Navs’ Six-Run Inning Falls Short in Thursday Loss to Blue Sox

By Jason Glick

LYNN, Mass. — The North Shore Navigators didn't go down without a fight in Wednesday's loss at the Keene SwampBats with a four-run ninth inning. That previewed Tuesday's New England Collegiate Baseball League game against the Valley Blue Sox, when the Navs scored all six of their runs in the sixth inning to tie the game.

Ultimately, that wasn't enough to walk out with the victory, as the Navigators (1-5) lost to the Blue Sox (4-1-1) 7-6. North Shore had nine hits to Valley's seven, with right fielder Grayson Carpenter (Dayton) recording three and left fielder Hunter Kingsbury (Bryant) adding two. A game-winning RBI by Blue Sox second baseman Jack Myers (Georgia Southern) broke the tie in the seventh inning.

Valley swiftly grabbed a first-inning cushion, as center fielder Anthony Tirado (UMass) walked and stole second. Shortstop Anthony Grabau (Fordham) doubled, sending him home with a deep center-field ball. First baseman Trevor Harmon (San Francisco) skimmed the left foul line to score Grabau for a 2-0 lead.

Across the next three half innings, it was all defense. The only hit was Valley catcher Chris Cancel's (UConn) double to right. While the Blue Sox didn't record a hit, they gained baserunners off walks during the top of the third, ultimately scoring left fielder Lucas Alberti (UConn) to go up 3-0. North Shore responded with its first hit later in the inning — second baseman Jack Rickheim's (Harvard) single.

The Navigators swapped starter Robert Brown (Penn State), who struck out two, in favor of Cam Freeman (Longwood) after 3.2 innings. The Blue Sox secured another triad of runs that inning, as Alberti tripled to score Grabau and Tirado. Then, Harmon notched his second RBI for Alberti. But Freeman closed the inning with a strikeout.

After a pair of scoreless half innings across both sides, the Navigators mirrored their third-inning surge a couple frames later with runners on the corners. Designated hitter Simmi Whitehill (Monmouth) walked and left fielder Jason Bello singled to right to push Whitehill to third. This time, Rickheim forced a Valley error, scoring Whitehill. 

After North Shore entered the scoring column, the Blue Sox removed starting pitcher Maddex LaBuda (Quinnipiac). The Navs optimized a wild pitch for Bello to score, who already stole third base, when Rickheim stole second. Now on third, thanks to the wild pitch, Rickheim scored on a Carpenter single, halving the Valley lead at 6-3.

The fireworks didn't stop there, with shortstop Michael Brown (Hofstra) singling to move Carpenter to second. Kingsbury brought Carpenter home on a single, and Brown reached third. The bases loaded up when first baseman Danati Fronduto (San Jacinto) was hit by a pitch.

North Shore maximized the opportunity, as catcher Aidan Sengenberger (Seton Hall) found grass on a right-field single, scoring Kingsbury and Brown to tie the game at six apiece.

After both sides went 1-2-3 in the sixth inning, the Blue Sox reclaimed their edge at 7-6 after Harmon doubled to left, and Myers did the same in center to score his first baseman. But reliever Charley Bergsma (Harvard) quieted Valley with an inning-ending strikeout.

The Blue Sox didn't record a hit from that point on with right-handed pitcher Thomas Mahoney (Northeastern) finishing the game. North Shore nearly capitalized on offense, as Kingsbury singled to center in the seventh and Carpenter doubled to right in the ninth, but Jack Ensell (Barry) finished the save.

The Navs conclude their two-game homestand on Thursday night when the Vermont Mountaineers pay a visit to Fraser Field for the first time this summer. First pitch is set for 6:05 p.m.