South Division 

Ocean State Waves vs. Danbury Westerners

Final Score: Danbury 6, Ocean State 4

Danbury, CT- The Westerners hosted the Waves in front of a supportive home crowd, of which the energy helped translate into Danbury’s fifth win in a row. Coen Niclai (Oregon) would drive in the first run for Ocean State right away, hitting a sac fly to score Greg Pettay (South Alabama), putting the Waves up 1-0 for the first three innings of the game. 

In the bottom of the fourth, Teddy Cashman (Lafayette) hit a sac fly driving in Michael Iannazzo (Maryland) to tie up the game at one apiece. The next inning, Danbury would add on another pair of runs when Jack Lutte (Denison) blasted a two-run shot over the fence to give Danbury the lead, 3-1. The inning after that, Peter Link (Sacred Heart) would drive in yet another pair of runs for the Westerners on a single. Link would later come around to score by stealing home, capping off his massive inning by increasing the lead to 6-1. 

Danbury would get into a bit of trouble in the top of the seventh inning, when All-Star Greg Pettay (South Alabama) hit an RBI double to make the score 6-2. Pettay would later score on a wild pitch, cutting the lead in half at 6-3. Coen Niclai (Oregon) would then hit a monster blast over the left field fence to put the Waves down by just two at 6-4. 

That would be about all the Waves could muster, as Andrew Koshy (Maryland) came into the game for the Westerners and shut things down, allowing no runs while striking out three, including a game-winning strikeout to earn the save. 

With their fifth win in a row, Danbury improves to 18-19, while Ocean State falls to 16-25, holding the last spot in the South Division. 

You can view the box score here.

Newport Gulls vs. Bristol Blues 

Final Score: Newport 3, Bristol 2 

Bristol, CT- The Blues hosted the Gulls for a battle for the number one seed in the South Division that came down to the wire. Ryan Novak (Miami Ohio) got Newport on the board first, driving in Randy Seymour (Michigan State) on a single to put the Gulls up 1-0 in the top of the second. Bristol responded in the bottom of the fourth when Mikael Peterson (Brown) drove in Gianno Merloghi (Central Conn) on an error to tie up the game at one apiece. 

In the top of the sixth, Matt Ossenfort (Michigan) would give the lead back to Newport, driving in a run on a single to make it 2-1. The game would continue to go back and forth, as Gianno Merlonghi (Central Conn) laced a double deep into left center, driving in the tying run to make the score 2-2. 

With the game down to the wire, Adam Agresti (St Johns) would drive in the go-ahead run for Newport on a single, giving them the lead at 3-2 late in the contest. Aiden O’Connell (Vanderbilt) would close out the bottom of the ninth, striking out the side to give the Gulls the number one spot in the South, with the Blues trailing behind by one game. 

The Gulls improve to 25-14, while Bristol sits at 25-16, one game behind. 

You can view the box score here.

Mystic Schooners vs. Valley Blue Sox

Final Score: Mystic 7, Valley 4

Holyoke, MA – As Danbury, Mystic, and Valley battle it out for the South Division’s fourth spot in the playoffs, the NECBL’s end-of-season contests become high-stakes, must-win games. And tonight, led by timely hitting and excellent defense, the Schooners got the better of the Blue Sox in a 7-4 victory that gives Mystic the current No. 4 spot.

Both teams came out hot with eight combined runs in the first two innings. Jack Harley (Stetson) knocked a two-RBI single in the top of the first for Mystic, before Isaac Wachsmann (Creighton) blasted a solo shot for the Blue Sox to make it 2-1. The Schooners responded with RBI singles from David Mendez (Maryland) and Eric Cha (Northeastern) in the top of the second, while also adding a run on an error. Valley responded with two runs of their own in the bottom of the frame, making the score 5-3 in favor of Mystic and capping off a hectic opening.

From there, the scoring died down. Valley could not catch up to Mystic’s early rally, scoring just one more run on a Tim Ford (Fordham) RBI. Harley and AJ Aschettino (Northeastern) recorded the final two RBIs for the Schooners.

Robert Ogg (Rollins) earned the win for Mystic, going 2.2 innings in relief while allowing just one hit. Emmanuel Nevills (Amherst) was credited with the loss. 

The Schooners sit at 19-21 while the Blue Sox are right behind at 18-21. Both are back with tough South Division matchups tomorrow, as Valley hosts the Bristol Blues at 1:05 pm, while the Schooners take on the red-hot Danbury Westerners at 1:00 pm. 

Box Score

Keene SwampBats vs. Martha’s Vineyard Sharks

Final Score: Martha’s Vineyard 11, Keene 2

Oak Bluffs, MA – The Martha’s Vineyard Sharks defeated the Keene SwampBats 11-2, surprising the North Division’s No. 1 seed in a one-sided affair. 

The Sharks took control early and never looked back, scoring in the first on a Will Hampton (Vanderbilt) RBI single. They added two more in the second on a Dominic Moats (Maryland) Little League home run, who tripled and scored on an error. Hunter High (Tennessee) also scored on the play.

A big fourth inning sealed Keene’s fate, as RBIs from Hampton, Brady Krzciok (Central Michigan), and Ethan Puig (Miami) highlighted a four-run inning to put the Sharks ahead 7-0. 

Runs in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings added on to Martha’s Vineyard’s lead, as Keene was able to score two runs in a convincing statement win for the Sharks. Chayce Kieck (Clemson) was issued the win for the Sharks, going six innings with eight strikeouts, while Ben Rabatin (Kent State) was handed the loss for Keene. 

The SwampBats have the day off before hitting the road to take on the North Adams SteepleCats, while the Sharks are also back at it Monday against the Valley Blue Sox. 

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.