HARTFORD, VT - After two wins over Sanford and Mystic, the Keene SwampBats hit the road to take on the Upper Valley Nighthawks for the first time since the third week of June. They took care of business, coming away with an all around dominant victory over the Nighthawks, with a final score of 9-2. The Bats didn’t squander many chances early on, as they jumped out to an 8-0 lead after the top of the fifth, and never looked back.

RHP Ben Rabatin (Kent State) continued his brilliant year on the mound, reaching a new single game high in strikeouts with eight in his five innings of work, while only giving out two free passes on walks, and allowing two hits. LF Michael O’Brien (Little Rock) got the hit parade started in the second with his team-leading third triple of the season, and scored on a 1B Chandler Tuupo (Charleston Southern) single. 

The third inning brought more success, with a total of four runs scoring on hits from 2B Ty Mainolfi (Boston College), RF Jack Herring (ECU), 3B Nick Romano (FAU), and a sacrifice fly from DH Ryan Jaros (Rutgers), bringing the lead to five. The Bats would add on two more in the fourth, and one in the fifth, before slowing down offensively. 

Pitching played a massive part in the win, as aside from Rabatin’s phenomenal start, Keene only used two arms out of the bullpen for the second night in a row. RHP Anthony Cordero (Jacksonville) allowed the only two Upper Valley runs of the game while fanning two, and RHP Max Weber (Felician) earned his first win of the summer from striking out four Nighthawk batters in two innings of work. As a group, the Bats pitchers held the Nighthawks to only four hits.

Ty Mainolfi’s season at the plate continues to impress, as with a 3-for-6 effort, his average is up to .405, being the only player in the league to be above .360 in the metric. He also slots in at 6th in the New England League in RBI, with 21.

The SwampBats improve their hold on the North division to six and a half games, while leading the league with a record of 22-10. Keene is back in action on Tuesday, July 15th, when they will host the North Adams SteepleCats at Alumni Field. First pitch is set for 6:35 PM, and the game will be streamed on ESPN+.