Navs Fall to SwampBats in Extra Innings

By Jason Glick

LYNN, Mass. — Cohesively using 30-plus players, many of which just met each other, for the first time is a tall task.

However, the North Shore Navigators (0-1) flashed promise in a 6-3, 10-inning loss to the Keene Swamp Bats (2-0) in their New England Collegiate Baseball League season opener on Friday night at Fraser Field.

North Shore was stout on the mound, anchored by Robert Brown's (Penn State) seven strikeouts across five innings of two-hit baseball and reliever Charley Bergsma's (Harvard) three late hitless frames. The only run that Brown allowed was unearned.

After Swamp Bats shortstop Micah Kendrick (Kansas State) scored the opening run by reaching home on a wild pitch, the Navs jumped ahead in the bottom of the second inning on runs by designated hitter Jason Bello (Dayton) and third baseman Maddix Simpson (Ohio State). Simpson scored courtesy of Danvers native right fielder Danny Flynn's (Northeastern) RBI infield single to seize a crucial 2-1 lead through two frames.

The top of the third was the Navigators' most impressive defensive one yet with two strikeouts from Brown. North Shore took advantage of Keene's lapses with center fielder Hunter Kingsbury's (Bryant) double to left field in the bottom of the frame.

Keene pitcher Hunter Colagrande (Stony Brook) had two strikeouts with two earned runs through three innings but was replaced by Eamon McDermott (Duke).

On the back end of the sixth inning, first baseman Daniel Leikus (Rhode Island) was hit by a pitch and second baseman Simmi Whitehill (Monmouth) singled. Simpson then hit a sacrifice fly to right field to bring Leikus home for the first run in four innings, as the Navigators claimed a 3-1 advantage.

Bergsma washed Keene away in the seventh and eighth innings, extending his hitless window for nine consecutive outs. The Navigators were inches away from putting the game out of reach but barely failed to capitalize with a runner on third in the eighth inning.

North Shore's pitching magic ran out of fuel in the ninth, as Boykin notched an RBI single to bring things within one. Then, he scored via a sacrifice fly by Keene right fielder Griffin Enis (Virginia) to knot the game at three. The bottom of the ninth began with a pair of North Shore walks, and with Fraser Field on its feet, it seemed the Navigators were at the cusp of walking it off. Ultimately, the Swamp Bats caught the Navs in a rundown to force extra innings.

Thanks to an automatic runner and Keene designated hitter Nolan Belcher's (Kent State) single, a pair of runs were driven in on a two-run triple by third baseman Nico Senese (Georgia Southern) to gain a 5-3 advantage. Another run came home on the ensuing at-bat, courtesy of infielder Collin Anderson's (Duke) single.

The Navs got a final chance to match Keene's 10th inning with their automatic baserunner, but the Swamp Bats optimized their momentum to close the game out.

The Navs return to action on Saturday night when they face the Sanford Mainers in their first road game of the summer. First pitch at Goodall Park is at 6:30 p.m.