Game 45 Recap: Mountaineers miss playoffs

Vermont manager Joe Brown and Trevor Ezell discuss strategy during the 3-1 loss. 

For the first time since 2010, the Vermont Mountaineers will watch from afar as the New England Collegiate Baseball League postseason gets underway.

The Mountaineers, who rallied from a 2-11 start to the summer, ended the regular season in a four-way tie for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Northern Division. The league’s bizarre tiebreakers resulted in a four-team, three-game mini-tournament, and Vermont fell, 3-1, to the Keene Swamp Bats on Wednesday afternoon.

In front of a surprisingly big crowd for a weekday game, the Mountaineers left eight runners on base as a lengthy season came to the end. Entering with just three pitchers available after a doubleheader in Upper Valley on Tuesday, Vermont couldn’t back a strong pitching performance from Kevin Kernan as the Swamp bats earned the right to advance to Wednesday night’s tiebreaker finale against the Nighthawks.

The playoff tiebreaker will be remembered for its share of controversy. Winnipesaukee, who lost to Upper Valley in the other play-in, trotted out their third basemen to start on the mound. Vermont had a pitcher play right field, and coaches and viewers across the country questioned the league’s decision. Nobody has been more opinionated on the matter, however, then Mountaineers manager Joe Brown.

Vermont entered Wednesday with a 19-25 record but won the head-to-head season series with all three of the teams they were tied with.

“Quite honestly, I felt we should’ve been in the playoffs,” Brown said. “I talked with a lot of people, including my college administrator, and they were wondering what were doing to kids. I even had a couple college coaches call me concerned about their players, and that was something we had to be cautious with today.”

The Mountaineers roster was decimated, as is the case with many teams throughout the NECBL. Still, the league’s newly created four-team tiebreaker resulted in additional work for teams that were left grasping for players. The league’s decision angered Brown, who might not return for a fifth year with the Mountaineers.

“This organization has been amazing and the best one I’ve ever been involved with,” Brown said. “It could be time for someone else to maybe come in (and manage). I love the Mountaineers and the people I’ve met, but I’m not philosophically aligned with the league.”

“Until changes are made, I’m not sure I could be a part of that,” he added. “It’s way bigger than me, it’s about the kids. I coach for the kids. The NCAA is about the best interest of student athletes; so should summer leagues.”

Brown’s Mountaineers fell behind 2-0 in the third inning, as Aubrey McCarty dropped a RBI single to center field and Patrick Sullivan added a sacrifice fly. The Swamp Bats tacked on a late insurance run in the sixth when Ryan Costello launched a leadoff home run.

Kernan took the loss in his first start of the summer, scattering six hits and a walk over six innings. Sean Callahan threw a scoreless seventh in the defeat.

Keene got a stellar start from southpaw Ryan Avidano, who threw 4 1/3 in the win. He struck out seven and worked around two walks and four hits. Carmen Giampetruzzi recorded two outs, and Ivon Clough threw a scoreless sixth before running into trouble. He gave up a one-out RBI double to Trevor Ezell and the tying run came to the plate, but Michael Pastore relieved him and got two quick outs for the save.

Vermont last missed the playoffs in 2010, when they went 15-27.

Keene went on to fall, 5-0, to Upper Valley in the nightcap.

Game 43/44 Recap: Mountaineers split double-header, results in four-way tie

Vermont center fielder Joe Tietjen avoids a tag at the plate during the Mountaineers 11-4 Game 1 win.

On a night where the teams lingered at the ballpark for half an hour after the final pitch to hear their fate, the prevailing story was one of weariness and frustration.

Directed at the league’s tiebreaker, four tired teams will rise bright and early Wednesday morning to play games at noon in the start of a four-team, three-game, two-location playdown — just for the right to travel to take on top-seeded Sanford as the fourth and final playoff team in the North.

For Vermont, Upper Valley, Keene, and Winnipesaukee, it’s a frustrating end to a long and winding regular season. In a league plagued by turnover, having to continue a brutal stretch of games entering the postseason is a steep task. They’ll be immediately at a disadvantage in the first round of the playoffs, as well, with the potential of having played five games in three days.

Mountaineers manager Joe Brown, who’s voiced his opinion during an interview earlier this season, didn’t hold back in a postgame talk — as he rightfully shouldn’t.

“It’s absurd and it needs to change,” Brown said of the NECBL’s tiebreaker. “You’re not doing these young men any favors and the quality of play is diminished. It’s not complaining, it’s about getting it right. Get it right. How many times do you have to do the same thing over and over and realize it’s totally silly?”

“That’s why people aren’t coming to our league right now,” Brown added. “It’s why we’re having issues with getting players.”

Brown’s Mountaineers split a doubleheader with Upper Valley. CVU high school graduate Rayne Supple took a no-hitter into the sixth in the opener, backed by an offensive outburst as Vermont rolled to an 11-4 win. In the nightcap, runs were few and far between, and a wild pitch was the deciding factor as the Nighthawks took a 2-1 win.

The split, paired with Winnipesaukee’s 13-inning loss at the hands of No. 1 overall seed Mystic, results in four teams tied with identical 19-25 records. However, instead of looking at the head-to-head record, which Vermont has an unmatched 9-6 mark, the league dictates a four-team playdown.

Vermont will host Keene at 12 p.m., while Upper Valley takes on the Muskrats. The winners will travel to the top seed at 6:30 p.m. for the decisive playdown. Vermont and Upper Valley are the top two seeds, followed by Winnipesaukee and Keene.

“We basically have beat head-to-head every single team we have to play again which is absurd,” Brown continued. “It’s something I’ve never heard of in my life. Whether it be for Upper Valley or Winnipesaukee, somehow we could have tiebreakers for teams 1-2-3, but teams 4-5-6 have to keep playing.”

“Might as well have teams one and two just go on and play the championship,” he finished.

How the pitching lines up will be the big storyline tomorrow, as both Winnipesaukee and Vermont are coming off double-digit innings. Brown addressed the situation further, simply stating he had no idea who would start tomorrow.

Supple lifted the Mountaineers in Game 1, baffling the Nighthawks. He worked around two errors and pair of hit batsmen to hold Upper Valley hitless until Joey Denison's leadoff double in the sixth inning. Supple gave up a one-out single but induced an inning-ending double play to polish off six scoreless innings.

He was backed by more than enough run support, as Vermont chased Nighthawks starter Joseph Levasseur after recording just four outs. The Mountaineers scored three in the first, five in the second, and added one in the third and two more in the fourth for the resounding 11-4 win.

Trevor Ezell, Joe Tietjen, and Will Morgan all turned in multi-hit games. Morgan went 2-for-3, driving in three runs with a double, a single, and a stolen base. Tietjen had a two-run double in the second as well.

Levasseur took the loss, allowing five runs, three earned, on four hits. Reliever Mike Coss coughed up four runs and recorded just two outs, and Billy Layne gave up two in 1 1/3. Cordes Baker, however, was unhittable out of the Nighthawks pen. He threw 3 2/3, striking out three and not allowing a hit.

Supple dominanted in Game 1.

Upper Valley scored all four runs against Mountaineers first basemen Mikael Mogues, who had a go of it on the mound. He recorded one out, giving up RBI singles to Walker Grisanti, Eric Leitch, and Austin Embler, as well as a sacrifice fly to Joey Denison. Sean Callahan recorded two quick outs in relief of the big left-hander.

Vermont’s offense slowed in Game 2 against Nighthawks southpaw Wes Engle, who spun a gem. He walked Ezell to open the game, and the Mountaineers speedy third basemen stole two bats and scored on a dropped third strike. After that, however, Engle was dominant. He struck out a season-high 10 in 5 1/3, working around four hits to allow the lone run.

Mountaineers starter Fitz Stadler retired eight of the first nine batters he faced but ran into trouble in the fourth. He walked Embler, gave up a double to Al Molina, and Charlie Colcannon came up with a one-out bloop single. It just kicked off the outstretched glove of Vermont second basemen Jeremy Giles, who was sprinting back into the outfield and couldn’t come up with it.

Stadler limited the damage, however, stranding the bases loaded. Upper Valley would ultimately break the 1-1 tie in the sixth against Vermont reliever Chandler Sedat. Sedat, the team’s top arm, hit Denison with one out. A single from Concannon moved Denison to third, and he came home on a wild pitch for the decisive run.

Upper Valley reliever Nick Jones polished off the win, retiring four of the final five batters he faced.

“We swung the bats well, but it’s a completely different game and you have to try to turn the page quickly,” Brown said of the difference. “They had a lefty who threw great, and then they had Jones and we knew that. We competed and had chances. I’m proud of the guys. They came down here after a day off and split.”

Game 42 Recap: Blue Sox 3, Mountaineers 1

Christian Isbell hurled eight strong innings
in a tough loss. He struck out six. 

For the second straight night in a row, one inning doomed the Vermont Mountaineers.

Searching for a win to keep pace with the likes of Winnipesaukee and Keene, Vermont jumped ahead in the first frame, but the combination of a three-run second and strong pitching from the Valley Blue Sox resulted in a disappointing 3-1 loss.

The Mountaineers fell to 18-24 and sit tied with the Upper Valley Nighthawks for sixth place. They’re both a game out of fourth place, as Winnipesaukee rolled to a win over North Adams last night. Now, Vermont’s playoff fate will be decided on the last day of the season.

Monday’s scheduled doubleheader against the Nighthawks was to Tuesday due to rain. To make the playoffs, Vermont needs a combination of things to happen. If they sweep the doubleheader, Winnipesaukee needs to lose one of their last two games against either Valley or Mystic, as the Mountaineers hold the tiebreaker.

If Vermont splits the doubleheader, they’ll need both Keene and Winnipesaukee to lose all of their remaining games. The Swamp Bats play in Newport tonight. If Vermont is swept by Upper Valley, they’re officially eliminated from the playoffs.

For a 13-year-old franchise, just a year removed from their third championship in team history, sneaking in on the last day of the season is an unfamiliar situation. Vermont won the division in the regular season each of the past two years, securing home field advantage all the way through the league championship series. Now, they’re fighting to just get in, and would be playing much of the postseason on the road.

Sunday’s loss to the Blue Sox didn’t help their cause. Vermont starter Christian Isbell hurled eight innings, retiring nine of the last 10 batters he faced. However, a pair of walks and two hits in the third allowed Valley to take the lead for good.

A strong start from left-hander Greg Jacnewitz, paired with two innings apiece from reliever Conor Donovan and Sam Donko allowed the Blue Sox to hold Vermont in check. Jacnewitz gave up a two-out RBI single to Ryan Fineman in the first inning, but it was all the Mountaineers would manage.

Jacnewitz threw five innings, striking out six and scattering six hits. Donovan bridged the gap to the eighth with a pair of scoreless innings, striking out three and stranding a runner at third. Donko, finally, recorded his sixth save. He retired the first four batters he faced, then worked around a pair of baserunners in the ninth.

Trailing 1-0, the Blue Sox got to work in the second. After going 1-2-3 in the first, Chris Starch and Mark Grunberg each drew walks with one out. Zach Goldstein doubled in a run, and Kipp Moore poked a two-run single in the hole to break the tie.

Isbell would respond by allowing just three hits over the final six innings while striking out five, but Vermont’s woes with runners on base continued. They out-hit Valley, 8-6, but left eight runners on base. It was similar to Saturday’s loss to North Adams, where they stranded 12 runners in a one-run loss. Vermont’s average has dipped to .250 with runners in scoring position, a mark below the league average.

It was a tough loss, and it put’s considerable pressure on Tuesday’s doubleheader. Tonight, Mountaineers fans should tune in as Winnipesaukee visits Valley and Keene travels to Newport. Both games begin at 6:30 p.m. Vermont will be rooting for the home team in both matchups.