Day 1: NECBL Playoffs

Around the League

The Eastern Division racked up the runs in their two Sunday games, while the two Western Division matchups turned out to be a little more low-scoring. Mystic beat Ocean State 11-2 while Newport beat Sanford 11-4, totaling 28 runs scored. In the other divison, Keene beat Holyoke 5-4 and Vermont dropped North Adams 4-1. Only one lower seeded team earned a victory, as the #3 seeded Schooners shutdown the #2 Waves.

Mystic Schooners 11, Ocean State Waves 2

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Mystic	0	1	1	0	1	6	0	2	0	11	15	1
OceanState	1	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	2	10	1

SOUTH KINGSTOWN, RI- A big sixth inning proved to be more than enough for the Mystic Schooners in their upset win over the #2 seeded Ocean State Waves. The Schooners cranked out 15 hits, five of them home runs. Brandon Cipolla (right in college uniform) led the way with a pair of home runs and three RBIs, and three other Schooners each had blasts.

Jeffery Stoddard turned in a solid outing for Mystic, going five strong innings, allowing just one earned run on six hits while striking out four, which earned him the win. Ocean State's Daniel Ludwig took the loss, going into the sixth before being pulled. He allowed four earned runs on three walks while striking out four.

The game stayed close early on, with the score 3-2 Mystic after five, until a big sixth proved to be the difference maker. Byron Campbell hit a home run to add to a pair of two-run blasts by Tyler Boyd and Cipolla. 

Mystic tacked on two more in the eight, but the game was already out of reach for Ocean State. The two play again on Monday night at 6:30, with James Bessell toeing the rubber for Ocean State while Mystic's starter hasn't been announced.

Newport Gulls 11, Sanford Mainers 4

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Sanford	0	0	0	0	0	0	4	0	0	4	7	1
Newport	0	4	2	0	4	0	1	0	x	11	10	1

NEWPORT, RI- Newport put four over in the second and another four in the fifth, and a quality start by Brett Graves (below) proved to be the difference in the Gulls 11-4 victory. Gulls leadoff hitter Shea Donlin went 2-4 with four RBIs as the Gulls pounced on Sanford starter James Bourque early.

Bourque went four and a third, allowing eight earned runs while walking four and striking out seven, and was handed the loss. The Gulls, however, couldn't have asked for anything more from Graves. Graves threw six and a third, striking out ten while allowing just two runs on two hits.

Graves was pounced on in the 7th when the Mainers made a late surge. Holding a no-hitter going into the inning, he allowed a leadoff single to Nic Wilson to end the bid. He left after allowing two runs, giving way to Eric Stone. Stone finished off the game for Newport. 

The two teams meet again Monday night at Goodall Park in Sanford, Maine. Newport will send Washington State junior Sean Hartnett (3-1, 1.81 ERA) to the mound to toe the rubber against Sanford junior Evan Hill (4-0, 2.88 ERA) from the University of Michigan.

Keene Swamp Bats 5, Holyoke Blue Sox 4

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
Holyoke	0	1	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	4	6	4
Keene	0	2	0	0	1	0	0	2	x	5	8	0

KEENE, NH- Keene recovered from a early 3-2 deficit and a late surge by Holyoke to hang on to a 5-4 victory. Tied 3-3 going into the bottom of the eighth, Brian O'Grady's RBI sac fly and Tommy Monnots RBI single ended up giving Swamp Bat closer James Connell enough breathing room.

Nathan Kirby got the start for Keene, striking out 12 over six and a third allowing just three earned runs. He threw 97 pitches, with an impressive 67 strikes. Matthew Clancy (right) earned the win when he came in relief and threw an inning and two thirds with three strikeouts before handing it over to Connell.

Connell got out of a jam in the ninth after giving up one run to earn the save. He walked the first two batters to lead the inning off, but limited the damage to one run to allow Keene to capture the first game of the series.

Zach Lucas hit a two-RBI double in the second inning to give the Swamp Bats a 2-1 lead, and Zach Lauricella had a RBI fielders choice for the rest of the runs leading up to the runs in the eighth inning.

Kyle Rasmussen took the loss for Holyoke, despite not allowing an earned run over three and a third innings of work out of the bullpen. He walked two and allowed just three hits after coming in for Bowie Matteson who threw four and two thirds of zero-earned runs allowed baseball. 

The two teams will be in action again Monday night at MacKenzie stadium in Holyoke, Massachusetts. The Blue Sox will send Buffalo University ace Michael Burke (3-1, 0.55 ERA) to the hill against the Swamp Bats choice, Hofstra Universities Nicholas Kozlowski (3-0, 1.95 ERA). 

Vermont Mountaineers 4, North Adams SteepleCats 1

	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	R	H	E
NorthAdams	0	0	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	1	6	2
Vermont	0	0	1	0	0	3	0	0	x	4	8	1

MONTPELIER, VT- Trey Oest (left) is set to leave in order to prepare for a transfer to a different college, and finished his Mountaineers season with a dominant, 84-pitch complete game performance. Oest allowed just six hits and one earned run on his way to the victory. A big sixth inning broke a 1-1 tie and put the Mountaineers on top for good.

Mark Podlas reached on a error to lead off the sixth, and four consecutive Mountaineer singles drove in three runs, even chasing North Adam's starter Anthony Manuccia, who picked up the loss. Kevin Krause and Kyle Smith both added RBI singles. 

Smith had a productive game, going 2-3 with a pair of singles, a RBI and a walk. Krause also went 1-3 with a RBI, a run and a walk. 

Vermont went up early, tacking on a run in the bottom of the third. With runners on first and second, Thomas Roulis singled and the runner on second, Matt MacDowell, came in to score after a offline throw slipped by the catcher and rolled to the backstop.

The Mountaineers will travel to North Adams for game two at Joe Wolfe Field. The Mountaineers look to send Missouri junior John Miles (3-1, 1.19) to the mound to face off against Rider junior Michael Murphy (5-3, 3.46) for North Adams.