LYNN, Mass. — In the North Shore Navigators’ first home games after the All-Star break, they swept a doubleheader against the Upper Valley Nighthawks with 6-4 and 8-0 wins in Wednesday’s New England Collegiate Baseball League action at Fraser Field.

The Navigators improved to 16-22 with the victories, which upped their win streak to three consecutive games and moved them within 1.5 games of 17-20 Upper Valley for the fifth and final wild card playoff spot.

Seven different North Shore players recorded multiple hits across the two games. Tim McGuire (Sacred Heart) had two hits and two RBI in the opener, while Will Burns (Maine) capped off the offense in the second game with his first home run of the summer.

The pitching staff held up its end of the bargain as well, as the starting duo of Josh Lajoie (Quinnipiac) and Will Jones (Northeastern) pitched 9.2 innings without an earned run. 

Returning to Coastal Division play, the Navigators will finish a three-game, two-day homestand at 6:05 p.m. Thursday against the Newport Gulls.

Game 1: North Shore 6, Upper Valley 4

After the Navigators surrendered the lead in the seventh and final scheduled inning of regulation, the game was forced into extras. However, the Navigators stayed resilient at the plate as a Burns sacrifice fly and an infield hit from Ryan Gerety (Northeastern) flipped the score to 6-4.

The two runs allowed Jack Iannibelli (Stonehill) to return to the mound with a lead and clinch his second victory of the summer, finishing a two-inning outing with his third strikeout. 

North Shore played as the designated visiting team as the original June 9 meeting between the teams in White River Junction, Vt., was postponed due to rain.

After falling behind in the first inning, the Navigators cut into their deficit in the third. With a full count and both runners moving on the pitch, Sonny Rao (Northwestern) scorched a line drive into left field that scored Gerety.

The Navigators continued to climb back into the game, capitalizing again with runners in scoring position with two outs in the fifth. This time, it was the bottom of the order that came through as McGuire and Ryan MacDougall (Dayton) knocked base hits that drove in three runs to give North Shore a 4-3 lead.

McGuire was one of the Navigators’ best hitters in the first half of the doubleheader, going 2-for-3 with two RBI. He was one of three players to reach base safely three times.

On the mound, Lajoie made his first start at Fraser Field, racking up five strikeouts across four strong innings. He settled in after the opening frame and posted zeroes in each of his last three frames.

The Taunton native started the season but transitioned to the starting rotation on July 8, where he has made his past three appearances. 

Lajoie produced most of his strikeouts by getting batters to chase high fastballs out of the zone. 

“That elevated fastball, especially with two strikes, can be really effective,” manager Bob Macaluso said. “It’s something the pitchers try to do, and they were hitting their spots tonight.”

However, the Nighthawks wasted no time in jumping out to an early lead as a two-out triple into right-center field from Gehrig Frei (Mississippi State) gave an early 2-0 lead. 

When Lajoie was relieved in the fifth, Justin Posnik (Bentley) entered and pitched two perfect frames, but the bullpen could not hold onto the lead in the final frame. 

The Nighthawks tied the game on a ground out to second baseman Brendan Jones (Holy Cross), but a diving effort prevented the ball from squeaking into right field and bringing home the potential game-winning run. 

Game 2: North Shore 8, Upper Valley 0

The nightcap started with the two teams reversing roles as the Navigators jumped out to the early lead in the bottom of the first inning. Isaac Kim (UC Santa Barbara) and Gerety carried their strong performances into game two, delivering productive outs to give the hosts a 2-0 lead.

Kim and Gerety were two of the Navigators’ best players across the twinbill, combining to go 6-for-13 at the plate with three walks, two RBI and three runs.

The Navigators then exploded in the fourth inning as a barrage of hits from Reece Moroney (Rhode Island), Matt Chatelle (Rutgers) and Kyle Jones (Florida) scored five runs and ballooned the lead to 7-0. 

Burns capped off the Navigators’ offensive showcase in the following inning with a towering home run over the right-field fence. 

“The ball was not carrying today, so he really hit that well,” Macaluso said of Burns’ home run. “(The Nighthawks) smashed some balls that I thought were over the bus, but they didn’t get out of the park, so (Burns) really hit that well to get out of here.”

In his return from starting the NECBL All-Star Game last Sunday, Will Jones dominated across 5.2 shutout innings with a season-high eight strikeouts.

The left-hander followed a similar strategy as Lajoie in the first game, drawing a plethora of swings and misses with elevated fastballs. Jones also had full command of all three of his pitches, locating them throughout the strike zone and resulting in just three Upper Valley hits.

“There is an extra sense of security when he's pitching,” Macaluso said of Jones. “We all hate walks, and he doesn’t walk anyone.”

Zach Morris (Rhode Island) relieved Jones and surrendered just three base runners to preserve the Navigators’ third shutout of the season.