Original link: http://www.necbl.com/view/necbl/news-1185/news_537043
Keene Swamp Bats 9, North Shore Navigators 6
The Keene Swamp Bats (26-15) are your 2021 NECBL Northern Division champions and will have home field advantage throughout the playoffs as the regular season comes to a close at Alumni Field on Monday night. The Swamp Bats defeated the visiting North Shore Navigators (20-20-2) in the final ballgame before the postseason begins on Tuesday, August 3. North Shore will face the Vermont Mountaineers in Montpelier in a wild card contest for a chance to make a postseason run.
Keene starting pitcher Taylor Lepard (Southern New Hampshire University) lasted just under four innings for the victorious team (3.2 innings pitched, 5 hits, 2 earned runs, 2 walks, 4 strikeouts), and fellow starter Graham Jeffries (Salve Regina University) suffered his first loss of the summer for the Navigators (4 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 4 BB, 2 K). Lucas Rich (Lehigh University) recorded his first save of the season for the Swamp Bats.
Keene jumped out to an early lead thanks to a three-run home run by first baseman Noah Martinez (Central Connecticut State University) in the bottom of the first inning, and North Shore promptly tied the contest in the top of the third thanks to an RBI single by third baseman Jake McElroy (College of the Holy Cross), an RBI from second baseman Jacob Gustin (Bryant University) and an RBI double by first baseman Logan Bravo (Harvard University). In the home half of the same inning, the Swamp Bats reclaimed a 6-3 lead thanks to a pair of solo homers by center fielder Troy Schreffler (University of Maryland) and right fielder Matt Almonte (Pace University) plus an RBI single from second baseman Omar Daniels (University of Dayton).
The Navs tallied two more runs in the visitor’s half of the fourth inning courtesy of an error and an RBI single from McElroy before Keene extended their lead in the fifth with the help of a two-run longball by designated hitter Drake Westcott (University of Louisville) and a solo shot in the home half of the seventh inning by shortstop Zach Bushling (University of Connecticut). McElroy singled to bring home the final run of the night in the ninth inning and make the final score 9-6 in favor of the home squad.
Danbury Westerners 10, Newport Gulls 7
The Danbury Westerners (23-19) walked off versus the visiting Newport Gulls (22-20) to secure the number four seed as Newport slides to the fifth in the 2021 NECBL playoffs on Monday night at Rogers Park. Westerners starting pitcher Jacob Marshall (Le Moyne College) tossed nearly five stellar innings of work for the victorious team (4.2 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 9 K), and fellow starter Nelson Berkwich (Vanderbilt University) threw four for the Gulls (6 H, 4 ER, 1 BB, 4 K).
Danbury got out to an early lead through one inning thanks to a two-run jack by catcher Jack Payton (University of Louisville) and a subsequent second-inning solo homer by right fielder Matt Zaffino (Fairfield University) made it a 3-0 ballgame. A pair of solo home runs by each team in the fourth inning, one from Newport designated hitter Cal Parillo (Rhode Island College) and the other by Westies third baseman Nicholas Lorusso (University of Maryland), brought the score to 4-1. Lorusso hit a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fifth to extend his team’s lead to 5-1 halfway through the contest.
Parillo launched a two-run longball in the visitor’s half of the sixth inning to bring his team within two runs of Danbury before Newport exploded for four runs in the top of the ninth with the help of an RBI single by center fielder Kenny Oyama (Loyola Marymount University), an error and a two-run single from catcher Matthew Wood (Pennsylvania State University) to take a 7-5 lead. The Westerners ultimately had other plans in the bottom of the same inning as Newport threw a wild pitch to score one run and a walk-off grand slam by center fielder Jake Roper (Palm Beach Atlantic College) gave his home squad the four seed in the playoffs and send the Rogers Park faithful home extremely happy.
Mystic Schooners 5, Valley Blue Sox 2
The visiting Mystic Schooners (23-18-1) defeated the Valley Blue Sox (23-18) and clinched the number three seed in the 2021 NECBL postseason as the Blue Sox secured the second seed on Monday night at MacKenzie Stadium. Schooners starting pitcher Sean Sposato (University of Rhode Island) threw four innings of work for the winning team (4 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K), and fellow starter Damon Wesley (Elms College) bore his first loss of the summer for Valley (3 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 1 K). Reid Easterly (Yale University) secured his first save of the season for Mystic.
The Schooners gave themselves an early lead in the top of the first inning thanks to an RBI double by designated hitter Christopher Brito (Rutgers University) and extended it to 2-0 in the third with the help of a Brito sacrifice fly. The Blue Sox tallied their first run of the night in the bottom of the same inning via a double by infielder Travis Holt (High Point University) before a fifth-inning error committed by the home team gave Mystic a 3-1 advantage.
Valley scored their final run of the evening in the home half of the seventh inning courtesy of an RBI from Holt and the Schooners drove home their fourth of the affair in the top of the eighth thanks to an RBI double from catcher Sam Loda (Central Connecticut State University). Outfielder Barry Walsh (Boston College) doubled to drive home his team’s final run of the night in the top of the ninth inning and secure his team’s postseason seed.
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