OAK BLUFFS, Mass. 一 The North Shore Navigators concluded their Coastal Division schedule on an emphatic note, scoring a 7-3 win over the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks in Tuesday’s New England Collegiate Baseball League action at The Shark Tank on the campus of Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School.

North Shore improved to 19-24 following its sixth win in an eight-game span and fifth in the seven-game season series with Martha’s Vineyard.

First baseman Isaac Kim (UC Santa Barbara) and designated hitter Sonny Rao (Northwestern) slugged back-to-back home runs with two outs in the third inning to lead the North Shore attack. Kim was the individual pacesetter, going 4-for-5 while driving in a pair of runs and finishing a triple shy of the cycle. Rao finished with two hits and two RBI.

The Navs’ other repeat hitter was right fielder Ryan Gerety (Northeastern), who went 2-for-4 with a run scored and three RBI. Gerety added insurance to the lead with a two-run single as part of a three-run spot in the fourth, giving him two multi-hit performances in the last three games. 

Cape Cod native Ryan Buckler (Florida Atlantic) left no doubt that North Shore’s lead would stand, dealing six innings for the third time in his six starts. He struck out a season-high seven while allowing just two runs on four hits and received the benefit of the first two of four double plays turned defensively, two of which were unassisted by shortstop Reece Moroney (Rhode Island).

Three consecutive one-out hits in the first inning lifted the Navs to a 1-0 lead. After Gerety sent a single to left field and moved to third on Kim’s double to right, Rao knocked an RBI single up the middle to put the first dent on the scoreboard.

However, the Sharks immediately tied the game on a leadoff home run by shortstop Chris Hacopian (Maryland) and took the lead after second baseman Tryston McCladdie (Clemson) singled, stole second and third, and scored on a passed ball.

Vineyard starter Brandon Olivera (MiamI) quickly recorded the first two outs of the third, but the North Shore offense would not go down without converting. Kim’s monstrous shot to left-center tied the game at 2-2 before Rao cleared the right-field fence in the very next at-bat to flip the score for good.

The Navs broke the game open with three runs on four hits in the fourth, their biggest offensive inning of the night.  

Moroney started the frame with a leadoff double before a walk to catcher Ryan MacDougall (Dayton) and second baseman Brendan Jones’ (Holy Cross) single loaded the bases. Gerety lined a single to center to make it a 5-2 game, and KIm added a run-scoring base hit of his own after Luke Brown (Clemson) relieved Olivera.

Buckler worked around a two-out walk to strike out two in his final inning before Ryan Griffin (Northeastern) and Swampscott native Pierce Friedman (Maine) were both strong in relief. VIneyard third baseman Reese Robinett (Arkansas) led off the seventh with a solo homer to right, but Griffin bounced back and allowed just one other base hit across two innings of work.

A one-out walk to Jones and a single by center fielder Kyle Jones (Florida) got the Navs offense started in the eighth. Gerety capped the scoring with a sacrifice fly to right, driving in the former Jones. 

Brendan Jones and Moroney turned a 4-6-3 double play in the middle infield to erase a leadoff walk issued by Friedman in the Vineyard ninth, and a grounder to short ended the game.

The Navs are scheduled to conclude the 2024 regular season with a Wednesday trip to Holyoke to face the Valley Blue Sox. First pitch at MacKenzie Stadium is set for 6:30 p.m.