NORWICH — The Mystic Schooners finished their three-game home stand at Dodd Stadium, hosting divisional opponent Martha’s Vineyard. Behind a stellar day from its pitching staff, the Schooners defeated the Sharks 4-0 Thursday afternoon. 

It is the first shutout win of the season for Mystic and the first for the team since July 30, 2021 in a 14-0 win against Danbury. 

Jonathan Gonzalez (Stetson University) provided the Schooners with a strong start on the mound, going a season-high seven scoreless innings of work. The Miami, Florida southpaw would only allow four hits while striking out six batters. 

The Schooners helped out their starting pitcher with two great defensive double plays from Joseph Jaconski (University of North Carolina Chapel Hill) to eliminate any threat from the Sharks. 

Mystic utilized the small ball in the second inning with back-to-back singles from Kevin Ferrer (University of Connecticut) and Logan Allen (Bryant University). Both would then advance to third and second base respectively on a wild pitch before Troy McGirt (Wake Forest University) brought Ferrer home on a fielder’s choice.

The Schooners added on in the third with a walk to Stanton Leuthner (Stony Brook University) and then a single from Eddie Micheletti (George Washington University). Ferrer delivered a single up the middle into centerfield, scoring Leuthner and Micheletti to make it 3-0. 

In the sixth inning, Mystic added on an insurance run when Allen scored from third on a wild pitch. He would finish the afternoon 1-for-2 with a run and a walk. 

Jimmy Chatfield (Yale University) and Connor Harris (George Washington University) extended each of their scoreless streaks on the mound. Chatfield, who was two pitches away from an immaculate inning) struck out the side in the eighth while Harris struck out one in the ninth. 

Mystic will look to extend its winning streak on Friday at 6:00 pm against Upper Valley in Vermont. 

Game Notes: 

• Ferrer went 2-for-4 on the afternoon, extending his hitting streak to two games. 
• Through his first two appearances on the mound this summer, Chatfield has struck out six of the seven batters that he has faced. 
• Tucker Flint (University of North Carolina Greensboro) continued his success at the plate with a 2-for-3 afternoon and a walk. 
• In his seven innings of work, Gonzalez threw 55 strikes out of his 74 pitches. 
• Amongst all NECBL pitching staffs, the Schooners rank third in the league in ERA (2.97) behind Vermont and Bristol. 

UP NEXT: Mystic (6-5) will travel to Upper Valley (6-7) tomorrow, June 24, at 6:00 p.m. at Maxfield Sports Complex. The game will be streamed on the NECBL Broadcast Network, with live stats and streaming information available on schoonersbaseball.com. 

Keep up with the Mystic Schooners baseball team through social media by following on Twitter (@mysticschooners), Instagram (@mysticbaseball, TikTok (@schoonersbaseball), and  `liking' on Facebook (/MysticBaseball).