Gulls Soar and Sharks Strike in Action-Packed NECBL Thursday Night
The third night of the 2025 NECBL season delivered a whirlwind night of action featuring rain delays, home runs, and mesmerizing pitching. Martha’s Vineyard dominated Bristol while Ocean State made waves in North Adams with a pair of multi-run innings. Keene’s offense shines in close game with North Shore, and Newport stormed back from a four-run deficit with 11 unanswered runs to sink Mystic.
North Adams Steeplecats vs Ocean State Waves
Final Score: SteepleCats 4, Waves 9
North Adams, MA - The Ocean State Waves posted an 11-hit night to surge past North Adams for the 9-4 road victory at Joe Wolfe Field.
The Waves opened the scoring in the third inning with a Brandyn Durand (Bryant) two-run home run. Ocean State continued its scoring in the fourth with a Sam Seidel (Bowling Green) three-run double before adding on to their lead in the fifth with a Connor Grotyohann (Rutgers New Brunswick) two-run single. North Adams was able to break the shutout in the fifth with a Nick Guachione (UPenn) single.
Following a brief rain delay in the middle of the sixth, Sean Stephenson (Iona) kick-started the North Adams offense as the SteepleCats scored on an overthrown ball in the sixth. Zac Zyons (Bryant) responded in the top of the seventh inning by racing home on a wild pitch to bring Ocean State’s lead back up to six runs. North Adams continued to cut into the Waves’ lead as Billy Howard (Ashland) added to the scoring with an RBI single in the seventh, and Colin Overholt (Ashland) crossed home plate on a wild pitch in the eighth inning, slashing the lead to four runs
The Waves’ Kolton Reynolds (Arkansas Fayetteville) capped off the night by adding a one-run double in the top of the ninth inning, and quick reflexes by Ocean State pitcher Nolan Peel (Rutgers New Brunswick) on a line drive in the bottom of the ninth cemented the victory.
Ocean State’s Kayden Faulcon (Pittsburgh) took home the win while the SteepleCats’ Tristan Helmick (Lafayette) was credited with the loss
The SteepleCats return to action on Friday as they head to Vermont to take on the Mountaineers. Ocean State travels to Lynn, Massachusetts, on Friday to face the Navigators on their home turf.
Mystic Schooners vs Newport Gulls
Final Score: Gulls 13, Schooners 6
Mystic, CT- The Schooners got to work right away, pleasing the home crowd with a three-run bottom of the first. Christian Scanlon (Merrimack) walked in the game’s first run, which was followed by an Anthony Belisario (UConn) two-RBI single to put Mystic up 3-0 early. The very next inning, however, the Gulls retaliated when Shane Williams (Salve Regina) hit an RBI groundout to put Newport on the board, 3-1. An inning later, Andreaus “Dre” Lewis (Manhattan) drove in another run with a single to cut the deficit to 3-2.
In the bottom of the third, Christian Scanlon (Merrimack) capped off a two-out rally with an electrifying two-run home run to put Mystic up 5-2. The next inning, Kaiden Dossa (Yale) drilled a solo homer to right, admiring his hit as he added on to the Schooners’ lead, 6-2.
In the top of the sixth with two runners on, Randy Seymour (Michigan State) ripped a single into the outfield to drive in both Gulls' baserunners, cutting Mystic’s lead to 6-4. Seymour followed up by later scoring on a wild pitch to put Newport down by only one run, 6-5.
The top of the seventh was a huge inning for Newport as the Gulls loaded the bases, leading to Shane Williams (Salve Regina) getting hit by a pitch to bring in the tying run, evening the score at six apiece. Matthew Bolton (Binghamton) came in clutch with an RBI single to then give Newport the lead, 7-6. Chaos would ensue, as McDonald McCommons (Navy) scored on a fielder’s choice for Petey Craska (North Alabama), extending Newport’s lead to 8-6. Adding to the chaos, Ty Stecko (Eastern Michigan) walked in a run, Matthew Bolton (Binghamton) scored on a wild pitch, and Andreaus “Dre” Lewis (Manhattan) hit an RBI groundout to extend Newport’s lead, 11-6. The Gulls showed no signs of slowing down in the top of the ninth, when Ty Stecko (Eastern Michigan) hit an RBI groundout, and Petey Craska (North Alabama) scored on a dropped third strike to make the score 13-6. The 2024 Fay Vincent Sr Cup champion Gulls completed the comeback, erasing a four-run deficit by scoring 11 unanswered runs.
Newport hosts the Sharks tomorrow at 6:35pm. The Schooners take a day off and head to Danbury to take on the Westerners at 6:30pm on Saturday, June 7th.
Keene SwampBats vs North Shore Navigators
Final Score: SwampBats 7, Navigators 5
Keene, NH – The Keene SwampBats improved to 2-1 on the season Thursday night, holding off a late comeback attempt by the North Shore Navigators to win 7-5. The SwampBats started the game off strong offensively in the first inning. With runners on the corners and one out, Chandler Tuupo (Charleston Southern) grounded into a fielder’s choice, which scored Michael O’Brien (Mississippi St) from third to put Keene on the board first.
The SwampBats would continue to hold that lead till the third inning, where it was Tuupo once again as he collected his second RBI of the game off a single to left field that scored Gabriel Pitts (Central Connecticut St). With two outs and runners in scoring position, Nicholas Romano (Florida Atlantic) came in clutch as he singled to center, scoring both runners and putting the SwampBats up 4-0.
In the top of the fifth, the Navigators would get a run back. After Keene took out their starter, Benjamin Rabatin (Kent State), North Shore got their first hit and run off the bat of Aidan Sengenberger (Stonehill), who showed off his light tower power with his first home run of the year. Rabatin was pulled after four no-hit innings, where he struck out six and issued three walks.
In the top of the sixth, Navigators first baseman Brody Dalton (West Virginia) joined the home run party as he launched a two-run home run, his first of the season, which brought the game to 4-3. In the bottom half of the inning, Keene responded with a home run of its own, this one from catcher Zack Thompson (Mercer), who deposited his third home run in as many games.
In the later innings, the SwampBats added two more runs off a Pitts sacrifice and a Romano RBI double and entered the ninth inning with a 7-3 lead. The Navigators wouldn’t go without a fight as they loaded up the bases with two outs to bring up the tying run in Dalton as he kept the game alive with a single to right field that scored two runs and made it 7-5.
Reliever Todd Kniebbe (Florida Atlantic) was able to wiggle his way out of the jam and close the door with a strikeout. Kniebbe got the win at home for Keene while Navigators' starter Liam Kinneen (Princeton) was credited with the loss.
Keene will head on the road tomorrow to face the Valley Blue Sox, while the Navigators will go back home to host the Ocean State Waves.
Martha's Vineyard Sharks vs Bristol Blues
Final Score: Sharks 10, Blues 1
Oak Bluffs, MA - The Sharks provided home fans with an exhilarating performance on offense against the Blues tonight. Jackson Miller (Mississippi) produced early, kicking it off for the Sharks with an RBI single in the bottom of the first and another RBI single in the bottom of the third, quickly putting them up 3-0. Later on in the third inning, Max Kaufer (South Carolina Columbia) hit a three-run opposite field homer to increase the Sharks’ lead to 5-0, starting his stellar performance.
In the top of the fourth, Bristol was able to get on the board when Thomas Ahlers (Keene State) hit an RBI double to decrease the Sharks’ lead to 5-1. In the bottom of the inning, however, Martha’s Vineyard answered by loading the bases with one out, leading to Brayden Martin (Maryland College Park) scoring on a wild pitch. Immediately after, Kaufer continued to shine when he hit a two-run single to make it 8-1 Sharks after four innings. In the fifth, Martin hit an RBI single to increase the Sharks' lead to 9-1, and then to 10-1 in the seventh when he walked in a run. In the top of the ninth, the Blues threatened to score by loading the bases, but Braydon Sanford (Oral Roberts) got the Sharks out of the jam, securing the victory 10-1.
The Sharks head to Newport to take on the Gulls for a good matchup tomorrow at 6:35 pm, and the Blues host the Westerners for a 6:30 pm game slot tomorrow as well.
--
The New England Collegiate Baseball League is a wooden bat college summer league that fields teams in all six New England states. Partially funded by Major League Baseball, the New England League started play in 1994 and has sent over 230 alumni to the Major Leagues with nearly 30 alumni taken in the first round of the MLB Draft. For continuing coverage of the NECBL, visit NECBL.com and follow the league on Twitter, Instagram and on Facebook.
