Navs Help North Division in All-Star Game Victory

SANFORD, Maine — Three members of the North Shore Navigators helped the North Division to a 5-0 win over the South Division in Sunday's New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) All-Star Game at Goodall Park. 

Wenham native left-hander Gian Gamelli (Notre Dame) was the second North Shore pitcher in three years to earn the All-Star Game start, working around a one-out single to strike out the side in the first inning. The event continued Gamelli's summer-long dominance, as he owns a 1.71 ERA and ranks in a tie for fourth in the NECBL with 41 strikeouts in 26.1 innings.

Hudson Ellis (Oral Roberts) was the starting leadoff hitter and shortstop for the North, contributing to one double play in the middle infield while taking two plate appearances.

The Navs also contributed to the North's victory offensively, as Byfield native and Governor's Academy product Hunter Kingsbury (Bryant) drove a sacrifice fly to center field to round out the scoring in the eighth.

After Gamelli's scoreless frame, the North took a 1-0 lead on an RBI single by Upper Valley designated hitter James Love (Eastern Illinois). Vermont center fielder Alex Benevento (Brown) provided the biggest punch of the game with a solo home run in the second inning.

In the third, Ellis turned a 4-6-3 double play to help erase a leadoff single.

The North added to its lead on an RBI single by Vermont catcher JJ Parsons (UNC Greensboro) in the seventh. An inning later, Sanford and former Navs outfielder Nater Wachter (UConn) added a run-scoring knock of his own before Kingsbury drove in the final run.

Before the game, Navs outfielder Grant Hunter (Binghamton) participated in the Home Run Derby,

The Navs turn their attention to the final stretch of the regular season, which begins with a Monday doubleheader against the Mystic Schooners. First pitch is set for 4:05 p.m. at Fraser Field.