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.

South Division

Newport Gulls vs. Mystic Schooners 

Final Score: Mystic 11, Newport 2

Mystic, CT- The Schooners put up quite the performance on offense, upsetting the number two spot Gulls to give home fans an exciting win to experience. Mystic got right to work in the bottom of the first when Davis Johnson (Notre Dame) hit a sac fly, putting the Schooners up 1-0. The next inning, AJ Ashettino (Northeastern) would add another run to the lead when he scored on a wild pitch to put Mystic up 2-0. 

In the bottom of the fourth, Mystic would load up the bases for Maddix Dalena (UConn) and he delivered, driving in all three baserunners to give the Schooners a commanding 5-0 lead. Unfortunately, Dalena would be thrown out trying for third base after an error by the centerfielder allowed him to take first and second, but not third. Despite the baserunning mishap, three more runs had crossed the plate for Mystic thanks to Dalena. 

In the top of the fifth, Newport Gulls All-Star Matt Bolton (Binghamton) would not let his team go down silently, as he roped a triple deep into the outfield to plate two and decrease the Schooner lead to 5-2. 

In the bottom of the inning however, Mystic had other plans. AJ Ashettino (Northeastern) would continue to do his thing and score on a wild pitch for the second time in this game, putting Mystic up 6-1. Michael Torres (UMiami) would then start the walk parade, drawing a walk to drive in another run for Mystic. David Mendez (Vanderbilt) and Maddix Dalena (UConn) were also participants in the walk parade, each drawing walks and driving in a run to give the Schooners a 9-2 lead by the end of the parade. Davis Johnson (Notre Dame) would pull through again, driving in two more runs on a single to give Mystic a massive lead at 11-2. 

That was all Mystic needed, as Nick Coniglio (Northeastern) and Thrasher Steed (Stetson) held things together, combining for six of the ten Schooner strikeouts and allowing no runs over the last four innings. 

You can view the box score here 

Martha’s Vineyard Sharks vs Valley Blue Sox

Final Score: Sharks 11, Blue Sox 4

Oak Bluffs, MA – The Martha’s Vineyard Sharks defeated the Valley Blue Sox on Friday night by a score of 11-4. The Sharks scored runs in five straight innings to push their record to 21-15, meanwhile the Blue Sox dropped to 15-19 with the loss.

After two outs to start the game for Valley, Sean Darnell (Troy) and Nicholas Spaventa (UPenn) both singled to give Andrew Loikits (Wofford) an opportunity to cause damage. Loikits cashed in an RBI single that scored Darnell and made it 1-0. The Sharks got on the board in the bottom of the second when Brayden Martin (Maryland) hit into a fielder’s choice, scoring Jackson Miller (Ole Miss) from third. The next batter, Will Hampton(Vanderbilt), ripped an RBI double, scoring Martin from second, and made it 2-1.

Martha’s Vineyard didn’t stop there, as in the third the Sharks added on three runs. Back-to-back walks from Brady Krzciok and Gio Colsante (Harvard) set William Lybrook (Harvard) up, and he delivered an RBI single. Later in the inning, Hunter High (Tennessee) hit a sac-fly to score Colsante, and Martin added on another RBI to his total, a single that scored Lybrook and suddenly it was 5-1, Sharks.

In the fourth, Martha’s Vineyard poured on four more runs. Miller got the scoring going with a bases loaded walk. After a strikeout, High took ball four to drive in another run, and Martin did the same. Hampton followed that up with an RBI single to push the lead to 9-1 and that proved to be enough for Martha’s Vineyard. 

Valley ended up scoring two runs in the fifth and one in the seventh. A Darnell RBI single scored Isaac Wachsmann (Creighton) from second, and Darnell would later cross the plate on an error by the catcher in the fifth. In the seventh, Darnell added to his excellent day with a home run, finishing the day 4-for-4 with three runs scored, one RBI, and a stolen base.

The Sharks added a run in the fifth and sixth, as Lybrook hit his second home run of the season in the fifth, and Martin got his fourth RBI on a sac-fly. Chayce Kieck (Clemson) got the win for Martha’s Vineyard as he tossed five innings of three run-ball (one earned). Riley Williams (Mt St Mary's) got the loss for Valley, allowing five runs (three earned) in 2.1 innings.

Martha’s Vineyard travels to take on the Danbury Westerners Saturday evening, the same time the Blue Sox host the Sanford Mainers.

Box Score

Bristol Blues vs Ocean State Waves

Final Score: Bristol 6, Ocean State 3

South Kingstown, RI – There’s simply no stopping the Bristol Blues right now, as they have won their fourth in a row and improve to 23-12 with a 6-3 win over the Ocean State Waves.

Ocean State jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first on a Gavin Greger (Bryant) double that moved Ryan Gerety (Northeastern) to third, who would later score on a wild pitch. Bristol tied the game right back up with a Nate Lincoln (Marist) RBI single in the second, one of three hits for him on the day. 

Trevor Hansen (Manhattan) grabbed the lead for the Blues in the third, blasting a two-run home run to mark his sixth blast of the season. Bristol added two more in the fourth on RBIs from Lincoln and Thomas Ahlers (Keene St). 

After failing to record a hit since the opening frame, Ocean State’s Brandyn Durand (Bryant) knocked a single in the fifth, followed by a Liam Flynn (Nichols) triple. Flynn would then score on a passed ball, cutting the Bristol lead in half. 

Bristol responded in the sixth with another RBI from Lincoln, which would prove enough for the 6-3 victory. Jackson Kossow (Iona) earned the win for the Blues, while John D Mitchell (Boston College) was issued the loss for Ocean State.

With the win, Bristol now sits two games ahead of Newport for first place in the South Division. They host the Upper Valley Nighthawks for a 6:30 pm contest, while the Waves lose their fourth in a row and look to turn things around against the Mystic Schooners at 5:00 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.