Six games, 12 teams, and an exciting Friday night was upon us as the All-Star Game is just a few games away. Fireworks were in Keene as the SwampBats slugged their way to victory over Danbury. Sanford’s pitching shined in their win over North Adams. Vermont’s five run first inning propelled them over North Shore. Bristol’s all around performance saw them win their fourth straight. Mystic and Martha’s Vineyard each score 11 runs in their wins over Newport and Valley.

North Division

Danbury Westerners vs. Keene Swamp Bats

Final Score: Westerners 6, Keene 7

Keene, NH – The Keene SwampBats defeated the Danbury Westerners 7-6, in a game that turned into a Home Run Derby preview that saw six total balls go over the fence.

The Westerners were the first to get on the board, scoring in the top of the first inning. Diego Urreta (Fairleigh Dickinson) sent a ball flying over the outfield wall for a solo home run. 

Keene was quick to respond and take the lead for themselves. Michael O’Brien (Arkansas Little Rock) matched Urreta with a home run for himself, driving in three runs in the process. The SwampBats added to their lead in the bottom of the third. Michael O’Brien  added another home run to his stat sheet including two more RBIs, bringing the score 5-1. 

The Westerners were then able to claw their way back, one upping O’Brien and the Swamp Bats, as Peter Link (Sacred Heart) smashed the ball over the fence to drive in the three runs needed to cut the game to 5-4 heading into the later half of the game and added another home run to the frenzy, exciting the fans who brought their gloves. 

Gavin Donohue (Sacred Heart) did not want to be left out of the Home run derby practice, as she sent a ball soaring majestically into the grand stands, tying the ball game with a solo home run. 

The Swamp Bats’ Ripken Reese (Kent State), who is set to appear in the NECBL Home run Derby on Sunday, wanted some early practice and chose his spot, adding a two run home run, bringing the lead to 7-5.

Danbury was able to cut the lead to one in the top of the ninth as Gavin Donohue  scored on an error made by the Keene second baseman. However, it wasn’t enough as Keen secured the victory on groundout.

Keene Pitcher, John Malone (Samford), was credited with the win while his fellow SwampBat Nate Bassett (Virginia) was issued a save on the season. The Westerner’s ace, Drew Oppenheim (George Washington), was given a loss on the season.

The Keene Swamp Bats return to action Saturday night as they travel south to face the North Shore Navigators in Lynn, Massachusetts. The Danbury Westerners return to Connecticut as they get set to host the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks. 

Box Score

North Adams SteepleCats vs. Sanford Mainers 

Final Score: Sanford 2, North Adams 0

Sanford, ME -- The Mainers hosted the SteepleCats for a one-sided, close fight between both teams. The game could be described as a pitcher’s duel as both teams’ staff allowed no runs until the fourth inning. However, Mainers SP Joshua Kopetski (Rhode Island) and SteepleCats starter Jake Foster (Rhode Island Col) each collected three strikeouts, with Kopetski not allowing any runs. 

The Mainers got to work in the bottom of the fourth when Domenico Tozzi (Coastal Carolina) hit an RBI double, driving in Brennan Hudson (Georgia) to put Sanford up 1-0 to the pleasure of the home fans. 

That was all the Mainers could muster until the bottom of the eighth, when Kyle Douin (Southern Maine) drove in Luke Jenkins (North Carolina-Greensboro) to increase the lead to 2-0. That would be all Sanford would need, as they’d take home the win easily. 

Sanford improves to a positive 18-17 on the season, holding the number two spot in the North Division while North Adams falls a win short of an even record at 16-17. 

You can view the box score here 

North Shore Navigators vs. Vermont Mountaineers

Final Score: Vermont 7, North Shore 4

Montpelier, VT – After losing 11 of the last 12, including three to North Shore, the Vermont Mountaineers got a much-needed spirit-lifting win, defeating the Navigators 7-4 this Friday night.

Vermont clearly had had enough of the cold streak, coming out hot with five runs in the first. Admittedly, it wasn’t pretty. With three errors, a hit by pitch, and a wild pitch, the Navigators certainly aided the big inning. But the Mountaineers didn’t care; it was a relieving moment for a team that scored just three combined runs in their last three games. Jaylen Hernandez (Winthrop) and Sam Gates (George Washington) stole home in the inning, while Cristian Reyna (Messiah) drove in a run with a single.

North Shore got on the board in the fourth, as power-hitter Jaydon Aukai Kea (Vanderbilt) blasted a double to right, scoring Nater Wachter (UConn). Vermont quickly reextended the lead to five, though, as Dominic Camera’s (Fairfield) RBI single in the bottom of the frame made it 6-1, Mountaineers. 

The Navigators tightened up the defense and held the Mountaineers to just one more run in the sixth on a Joey Pagano (St. Joseph’s) RBI single. Down 7-1 in the seventh, North Shore scored two more runs on a wild pitch and passed ball, followed by another in the eighth on a hit by pitch. The Navigators couldn’t complete the comeback, though, as Vermont closer Logan Magdits (Farleigh Dickinson) sat down the Navigators 1-2-3 to earn himself the save. Jerek Hobb (Gardner-Webb) picked up the win, while Colin Dowdle (Holy Cross) was issued the loss for North Shore. 

Vermont and North Shore still sit at the bottom of the North Division with 12-24 and 14-19 records, respectively. Yet, with only two teams in the division having winning records, the battle for the four playoff spots is still wide open. 

The Mountaineers get the win they were looking for, and head to North Adams tomorrow to take on the SteepleCats at 6:30 pm. North Shore hosts the Keene SwampBats tomorrow at 5:05 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.