Navs Roll Past Blues Sunday

BRISTOL, Conn. — A night after winning their seventh consecutive home game, the North Shore Navigators carried that success to the road as they broke open a pitcher's duel in the fifth inning and cruised to an 8-2 victory over the Bristol Blues in Sunday's New England Collegiate Baseball League game at historic Muzzy Field.

North Shore has now won six of its last seven games and stands at 17-14 on the season.

Leadoff-hitting shortstop Hudson Ellis (Oral Roberts) reached base in four of his five plate appearances, going 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI and two runs scored. Ellis also stole two of the team's seven bases, tying the Navs' single-season franchise record with 24. 

First baseman Anderson French (Dallas Baptist) finished 3-for-5 with an RBI in his best game of the summer. Right fielder Luke Miele (Roger Williams) reached base in back-to-back trips to begin his Navs debut while breaking a scoreless tie with a run-scoring single in the fifth inning.

On the mound, North Shore allowed just one earned run on five hits, including just a pair of base knocks before the hosts ended the shutout bid in the ninth. Revere native and St. Mary's graduate Jack Zimmerman (Dayton) pitched four innings of one-run ball in his second start of the summer before Koby Seelig (Columbia) struck out three over the next three innings to earn his second victory in relief.

Zimmerman worked into and out of trouble in the first, inducing an inning-ending fly ball with the bases loaded. The southpaw then worked a 1-2-3 second and erased a leadoff walk with a 6-3 double play in the third. 

In fact, neither side had a hit until French knocked a first-pitch single through the left side with one out in the fourth. North Shore's inning also ended with a double play ball, but Zimmerman maintained the scoreless game with a strikeout to end the bottom half.

The Navs finally broke the deadlock in the fifth, with left fielder Jack Rickheim (Harvard) beginning the rally with a one-out single. Rickheim swiped second and advanced to third on second baseman Simmi Whitehill's (Monmouth) ground ball. Miele delivered a signature moment in his debut, knocking the opening RBI single over second baseman JJ Romatzick (Hartford) and into shallow right.

Seelig entered the game for a 1-2-3 fifth and retired each of the first five batters he faced, setting the stage for the visitors' big inning. 

After third baseman Tyler Shulman (Harvard), catcher Aidan Sengenberger (Seton Hall) and Rickheim walked to load the bases to begin the frame, Whitehill reached on a fielding error, plating two runs. Ellis knocked an RBI single to right two batters later, stole second and reached third on a throwing error that also allowed Whitehill to score. Ellis then crossed the plate on a passed ball.

The Navs rounded out their scoring as French and catcher Daniel Leikus (Rhode Island) traded places on doubles in the ninth. Bristol broke the shutout on shortstop Evan Menzel (UConn) and Romatzick singled after Thomas Mahoney (Northeastern) recorded the first two outs of his second inning.

After taking Monday off, the Navs return to North Division action with a Tuesday night visit to the Upper Valley Nighthawks. First pitch is set for 6 p.m. from Maxfield Sports Complex in White River Junction, Vt.