Eighth-Inning Surge Propels Navs Past Nighthawks

By Jason Glick

LYNN, Mass. — North Shore Navigators designated hitter Hudson Ellis heard the chants of his jersey number, five. It's the bottom of the eighth inning in a tie game with the Upper Valley Nighthawks, and the Navs' dugout is boosting Ellis' confidence on his biggest at-bat of the season. He watched four balls pass him for a walk, and his teammates erupted between each one. Moments later, he crossed home plate for a go-ahead run off first baseman Danati Fronduto's hit.

Fronduto's (San Jacinto) RBI to score Ellis (Oral Roberts) broke an eighth-inning tie to earn the Navigators (6-6) their fifth straight victory in a 4-2 win over the Nighthawks (5-6-1) on Thursday night at Fraser Field. Jacinto, Ellis and third baseman Tyler Shulman (Harvard) recorded RBI, while right fielder Grant Hunter (Binghamton) hit his third home run of the season. 

Starting pitcher Robert Brown (Penn State) recorded four strikeouts in five innings and never conceded a hit. The bullpen only surrendered two after he exited, with Thomas Mahoney (Northeastern) pitching two shutout innings to earn the win.

Center fielder Hunter Kingsbury (Bryant) notched the lone first-inning hit, a single. Upper Valley garnered momentum at the top of the second with two baserunners, but Brown quieted it with back-to-back strikeouts.

North Shore registered a baserunner in the latter half, as catcher Aidan Sengenberger (Seton Hall) walked. Upper Valley responded, with shortstop Frank Kelly (High Point) reaching first and stealing home for the opening run.

Not only did the Navs also score to tie the game at one apiece in the bottom of the frame, but it came in style. Right fielder Grant Hunter (Binghamton) led off and hooked the second pitch over the left fence for a home run. Left fielder Danny Flynn (Northeastern) walked and Ellis singled later in the inning.

After the next three half innings ended in 1-2-3 fashion, the Navigators broke the quiet in the bottom of the fifth, with Sengenberger and Shulman registering back-to-back singles. Kingsbury and Ellis walked to score Sengenberger for a 2-1 advantage.

Upper Valley responded in the sixth, registering its first hit, an RBI double by Quaglito, scoring catcher AJ DeMastrie (Dartmouth), who walked earlier in the inning. North Shore left-hander Cameron Keaveney (Northeastern) still recorded a strikeout during the frame.

Right-hander Lorcan Lee (UMass) replaced Keaveney in the top of the seventh and tossed a strikeout without conceding a hit. On the back end, they put a runner on base, as Shulman was hit by a pitch.

Mahoney replaced Lee after one inning. No matter who was on the mound, the Navs' defense remained potent, throwing out Kelly on a steal attempt. Third baseman James Love (Eastern Illinois) kept Upper Valley alive in the eighth, bashing a ball 6.5 feet shy of the 400-foot center-field fence for a double, but to no avail, with Mahoney finishing the frame with a strikeout.

In their most pivotal juncture, in the bottom of the eighth, the Navs rose to the occasion. Ellis walked and scored, courtesy of the aforementioned Fronduto single. Simmi Whitehill (Monmouth) pinch ran for Fronduto and scored the dagger on Shulman's sacrifice fly for a 4-2 lead. 

All it took was seven Mahoney pitches, with the last being a strikeout, to close the Navs' fifth straight win.

The Navs are back in action Friday against the Valley Blue Sox at Mackenzie Stadium in Holyoke. First pitch is at 6:30 p.m.