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Ocean State Slugs Past Navs Tuesday

07/11/2023 8:25 PM

SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. — Seven home runs and 20 total hits propelled the Ocean State Waves to a 19-6 win over the visiting North Shore Navigators in Tuesday’s New England Collegiate Baseball League game at Old Mountain Field.

The Navs slipped to 13-16 as their second three-game win streak of the summer came to an end. Ocean State extended its lead on third place to two games in the Coastal Division standings, improving to 15-14-1.

The loss spoiled a strong night at the plate for center fielder Evan Griffis (Stetson), who went 3-for-4 with a three-run home run, four RBI and a pair of runs scored to lead the North Shore offense. Griffis now leads the team with a .316 average and 19 RBI on the season.

Catcher Matt Chatelle (Merrimack) also contributed to the Navs’ nine-hit attack and drove in a run, marking his sixth RBI since the start of last week.

The Navs drew first blood with a two-out run in the first inning. After Ocean State starter AJ Colarusso (Boston College) started the game with a strikeout and retired back-to-back batters, shortstop Henry Kaczmar (Ohio State) ripped a double into the left-field corner and scored as Griffis sent a single into left in the next at-bat.

Ocean State broke the game open as the first seven batters of the game reached base, posting six hits and scoring three times on first baseman Brodey Heaton’s (Belmont) one-out home run.

Reliever Jack Iannibelli (Stonehill) worked a 1-2-3 second inning on just six pitches in his Navs debut, but the hosts doubled their output in the third. Designated hitter Parker Rowland (Arkansas) hit a one-out RBI single and crossed the plate after catcher Rob Butler (Rhode Island) homered to right two batters later.

North Shore clawed back to within 6-3 in the fourth. Griffis started up the offense with a leadoff single before stealing second and scoring as Chatelle sent a one-out base hit through the middle.

The Navs would get no closer, however, after Ocean State hit four homers and scored five runs on five hits in the last of the fourth. Third baseman Davis Gillespie (Southern Mississippi) and center fielder Khyree Miller (College of Charleston) led off with back-to-back solo homers, Rowland hit a two-run shot, and right fielder Eric Genther’s (Rhode Island) two-out blast finished the big inning.

North Shore got three runs back on one swing of the bat in the fifth, as second baseman Luca Trigiani (William & Mary) singled, Kaczmar walked and Griffis crushed his team-leading third homer of the season and second in three games out to center. Left fielder Lewis Barnum’s (Bryant) two-run triple down the right-field line highlighted the Waves’ five-run response.

South Hamilton native Cooper McGrath (Northeastern) and Jake Needham (Holy Cross) teamed up to pitch 1.2 scoreless innings out of the Navs bullpen before Butler hit his second homer of the night to center in the seventh. Christian Ficca’s (Georgetown) pinch-hit single in the eighth concluded Ocean State’s scoring.

First baseman Brandon Drapeau (Saint Joseph's) and outfielders Stan DeMartinis III (Bentley) and Peter Messervy (Harvard) also had hits for North Shore.

Seven Ocean State batters recorded multiple hits, including Heaton who was 2-for-5 with two homers and six RBI. Butler and Heaton each went deep twice.

Jacob Cook (Southern Mississippi) earned the win in relief of Colarusso, while former Navigator lefty Aaron Groller (Seton Hall) struck out three across three innings of scoreless, one-hit ball to post a save.

The Navs return to Rhode Island for a Wednesday night matchup with the league-leading Newport Gulls. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. at Cardines Field.