NEWS

 

HOLYOKE, MA – Right-handed pitcher Jeff Thompson (Greenville,

IN/Louisville) pitched six scoreless innings, scattering just two hits,

three walks and a game-high eight strikeouts to guide the Keene Swamp

Bats over the Holyoke Blue Sox, 1-0, in New England Collegiate Baseball

League (NECBL) Western Division action on Friday night at Mackenzie

Stadium.

 

Keene, winners of four-straight, improves to a league-best 23-12

overall. Holyoke falls to 21-12.

 

Thompson earned his second win of the season (2-2) striking out the

first six batters he faced in order to begin the contest. The only test

for Thompson all night came in the bottom of the sixth inning with two

outs and the bases loaded but the right-hander forced Trey Mancini

(Winter Haven, FL/Notre Dame) to pop out to second base on one pitch to

end Holyoke’s threat.

 

The Swamp Bats took the lead in the next half inning as Kevin Brown

(Northborough, MA/Bryant) lifted a sacrifice fly to right field with the

bases loaded plating teammate Michael Burruss (Marietta, GA/Georgia

Southern) for a 1-0 advantage. 

 

Burruss got Keene’s offense going with one out in the frame with a

single to centerfield. Tom Conley (Quincy, MA/UMass-Amherst) followed

Burruss and was immediately hit by a curveball from Ben Mount (Coto De

Caza, CA/Univ. of So. Cal) to put runners on first and second base.

Derek Toadvine (Springfield, OH/Kent St.) wasted little time loading the

bases in the next at-bat lining a single to centerfield on a first pitch

fastball setting up Brown for his 24th RBI of the season.

 

Mount suffered his first loss of the season (4-1) on

seven-and-one-thirds innings pitched, eight hits, one run (earned), one

walk and six punchouts.

 

In the eighth, the Swamp Bats threatened to add an insurance run on the

scoreboard after Brett DeLoach (Blackshear, GA/Georgia) and David Lyon

(Emporium, PA/Kent St.) led off the frame with back-to-back consecutive

singles but Mount and left-handed reliever Daniel Watts (La Grange,

GA/Jacksonville St) kept the score at 1-0 recording the next three outs

in order. After Mount struck out Colby May (Guyton, GA/Georgia) for his

sixth and final punchout of the night, Watts entered the contest

recording a strike out and a pop out to limit any further damage and

keep it a one-run deficit for Holyoke.

 

Swamp Bats closer Kyle Gehrs (Independence, MO/Iowa Western CC) notched

his team-leading fifth save of the season closing out the remainder of

the contest for Keene throwing three scoreless innings on one hit, one

walk and three strikeouts.

 

Eric Smith (La Canada, CA/Stanford) collected Holyoke’s only hit off of

Gehrs in the ninth inning with one out but the left-handed pitcher

struck out Mancini, walked Tom Murphy (West Monroe, NY/Buffalo) and

forced Justin Ringo (Palos Park, IL/Stanford) to ground out to first

base to finish off the ball game.

 

Keene returns to action tomorrow at home against the Mystic Schooners 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