WHITE RIVER JUNCTION, Vt. (July 17, 2025) 一 The North Shore Navigators hit the road to pick up their third consecutive win on Thursday night, defeating the host Upper Valley Nighthawks 5-2 in the first game of a scheduled New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) doubleheader at Maxfield Sports Complex.

North Shore improved to 14-18 on the season with the victory, moving within a half-game of 13-18 Upper Valley for the fourth and final playoff spot in the North Division. 

The second game of the twinbill was suspended with Upper Valley leading 9-4 in the top of the fifth inning and will be resumed at a later date. The final meeting between the teams is scheduled for next Friday at Fraser Field.

Third baseman Davis Baker (Penn) and catcher Aukai Kea (Vanderbilt) powered the North Shore offense with matching 3-for-4 performances. Baker tripled, drove in two runs and scored two more, while Kea added an RBI of his own.

After leaving the bases loaded in the second inning, the Navs grabbed a 2-0 lead in support of right-hander Cole Yennaco (Merrimack) who was making his first start of the summer on the board. 

In the second, center fielder Sam Parks (Stonehill) drew a leadoff walk and quickly scored the opening run after Baker crushed his first triple of the season to the deep center-field wall. Kea upped the lead to 2-0 two batters later, blooping a double that got past diving Upper Valley right fielder Cole Fellows (Columbia). 

The hosts made it a one-run game in the bottom half as a single, passed ball and grounder set up an RBI opportunity for NECBL All-Star second baseman Anthony Brotz (Marist). Yennaco then stranded two baserunners with an inning-ending strikeout.

North Shore wasted little time extending its lead again, adding a pair of fourth-inning runs to chase Upper Valley starter Drew Koenen (Virginia) in the midst. After left fielder Jesse Jaconski (Penn State) led off with a walk and second baseman Simmi Whitehill (Monmouth) sacrificed him into scoring position, shortstop Jack Rickheim (Harvard) singled to right to put runners on second and third.

After Matthew Direnzo (Worcester State) entered in relief, Parks hit a sacrifice fly to left and Baker continued his strong night with a two-out, line-drive single to right to plate the North Shore insurance runs.

Upper Valley closed back the deficit on shortstop Joe Terranova’s (Southeast Missouri State) sacrifice fly RBI in the last of the fourth, but Yennaco retired the side when Parks made a catch to take a hit away from Brotz in the right-center gap.

North Shore’s final run scoring came in the seventh, with Baker’s leadoff single setting the tone for the inning and reaching third on Kea’s single. Center fielder Nater Wachter (UConn) produced the final RBI on a sacrifice fly to left.

Yennaco pitched four innings of two-run ball and struck out three to earn his first win. Sean Zaslaw (Bryant) took care of the rest in another outstanding relief appearance, allowing just two hits and fanning four across the final three innings. It was a season-long outing for Zaslaw, who earned his first save and remained unscored upon through 12.2 innings on the summer.

In the halted nightcap, North Shore took a 2-0 lead on back-to-back extra-base hits by left fielder Alec Welshans (La Salle) and designated hitter Marc Willi (UMass). After the hosts rallied to score four runs in their first at-bats, the Navs tied the game with a two-run second which included second baseman Conor Moriarty’s (Bowdoin) first RBI of the summer on a single to right. 

Upper Valley broke the game open with a five-run second. The rains came after four complete innings, with relief pitcher Colin Dowdle (Holy Cross) inducing a double play ball by Fellows prior to suspension.

The Navs return to the Green Mountain State for a Friday night matchup with the Vermont Mountaineers at Montpelier Recreation Field. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. in the state’s capital city.