventh to lead comfortably and take this one, 11-4.

Eight of the nine Upper Valley starters recorded a hit, with the lone player left out being Trommer, who had the RBI earlier in the game. The balanced offensive performance was aided by a tremendous pitching staff, which saw Tadan Bell (Coastal Carolina) get the win after three innings of shutout baseball, striking out six in the process.

Both Sanford and Upper Valley sit at 15-16 in a tight North Division race. The Mainers take on the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks tomorrow afternoon at 4:00, while the Nighthawks travel to North Adams to face the SteepleCats tomorrow at 6:30 pm.  

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.