NEWS

GROTON, CT – Right fielder Brett DeLoach (Blackshear, GA/Georgia) scored
the game tying run in the top of the ninth inning and drove home the
game-winner in the tenth inning on an RBI bases loaded walk to lead the
Keene Swamp Bats over the Mystic Schooners, 4-2, in extra innings at
Fitch High School Field in New England Collegiate Baseball League
(NECBL) action on Wednesday night. 

Keene improves to 12-7 overall winning its first game of the season in
extra innings. It’s also the first time this season the Swamp Bats have
won trailing after eight innings of play. Mystic’s (8-8) losing streak
extends to five games.

Colby May (Guyton, GA/Georgia) gave the Swamp Bats an insurance run in
the ninth also drawing a bases loaded walk for his 11th RBI of the
season.

Anthony Kliniske (Grafton, ND/No. Dakota St. Univ.) was given the loss
on two-thirds of an inning, giving up two runs (both earned) on one hit,
three walks, one hit-by-pitch and one strikeout. Kyle Gehrs
(Independence, MO/Iowa Western CC) earned the win throwing two scoreless
innings, allowing one hit, no walks and four strikeouts. 

Both starting pitchers were handed no-decisions in the contest as
Timothy Flight (Portsmouth, RI/Southern NH) went six innings, yielding
one run (earned) on three hits, no walks and six strikeouts. Sahil Bloom
(Weston, MA/Stanford) tossed seven innings, allowing one run (unearned),
four hits and six punchouts.

Mystic opened up the scoring in the bottom of the third inning on a
heads-up base running play by Brett Doran (Milford, CT/ Stanford). After
leading off the inning with a single to right field and stealing second
base, teammate John Murphy (Seymour, CT/Sacred Heart) reached on an
infield single to second base but the play was so slow to develop that
Doran hustled from second and wheeled around third to make it 1-0.
 
Keene responded in the top of the fifth as designated hitter Brett
Barrett (Keene, NH/Southern Maine) collected his third RBI of the season
with a line drive single to right field plating Michael Burruss
(Marietta, GA/Georgia Southern) to tie the score at 1-1.

In the seventh, the Schooners regained the lead, 2-1, as Gabe Ortiz
(Panama City, Panama/Virginia Tech) came around to score from second
base on an infield single by Doran. Keene third baseman Colby May
(Guyton, GA/Georgia) fielded Doran’s slow roller down the left field
line with his bare-hand but his throw to first baseman Esteban Gomez
(Houston, TX/San Jacinto Coll.) was low. After Doran collided with
Gomez, Ortiz scampered home.

The Swamp Bats tied up the game in the top of the ninth inning at 2-2 as
DeLoach raced home from third base on a wild pitch from closer Ricky
Hodges (Darien, CT/Virginia Tech). DeLoach was hit-by-a-pitch to leadoff
the inning, the first time any Keene leadoff hitter reached base in the
game, advanced to second on a groundout and tagged up on a fly out to
right before scoring to tie the game.

Mystic threatened in the bottom of the ninth as Gehrs gave up a leadoff
double to Ortiz but the left-handed reliever retired the next three
batters he faced in order with back-to-back strikeouts and a lineout to
second.

Keene returns to action tomorrow, at home, against the Danbury
Westerners at 6:30 pm.


Shawn Medeiros
Castleton State College 
Sports Information Graduate Assistant
Keene Swamp Bats
Director of Media Relations and Broadcasting
Cell: (774) 526-5805
Office: (802) 468-6172