SwampBats Fly Past Navs Wednesday

KEENE, N.H. — The North Shore Navigators had their three-game win streak come to an end, dropping a 14-5 decision to the Keene SwampBats in New England Collegiate Baseball League action on Wednesday night at Alumni Field.

The Navs fell to 10-12 on the summer following their first loss since Friday against Martha's Vineyard. Keene is 12-7-1.

Right fielder Grant Hunter (Binghamton) went 2-for-5 with an RBI and third baseman Maddix Simpson (Ohio State) hit a solo home run to help lead the North Shore offense. Leadoff-hitting shortstop Hudson Ellis (Oral Roberts) had a run-scoring hit, reached base three times and stole two bases.

After Hunter hit a one-out single before being erased from the basepaths on a double play ball to begin the game, Keene jumped out to a 2-0 lead on designated hitter Jackson Marshall's (UConn) two-run home run out to right-center field.

Simpson halved the North Shore deficit with one swing of the bat in the second, ripping an opposite-field solo shot towards the scoreboard in right-center. It was Simpson's second homer of the season, both of which cleared the Keene fences. 

The SwampBats broke the game open with a five-run second, scoring all of those runs after Navs starter Charley Bergsma (Harvard) recorded the first two outs of the inning. 

Shortstop Collin Anderson (Duke) sparked the Keene offense with a two-run homer to left. After a walk and a Marshall single extended the inning, right fielder Chris Polemeni (UConn) hit an RBI single through the left side. First baseman Charlie Meglio's (Rutgers) punctuated the frame with a two-run double inside the left-field line two batters later.

From there, Ismael Borrero (Mercer) relieved Bergsma and proceeded to dial up an inning-ending strikeout en route to 2.1 shutout innings. Borrero overcame a one-out error to hold Keene scoreless for the first time in the third before picking off Polemeni following a one-out double in the fourth. 

In the fifth, North Shore manufactured a pair of runs after Byfield native center fielder Hunter Kingsbury (Bryant) hit a leadoff infield single. Ellis followed with a walk, and a double steal moved both runners into scoring position. Hunter and Peabody native first baseman Danati Fronduto (San Jacinto) delivered back-to-back RBI groundouts. 

After a bases-loaded walk added to the Keene lead, Peabody's Michael Geissler (Southeastern) limited the damage with an inning-ending fly ball. Southpaw Justin Fryer (Northwestern) struck out a season-high four over the next 1.2 frames. 

The hosts added to their lead with two runs in the seventh and four more in the eighth. Left fielder Dylan Fitzsimmons (St. John's) and third baseman Nico Senese (Georgia Southern) both hit solo homers in the latter of those innings.

The Navs rallied for two runs in the ninth, with catcher Aidan Sengenberger (Seton Hall) knocking a one-out double to center to start up the bats. After advancing to third on Kingsbury's grounder, Ellis stung an RBI single into right-center. Hunter moved the line with a single down the third-base line and took second on an error, while a wild pitch on Fronduto's walk plated Ellis with another run.

Lorcan Lee (Quinnipiac) got out of a two-on jam upon entering the game in the eighth before Bobby Finn (Villanova) made his NECBL debut. 

The Navs play their first home game of July when they welcome the Vermont Mountaineers to Fraser Field for a 6:05 p.m. first pitch on Thursday. In honor of Independence Day Weekend, admission to both Thursday's game and Sunday's 1:35 p.m. matchup against the Ocean State Waves will be free for all fans.