Koger, Solak lead Mountaineers to series sweep

Koger pitches earlier in the season.
/Crowley Photo

This article originally appeared in the Times Argus eEdition.
At times it wasn’t pretty, but in the end the Vermont Mountaineers got what they were looking for with a series sweep over Laconia with Tuesday’s 7-4 victory.

Vermont will now advance to the New England Collegiate Baseball League division finals for the second year in a row. Daniel Koger carried an unconventional no-hitter into the seventh inning as he was charged with four runs after a rain delay of nearly two hours.

It was just one of those nights.

Koger held the Muskrats hitless through six-plus innings, despite struggling mightily with his command. He let 10 runners reach base, issuing six walks while hitting two batters — both season highs. A solo home run from Nick Solak and a pair of late insurance runs put it away as the Mountaineers picked up the victory. 

“I think tonight was the first time of the year I had all three pitches working really well with movement,” Koger said. “I’m really proud of everything this team has accomplished during the season and now through the first round.”

Solak scored three runs and went 3-for-5 with a pair of RBIs, and Vermont knocked Laconia out of the playoffs and advanced past the first round for the sixth time in the franchise’s 11-year history. 

The Northern Division champions will open the next round Thursday against Sanford or Keene. The No. 2 Mainers host the No. 3 Swamp Bats in a winner-take-all game tonight. Meanwhile, it was another flop to end the season by the Muskrats, who have been swept in the first round in four of their eight playoff appearances, dating back to their Manchester Silkworm days.

Vermont jumped ahead 1-0 in the third inning behind an RBI single from Solak, who was the spark of the Mountaineers offense after going 1-for-4 in the series opener. They scratched across two more runs in the fourth against NECBL strikeout king Shea Spitzbarth, thanks to back-to-back RBI singles from Casey Rodrigue and Trey West.

Solak struck out to lead off the fifth, but the ball got by the catcher and he reached on an error. Blake Tiberi moved him over on a sacrifice bunt in which he also reached on an error by first basemen Ben Miller, who dropped the throw — one of four Muskrats errors on the night. Solak came home to score on a wild pitch in a wild up-and-down affair.

Meanwhile, Koger was holding Laconia hitless despite struggling with his command. It eventually got to him in the fifth, as the Muskrats chipped into the Vermont lead after back-to-back walks from Koger put runners on base. He got a runner at third on a bunt back to the pitcher, but an error at second brought home Laconia’s first run.

“A lot of the location problems I had were just me trying to do too much,” Koger said. “Then a few others were probably due to a lack of concentration starting innings, something that I can fix.”

After Solak hit a solo home run to leadoff the seventh, his first homer of the season, Koger was chased in the bottom of the frame. He hit second basemen Matt Byrne — one of two times on the night — and then walked Karl Ellison. He got two quick outs before exiting after a walk loaded the bases.

Wiest entered and quickly threw back-to-back wild pitches to cut Vermont’s lead to two, and an RBI single from Braxton Martinez— the first and only hit for Laconia — drew the Muskrats within one run. Wiest, however, settled down and retired the next four batters in order. 

“Ty (Wiest) did a great job not letting my mess escalate,” Koger said. “We have a great group of guys and we all want to be here and finish it off for Vermont.”

Vermont rallied for two more insurance runs in the top of the ninth and All-Star closer Jared Gesell struck out three in a 1-2-3 inning to close the door on Laconia’s season. 

Spitzbarth took the loss as he allowed four runs on six hits over five innings. He struck out six and issued a lone walk. 

Tuesday marked back-to-back quality starts from the Mountaineers starters, as both Koger and Monday’s starter Ryan Davis pitched into the seventh and allowed three earned runs or less. Neither will be available for the division finals, however, as they both topped 100 pitches. Manager Joe Brown could turn to a variety of starting options, including Jim McDade and Cameron Sorgie. 

However, Vermont first gets a well-deserved day off and returns to action Thursday night at Recreation Field against Keene or Sanford.

Game 2 Pregame Notes: Mountaineers v. Muskrats

Lineups:

Laconia
Vinny Zarrillo, LF
Nick Masonia, SS
Braxton Martinez, 3B
Colton Bottomley, RF
Ben Miller, 1B
Jake Henson, DH
Matt Byrne, 2B
Karl Ellison, C
Jack Sunberg, CF

Vermont
Colin Lyman, CF
Nick Solak, 2B
Blake Tiberi, 3B
Mike Vigliarolo, DH
Ian Sagdal, 1B
Trey Amburgey, RF
Jack Parenty, LF
Casey Rodrigue, SS
Trey West, C

Koger

Pitchers: Both pitchers are talented and this is tied with two other games (in terms of combined average game scores) for the best matchup tonight. Vermont's Daniel Koger had a rough outing two starts ago against Mystic, but factor that out and he's been stellar. He has a 2.31 ERA, but without that rough start (seven runs, four earned over just 3 1/3 innings) he has an impressive 1.61 ERA. Laconia counters with the league leader in strikeouts, Shea Spitzbarth, who has 50. He has a ERA over 3 in 10 innings against the Mountaineers. 

Quotes: "I feel good going into today," Trey Amburgey said. "Offense was clicking on all cylinders tonight (game one) so hopefully we can come out with that energy again and get the win and a well deserved day off on Wednesday. I made some adjustments pregame that had my timing just right (on his three RBI game one)."....."I had been working on some stuff in between outings with Coach Travis (Ratliff)," reliever Sam Spencer said. "I felt good out there, I'm glad it worked out (on his two shutout innings and win)." 

Outcomes: If Laconia wins, they force a Game 3 at Recreation Field in Vermont. A Mountaineer win gives them series and puts them in the divisional finals for the second straight year, awaiting either the Keene Swamp Bats (who lead 1-0 entering tonight) or Sanford Mainers. A Swamp Bats win tonight gives Vermont a rematch of last year's divisional finals in which Keene walked off in the bottom of the tenth in Game 3 and went on to win the championship.

Tuesday's Probable Pitchers: NECBL Playoffs Day 2

Here are tonight's probable pitchers for day two of the NECBL playoffs as four teams sit on the brink of elimination.

No. 1 Vermont at No. 4 Laconia, Robbie Mills Field, 6:30 p.m. (Vermont leads 1-0)

Shea Spitzbarth (Muskrats): The league leader in strikeouts (50), Spitzbarth, a junior from Molloy College, looks to help Laconia fend off elimination. He averages almost 10 per nine innings and is 4-2 with a 1.92 ERA over seven starts and three bullpen appearances. Spitzbarth has faced the Mountaineers twice, once out of the bullpen and another time in a start. He's thrown eight innings against the Northern Division champions and racked up 11 strikeouts and has a 3.40 head-to-head ERA.

Daniel Koger (Mountaineers)*: Koger looks to carry the Mountaineers to the Northern Division finals as the lanky lefty from Auburn (transferring to Alabama-Huntsville) enters with a 2.31 ERA over seven starts. He's 4-1 and has five quality starts as well as five shutout innings on June 18th against the Muskrats. His last start was a seven-inning gem against Sanford where he allowed just one run while striking out four.

*Not confirmed

No. 2 Sanford at No. 3 Keene, Alumni Field, 6:30 p.m. (Keene leads 1-0)

Dominic Severino (Swamp Bats): The big Central Connecticut State rising senior looks to boost Keene to back-to-back division finals appearances as they look to defend their NECBL title. Severino has a 1.78 ERA over seven starts and an impressive 22:6 SO/BB ratio over 40 1/3 innings. He also has an amazing 0.84 WHIP and is holding opposing batters to a .191 mark. He's faced Sanford once and gave up just two runs over 5 2/3 innings while striking out two.

Richard Vrana (Mainers): The All-Star game starter for the Northern Division is 2-0 over six starts and has a 1.67 ERA on the season. Vrana, a southpaw from Marist, has an impressive 28:5 SO/BB ratio over 31 1/3 innings and also has a 1.15 WHIP. He held the Swamp Bats to just one run in his first start of the season over 6 1/3 innings, while striking out three and issuing a pair of walks. His last two starts since the All-Star game haven't been great, however, as he's given up six runs in just nine total innings of work.

No. 1 Plymouth at No. 4 Mystic, Fitch High School, 6:05 p.m. (Plymouth leads 1-0)

Nicholas Berger (Pilgrims): Plymouth, coming off their first playoff win in franchise history, look to sweep the Schooners behind the talented arm of Berger. A rising senior at Northeastern, Berger is a perfect 4-0 for the Pilgrims with a 0.75 ERA over eight starts and 47 strikeouts in 48 innings. He's faced Mystic three separate times for a total of 18 1/3 innings and is 2-0 and with a 1.50 ERA against the Schooners. His best pitching performance of the season came against Mystic- seven shutout innings with 11 strikeouts.  He has 14 K's over his last two starts.

Nolan Long (Schoooners): The #2 NEC prospect ranked by Baseball America, Long passed up the minors after being drafted in the 38th round and has been solid in the NECBL. He's 1-3 with a 3.95 ERA but has 45 strikeouts in just 38 2/3 innings of work. A rising sophomore at Wagner College, Long is 0-2 against Plymouth. He's given up four earned runs over 10 innings against the Pilgrims but racked up 17 strikeouts.

No. 2 Newport at No. 3 Ocean State, Old Mountain Field, 6:05 p.m. (Ocean State leads 1-0)

Brett Hanewich (Stanford): Newport sends recent NECBL Pitcher of the Week Hanewich to the mound as the Gulls look to avoid being knocked out in the first round for what would be the just the second time in their illustrious history. Hanewich, a sophomore from Stanford, is coming off seven shutout innings against New Bedford in which he racked up 10 strikeouts. He is 2-3 on the season with a 3.58 ERA over six starts and is 1-0 against the Waves. Hanewich held Ocean State to just two runs on five hits over six innings while striking out five in one of two quality starts on the summer.

Steve Moyers (Waves): Ocean State, also coming off their first playoff win in franchise history, give the ball to Moyers- who's totaled just 16 1/3 innings over five starts on the season. The southpaw from Rhode Island who anchored the Rams staff has made two starts against the Gulls already. He was shellacked for five earned runs in the first start over just 3 1/3 innings, and has given up six total against Newport in five innings of work. He does have a 15: 2 SO/BB ratio and a 1.04 WHIP.

Northern Division Semifinals Game 2: W2W4

When and where: Robbie Mills Field, Tuesday at 6:30 p.m.
Starting Pitchers: Vermont TBD vs. Laconia's Shea Spitzbarth (4-2, 1.92 ERA)

Spitzbarth

Scouting Report on Spitzbarth:

The league leader in strikeouts with 50, Spitzbarth has faced the Mountaineers twice this season. He struck out three of the five batters he faced out of the bullpen on a 5-0 loss, and then fanned eight over 6 1/3 in a loss in his lone start.

He hasn't been used exclusively as a starter, but the righthander from Molloy get's strikeouts whenever he's on the mound. Spitzbarth's eight strikeout performance was a tough loss as he gave up three runs in the fourth and didn't get any run support by the time he left.

Three Muskrats to Watch:

Martinez

• Braxton Martinez, 3B: Martinez loves playing at the friendly confines of Robbie Mills Field, where he's hitting .354. He went 1-4 last night and looks to bounce back with a big Game 2.
• Jake Henson, C: Henson went 1-3 with a RBI single in the first inning for Laconia last night, and he looks to continue as the hottest hitter on the Muskrats. He hit a team-high .373 in July and .500 over the last five games of the regular season.
• Vinny Zarrillo, OF: Zarrillo was one of just two Muskrats to reach base twice last night, going 0-2 and drawing a pair of walks. He ended the season at .474 over his last five games and really needs to spark a Laconia offense that was held to just five hits.

Three Mountaineers to Watch:

Lyman

• Trey Amburgey, OF: Amburgey continued to hit the ball well as he's been one of the best hitters on the Mountaineers over the course of the summer. He drove in three runs on a 2-4 night and is now hitting .429 against Laconia. He also hit his only home run of the season at Robbie Mills Field, a three-run blast.
• Mike Krische, OF: Krische didn't get a start in Game 1 but he's on this list because he hit a home run in Laconia last time he was there and the park is suited for the power he has. 
• Colin Lyman, OF: The NECBL Player of the Week drove in two more runs last night and is the hottest hitter in the league, at .650 over his last 20 at bats. His two-run double broke a 3-3 tie and sparked four more runs, and it was a good way to bounce back after starting the night 0-3. 

Three Key Considerations:

• A win tonight puts the Mountaineers into the division finals for the second consecutive year and the sixth time in franchise history.
• Josh Treff started behind the plate last night, and Evan Harasta came in as a defensive replacement after a pinch-hitter, so Trey West will most likely be getting the nod at catcher.
• Laconia went through three different relievers after starter Jack English last night during that seven-run seventh, including 26 pitches from Mariano Rivera and 29 from Eric Freeman. Neither will be available tonight, so it'll be interesting to see if the Muskrats have enough depth. 

Pilgrims' one-two punch unbeatable

Jankins pitches at Quinnipiac /QSports

This entire season, the entire NECBL has been subject to the Plymouth Pilgrims dominant one-two punch on the mound. One night, teams would have to contend with Thomas Jankins, and the next it would be Nicholas Berger. Team's are lucky you rarely play the same team back-to-back, because an offense can really hit a slump when they get shutout twice in a row.

It was right around Jankin's move from the bullpen to the rotation that the Pilgrims won nine of ten to blaze through everyone in the league and claim the best record (they were already 7-2). If Plymouth, a year off of one of the worst seasons in NECBL history, were to draw up a formula for league dominantion- it would of been exactly what they did by signing Jankins and Berger.

Force team's to contend with not one but two Robin Roberts candidates in punishing succession. It was a strategy built for the season, and it was as good as of a slump buster as you can get because the duo have never lost back-to-back starts.

Jankins went seven strong innings against Mystic in game one last night, allowing a pair of runs- tying his regular season total in terms of earned runs- while striking out a pair in the Pilgrims 4-2 win that puts the Southern Division finals within reach for the second-year franchise.

He's cruising towards a top pitcher award, but Berger has been dominant as well. His ERA is 0.75 to Jankins 0.41. He's struck out 47 guys. Jankins has struck out 41. Berger has throw 48 innings, Jankins is at 44 1/3.

For those counting at home, that's almost 93 innings of misery for opposing hitters.

Berger starts tonight against a Mystic squad that is up against the wall and on the brink of elimination. The Schooners are looking to return to the division finals for the second straight year but have history against them, as best-of-three series are hard to comeback against, especially in the NECBL.