GROTON, Conn. — In the North Shore Navigators' first game back from the All-Star break, they defeated the Mystic Schooners 4-2 in extra innings in Tuesday’s New England Collegiate Baseball League action at Fitch High School. 

With one out, runners on second and third and a five-infielder shift, Isaac Kim (UC Santa Barbara) sought to give his team some breathing room in the 10th inning. He did just that, blasting a sacrifice fly to right-center field, scoring Kyle Jones (Florida) from third, and giving the Navigators a 4-2 lead in extra innings. 

Pierce Friedman (Maine) then delivered a stress-free save, securing the Navigators' first win against the Coastal Division rival Schooners this season.

The Navigators entered the fifth inning without a baserunner, but a pair of soft-contact base hits from Kim and Matt Chatelle (Rutgers) put an end to Trystan Levesque’s (Rhode Island) perfect game. 

Kim and Chatelle each continued their hot streaks as they were the lone Navigators to record two hits. The fifth-inning base hits extends Chatelle’s hitting streak to six games and his third multi-hit game during that span, while Kim’s multi-hit effort gives him hits in four of his past five games.

A fielder’s choice and stolen base by Jesse Jaconski (Penn State) put runners on second and third with two outs for Andrew Bianco (Seton Hall). He continued the inning by driving in both runs to give the Navigators a 2-1 lead. 

All-Star Ryan Buckler (Florida Atlantic) made the first post-break start for the Navs in Tuesday’s contest. Buckler’s start was his first since July 14, when he took the mound against the Schooners at Fraser Field. The right-hander threw a season-high six innings in his prior outing, surrendering just two hits while striking out eight batters.

“He competed really well,” manager Bob Macaluso said on Buckler’s performance. “He didn't have his “A” game…(but) he got out some good hitters.”

Buckler was unable to replicate the same level of success, but he put together a scrappy effort on the mound. The Schooners consistently forced high pitch count innings by creating long at-bats, leading to six hits and two walks. But 

Buckler stayed resilient on the mound as the Schooners forced high pitch count innings and induced a multitude of soft contact with runners on base to allow him to finish the evening with just one earned run through five innings. 

Buckler’s outing continues the starting rotation’s strong month. Entering Tuesday’s contest, the Navigators’ starting pitchers had combined for a 3.15 ERA over 54.1 combined innings since July 5. 

The Schooners put runners in scoring position in each of the first four innings, but could only capitalize in the third. With two outs, Tyler Minick (Connecticut) smoked a base hit past a diving third baseman Pat D’Amico (Bryant), scoring Matt Brinker (Northeastern) from second to grab the game’s first run. But Chatelle quickly ended the Schooners' threat, throwing out his former teammate Christian Scanlon (Merrimack) trying to take third base. 

The Navigators continued to showcase excellent defense. In the sixth inning, Minick was thrown out at the plate on a relay between left fielder Danny MacDougall (Endicott) and shortstop Reece Moroney (Rhode Island) to preserve the Navigators' one-run lead. 

“Throwing him out at the plate was huge,” Macaluso said. “We played good defense, and the big plays worked out for us.”

The Navigators clung to a one-run lead on consecutive scoreless innings by Tommy Sullivan (Franklin Pierce) and Ryan Griffin (Northeastern), but the Schooners tied the game in the eighth. Jack Goodman (Northeastern) made up for a fifth-inning error by driving a sacrifice fly to center field to score Juan De La Cruz (Stetson) to tie the game 2-2.

The Navigators will face a quick turnaround as they head back home to Fraser Field for a doubleheader against the Upper Valley Nighthawks. Game one is set for a 3 p.m. first pitch.