Navigators Close Homestand with Defeat to Mountaineers

By Jason Glick

LYNN, Mass. — When the North Shore Navigators were in Montpelier, Vermont, against the Vermont Mountaineers Sunday, game-deciding runs were scored in the eighth inning in a narrow clash that the Mountaineers took 3-1.

On Friday, the bulk of runs were scored early, as the Navigators (1-6) fell to the Mountaineers (3-4) 11-1 at Fraser Field. All nine Vermont starters recorded a hit, and it jumped out to a 6-0 lead by the middle of the second inning. The Navs pitched nine strikeouts, but, offensively, besides center fielder Hunter Kingsbury's (Bryant) second-inning RBI double, they left seven runners on base.

Vermont opened the scoring with three runs in the first inning, highlighted by left fielder Matthew Jackson's (Stony Brook) two-out RBI triple. While the Navs didn't score in the first inning, left fielder Grant Hunter (Binghamton) recorded the team's first hit with an infield single.

The Mountaineers carried their momentum into the second, when right fielder Alex Benevento (Brown) zipped a sinking ball into left field for a two-run single and scored for a 6-0 advantage. North Shore responded, as Kingsbury doubled and scored off designated hitter Maddix Simpson's (Ohio State) single to left.

The Navigators recovered in the third, as Cole Yennaco (Merrimack) retired Vermont — only through four batters — with two strikeouts. He had four on the day.

Then, both sides made work of the other defensively in 1-2-3 fashion. In the bottom of the fourth, Kingsbury and catcher Daniel Leikus (Rhode Island) reached base via a walk and fielder's choice, respectively.

The Mountaineers constructed their third multi-run inning in the fifth. Center fielder Matthew Minckler (Delaware) found an outfield gap for a double, scoring Mullen. Minckler also crossed home for an 8-1 edge. 

Vermont added back-to-back singles from catcher JJ Parsons (UNC Greensboro) and Leonard in the sixth. They both scored, with Leonard's coming off a triple by Benevento, who also scored, to obtain an 11-1 lead. But Navs reliever Lorcan Lee (UMass) recorded a strikeout during the frame.

The next two half-innings featured another pair of 1-2-3 exits for both sides, and Navs right-handed pitcher John Milewski (Lafayette) struck out two. In the bottom of the seventh, North Shore put two runners on base, as second baseman Jack Rickheim (Harvard) singled and shortstop Hudson Ellis (Oral Roberts) was hit by a pitch.

Again, at the top of the eighth, the Navigators retired the first three Mountaineers batters but did so in a different fashion, catching shortstop Elliot Miles (UMass Boston) stealing. The Navs got two runners on in the bottom of the inning, as Leikus walked and third baseman Jason Bello (Dayton) reached first on a fielder's choice.

After three straight Vermont fly balls, North Shore had its final chance in the bottom of the ninth, but all it could muster was a Rickheim single, as it dropped its fourth straight game.

The Navs start a two-game road trip Saturday at Joe Wolfe Field against the North Adams SteepleCats. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m.