Martha’s Vineyard Sharks vs Sanford Mainers (Game One)

Final Score: Sharks 8, Mainers 7

 

Oak Bluffs, MA – The Martha’s Vineyard Sharks defeated the Sanford Mainers 8-7 in game one of the makeup doubleheader. Sanford and Vineyard battled all game long, but a walk-off win for Martha’s Vineyard sent the fans home happy with at least a split guaranteed for the two-game day.

 

Sanford opened up the gates right away, scoring in the top of the first, and who other than Brendan Sencaj (Bentley), who ripped a lead-off home run for the Mainers and made it 1-0. In the bottom of the inning, Gio Colasante (Harvard) responded for the Sharks with his own solo shot to tie things up at 1-1.

 

In the top of the fourth, Trey King (Georgia) gave Sanford the lead. His two-RBI double made it 3-1, but similar to the first inning, Vineyard struck right back in the bottom of the inning. Brady Krzciok (Central Michigan) scored Evan Appelwick (Miami) via an RBI double, and Harley Goodner (Duke) put the ball in play to plate Ryder Dykstra (USC) and make it 3-3.

Sanford scored another run in the top of the fifth off the bat of Luke Jenkins (North Carolina Greensboro) whose RBI single scored Jack Toomey (Boston College). The Sharks responded with one run in the bottom of the sixth off a wild pitch that scored Jackson Miller (Ole Miss). In the seventh, Max Kaufer (South Carolina) cleared the bases for Vineyard with a double and pushed the Sharks’ lead to 7-4.

 

Sanford responded with three runs in the top of the eighth on RBI hits from Domenico Tozzi (Coastal Carolina), Toomey and a sac-fly from Brennan Hudson (Georgia) to tie things up at 7-7. Martha’s Vineyard got the last laugh, though, as two errors from Sanford in the ninth allowed for Dominic Moats (Maryland) to score the winning run.

 

Rohan Lettow (Arizona St) got the win for Martha’s Vineyard while Drew Smith took home the loss for Sanford. The Mainers and Sharks will play another game later today, with the Mainers playing as the home team.

 

Box Score

 

Danbury Westerners vs Mystic Schooners

Final Score: Westerner 4, Schooners 10

 

Mystic, CT – The Mystic Schooners defended their home field Wednesday night as they toppled the Westerners 10-4 behind a 13-hit performance, including a huge fourth inning. 

 

The Westerners leapt out to an early lead in the top of the first. Will Cook (Sacred Heart) drove in a run with a ground ball that found a gap in the infield. This was followed by an Aidan Paradine (Siena) single and was able to drive in another run. 

 

The Schooners took the lead and ran away with the game in the bottom of the fourth. Jake Kernodle (Princeton) singled to drive the first run while James Harley (Stetson) launched a ball to the wall for an RBi triple, bringing the lead to 2-2. Later in the inning, Anthony Belisario (UConn) singled to drive in yet another run. The inning was capped off by a Maddix Dalena (UConn) single to bring the score to 4-2. Mystic continued to add to their lead in the bottom of the fifth inning. Eric Cha (Northeastern) scored to start off the inning, followed by another Jake Kernodle  RBI single and a Belisario RBI double. 

 

The Westerners clawed back two runs in the top of the eighth inning. Aidan Paradine  (Siena) added another two RBIs to his stat sheet as he launched a ball over the outfield wall for a two-run home run. However, the Schooners soon pulled farther ahead, adding another three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning with a Davis Johnson (Notre Dame) solo home run, a Michael Torres (Miami) RBI single, and another Kernodle RBI hit. 

 

Trevor Geddes (Xavier) was given the win for the Schooners. Jacob Hines (Central Connecticut State) was issued a loss on the season. 

 

The Schooners are back in action as they head north to face the Keene SwampBats Thursday night. The Westerners get set for a double header against the Valley Blue Sox Thursday night. 

 

Box Score

 

Valley Blue Sox vs. Bristol Blues 

Final Score: Bristol 9, Valley 4

 

Bristol, CT – The Blues hosted the Blue Sox for a humid summer matchup that had home fans leaving Muzzy Field ecstatic after the win. Trevor Hansen (Manhattan) got things started for the Blues with an RBI single, quickly putting them up 1-0 in the bottom of the third. Joey DiMucci (Penn State) followed with an RBI single, and Alex Irizzary (Quinnipiac) scored on a wild pitch, giving Bristol a comfortable 3-0 lead going into the fourth. 

 

The top of the fourth is when Valley fought back. Andrew Loikits (Wofford) got the rally started with an RBI double, putting the Sox on the board with a 3-1 score. Kai Cunningham (Santa Clara) kept things going with an RBI single, and Hayden Perry (Samford) blasted a two-run homer out of sight to cap off the rally and give Valley the lead at 4-3. 

 

Bristol wasn’t having any of that, as they struck right back in the bottom of the inning. Tommy Ahlers (Keene St) hit a sac fly, scoring CJ Egrie (Holy Cross) to tie the game at 4-4. Nate Lincoln (Marist) then scored on a balk, giving Bristol the lead at 5-4. Gianno Merlonghi (Central Conn) added to the damage when he scored on a pickoff attempt to firs,t making the score 6-4. 

 

The next inning, Tommy Ahlers (Keene St) added an insurance run with a sac fly to up the score to 7-4, Blues. Bristol wasn’t done yet, as in the bottom of the seventh, Gianno Merlonghi (Central Conn) hit a sac fly, and Nate Lincoln (Marist) scored on another balk, giving the Blues a very cozy 9-4 lead. 

 

That was all Bristol would need, as they’d easily take the win. The Blues improved to 22-12, holding the number one spot in the South Division. The Blue Sox fall to 14-17, sitting at number five in the South. 

 

You can view the box score here 

 

Ocean State Waves vs. Newport Gulls

Final Score: Newport 8, Ocean State 7

 

Newport, RI – After losing four of their last five, the Newport Gulls bounced back and defeated South Division rival Ocean State 8-7 in a back-and-forth match.

 

The Waves got the scoring started in the top of the third with an RBI double from Kolton Reynolds (Arkansas). Tommy Meluskey (New Mexico St) then scored to make it 2-0, before an RBI single from Newport’s Colby Wallace (East Carolina) in the bottom of the frame cut the lead in half.

 

A run was scored in each of the next three innings by both squads, making sure no lead was safe. With one run each in the fourth, Ocean State scored another in the fifth to lead 4-2, but Newport stormed back with a four-spot in the bottom of the inning. Wallace doubled, scoring one, while Randy Seymour’s (Michigan St) single, aided by an error, scored two. Will Fosburg (Northeastern) capped off the inning with an RBI single, putting the Gulls in front, 6-4.

 

Ocean State responded with a big inning of its own, scoring three in the top of the sixth. Greg Pettay (South Alabama) had an RBI single, while Brandon DeGoti (Miami) was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded. Ryan Gerety (Northeastern) earned the final RBI with a sacrifice fly. 

 

With the score now 7-6 in favor of the Waves, Newport needed a response and got one right away from none other than Michael Gupton (Memphis). Gupton continued his magnificent summer with a solo shot, his fourth of the season, to tie the game at seven.

 

After going back and forth for almost the game’s entirety, it wasn’t Ocean State who scored next. Rather, it was Kyle Branch (Oklahoma) coming home on a wild pitch for the Gulls in the eighth inning, in what would be enough to seal a resilient 8-7 victory.

 

Marcel Kulik (Virginia Tech) earned the win for the Gulls, going 1.2 hitless innings in relief. Cole Fehrman (West Virginia) was issued the loss, despite throwing a hitless inning with two strikeouts.

 

The Waves fall to 15-17 and are back in action tomorrow as they host the Sanford Mainers for a 6:30 pm contest, while the Gulls improve to 21-13 and get the day off before travelling to the Mystic Schooners on Friday. 

 

Box Score

 

 

 

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&a