Navs Sweep SteepleCats in Wednesday Doubleheader

By Jason Glick

During both legs of Wednesday's New England Collegiate Baseball League doubleheader between the North Shore Navigators and North Adams SteepleCats, the Navs trailed in the fifth inning.

But the Navigators (14-13) came back, securing a 4-3, eight-inning win and 3-1 win over the SteepleCats (7-20) at Fraser Field. From a two-RBI single by Byfield native center fielder Hunter Kingsbury (Bryant) in the early game to a full seven-inning game from right-hand pitcher Ethan Hunt (Southern New Hampshire) in the finale, North Shore's heroics prevailed.

Game 1: North Shore 4, North Adams 3 (8 innings)

Right-hander Ismael Borrero (Mercer) started and allowed only one hit over 3.1 innings. The SteepleCats jumped out a 2-0 lead, but the Navs climbed back with three unanswered runs, as Kingsbury knocked in two runs. 

North Adams sent the game to extra innings, but left-hander Justin Fryer (Northwestern) blanked it in the eighth, earning his first win of the season. The Navs finished the job off designated hitter Hudson Ellis' (Oral Roberts) shallow RBI single.

In the top of the first, the Navs limited the SteepleCats to just four batters. North Shore had two baserunners during the bottom half in left fielder Grant Hunter (Binghamton) and Peabody native first baseman Danati Fronduto (San Jacinto).

It took three SteepleCats in the second, and Borrero tossed a swinging strikeout. On the flip side, catcher Aidan Sengenberger (Seton Hall) walked. The Navs' stout defense remained in the third, as North Adams exited 1-2-3. Ellis and Kingsbury reached base during the inning.

The SteepleCats loaded the bases early in the fourth, and on designated hitter Jack Espiritu Niswonger's (Dartmouth) centerfield sacrifice fly, center fielder Chris Diaz (Marist) scored. In relief, Koby Seelig's (Columbia) strikeout retired the side.

Fronduto, via a walk, and right fielder Lane Allen (High Point) reached base in the fourth. In the top of the fifth, with second baseman Alex Barrist (Lafayette) in scoring position, Diaz delivered a sacrifice fly to center field, giving North Adams a 2-0 lead. 

The bottom of the frame saw North Shore's most impressive hit yet: Sengenberger's ground-rule double that bounced over the left-field fence. Shortstop Michael Brown (Hofstra) walked, and they both entered scoring position. 

That opportunity was maximized on Kingsbury's single to left, tying the score at two. He later stole second and third, and Hunter grabbed second after a walk. Second baseman Tyler Shulman (Harvard) walked to load the bases, as the Navigators nearly broke the tie.

Seelig sustained the momentum, as the SteepleCats exited after four at-bats, which included another strikeout. In the top of the sixth, Brown and Ellis earned consecutive walks and later stole second and third, respectively. Off a North Adams wild pitch on the ensuing at-bat, Brown bolted home for a 3-2 lead.

The SteepleCats kept the game alive in the seventh, loading the bases for Barrist to score, but right-handed reliever Cam Freeman (Longwood) wrapped the frame with a swinging strikeout. Fronduto reached first off a SteepleCats miscue, but things stayed even and sent the game to extras.

North Adams went hitless in the eighth against Fryer. In the latter half, Allen, the automatic runner, advanced to third, while Brown walked and stole second to generate two runners in scoring position. The Ellis single was enough for Allen to scamper home for the game-winning run.

Game 2: North Shore 3, North Adams 1

North Shore completed the sweep with Hunt throwing all seven innings with six strikeouts. First baseman Anderson French (Dallas Baptist) hit a go-ahead RBI single and added a triple. Ellis, who played shortstop this contest, also nabbed an RBI to help the Navs secure the win and move above the .500 mark on the season.

Hunt eliminated the SteepleCats 1-2-3 in the first, featuring a strikeout. The Navigators earned their first baserunner in the bottom of the second, as Shulman, who played third base this game, walked.

Hunt recorded his second strikeout in three innings, escaping the SteepleCats' runners on the corners. French and Brown, the designated hitter in the second game, both walked during the third. The Navigators took out North Adams 1-2-3 in the fourth, and Hunt recorded another strikeout in retiring the side.

With right fielder Parker Camelo (Rhode Island College) in scoring position, third baseman Nephie Lopez (Stetson) knocked him home with an RBI triple, as North Adams went up 1-0.

That woke up the Navs' bats, as the Crimson tandem of Shulman and second baseman Jack Rickheim (Harvard) walked and advanced to scoring position on a balk. Off a wild pitch, they advanced again, and Shulman scored. Rickheim scored off French's RBI single to center to tie things at one.

Left fielder Colin Lynch (Dayton) singled to left on the ensuing at-bat, forcing the SteepleCats to call to the bullpen again. Then, Brown loaded the bases on a single to right. All baserunners advanced on Ellis' sacrifice fly, scoring French to take a 3-1 lead. The bases reloaded later in the fifth on catcher Daniel Leikus' (Rhode Island) walk.

Hunt took out North Adams 1-2-3 in the sixth, which culminated in a sinker strikeout. On the backend, French cracked a ball toward the centerfield fence for a triple. Hunt closed things with his sixth strikeout to punch home the win.

The Navs return to action Thursday at Rogers Park in Danbury, Conn., to face the Westerners. First pitch is at 6:30 p.m.