0By Joshua Kummins

BROCKTON, Mass. -- The North Shore Navigators showed a flair for the dramatic Saturday night at Campanelli Stadium, scoring all five of their runs over the eighth and ninth innings to erase a two-run deficit and earn a 5-2 win over the Brockton Rox in Futures Collegiate Baseball League action.

North Shore improved to 12-7 on the season, while Brockton sits at 11-10 after its second consecutive loss. Nashua defeated Pittsfield in Home Run Derby fashion, allowing the Navs to regain first place in the FCBL standings at the conclusion of the night’s play.

Catcher Colin Wetterau (St. John’s) had the biggest of North Shore’s 11 hits in the top of the eighth, driving a two-out, two-run double just out of the reach of Brockton center fielder Casey O’Laughlin (Northwestern) in the right-center gap. First baseman Tyler MacGregor (Columbia) added a two-run single in the following frame to extend the Navs lead and highlight his 3-for-5 night, while outfielder Sean Lawlor (Flagler) went 2-for-4 and scored a run.

Navs starter Cam Seguin (UMass Lowell) and Brockton’s Justin Garcia (Roger Williams) matched each other’s zeroes over the first two innings before the Rox tallied first in the bottom of the third. Second baseman Eddy Hart (UMass) hit a leadoff double inside the right field line and tagged up on a fly ball to the outfield before scoring on a two-out wild pitch.

Brockton doubled its lead in the fifth when left fielder JP Knight (Tufts) hit a leadoff single, stole two bases, and scored on third baseman Mitch Donofrio’s (Eckerd) sacrifice fly to center.

Seguin was otherwise sharp during his first start and second appearance of the summer, allowing just three hits and two walks over 4.1 innings. The Woburn native lefty struck out seven Rox, including four in the second frame as he worked around a hit, a wild pitch, and a walk.

North Shore stranded 10 runners on base over the first seven innings as they were unable to tag Garcia or Connor Linchey (St. Mary’s, Calif.) for any runs. Garcia struck out seven and allowed just four hits through the first four frames.

The Navs loaded the bases in their top half of the second as MacGregor and second baseman Jon Gilbride (UMass Lowell) singled and center fielder Kade Kretzschmar (Dartmouth) was hit by a pitch, but Garcia struck out Wetterau swinging to end the threat.

Wetterau redeemed himself as the game’s ultimate hero, capping a seven-batter eighth inning with his two-run knock. After MacGregor singled and second baseman Dominic Freeberger (UNC Asheville) laid down a bunt to move him over, designated hitter Keagan Calero (UMass Lowell) got the Navs on the scoreboard with a sharp base hit through the middle.

Will Gallagher (Babson) relieved Brad Marchetti (Tufts) after Gilbride was hit by a pitch and Colin Macko (UNC Asheville) drew a walk. Both Navs runners scored on Wetterau’s double, which raised the catcher’s RBI total for the season to eight.

Navs reliever Arlo Marynczak (Siena) had retired nine consecutive batters before Donofrio recorded Brockton’s first of two eighth-inning hits with one out. Beau Dana (Dickinson) got North Shore out of the jam as O’Loughlin flew out to center field and would ultimately complete the four-out save, his league-leading eighth of the season. Marynczak earned his second win of the year as he fanned four over 3.1 frames.

The Navs added insurance in their final trip to the plate, stringing together three consecutive baserunners to produce a pair of runs. Lawlor opened the ninth with a walk advanced all the way to third on shortstop Logan Bravo’s (Harvard) single before scoring on MacGregor’s two-run knock to right.

Rox catcher Marc Goulart (St. Mary’s, Calif.) hit a one-out single in the ninth to keep their hopes of a late comeback alive, but Knight stung a line drive into the glove of a diving Gilbride at second base that turned into a game-ending double play.

For Brockton, designated hitter Gaby Cruz (Bryant) went 2-for-4 to lead a six-hit attack. Despite striking out three, Marchetti suffered his first loss as he was charged with three runs over his 2.2 innings of work.

The Navs continue their two-game road weekend Sunday afternoon against the Worcester Bravehearts. First pitch is set for 4:05 p.m. from Hanover Insurance Park at Fitton Field.