News

Written by Director of Broadcasting and Media

Joe Skinner

SANFORD, Maine – The Sanford Mainers took the field Sunday for their first matinee start of the year against the Keene SwampBats. After scoring in the last inning to make the deficit only one run, the Mainers couldn’t push across the tying run and fell to the SwampBats by a score of 4-3.  

Alex McKenney (Maine) earned the start for Sanford to make his debut appearance. McKenney worked a mostly clean first five innings, only allowing one earned run in that frame. The sixth inning is where things started to turn for the Mainers, as Keene sent eight hitters to the plate and scored three runs to give the SwampBats the lead. McKenney finished after six innings, allowing four hits, four runs, three earned runs, one walk, and four strikeouts in the loss.

For the third game in a row, Cam Ridley (Eastern Kentucky) scored a run in the first inning for Sanford. After a base hit and stealing second base, Ridley was able to score on a throwing error for the game’s opening run.

Keene tied the score at one in the third inning with an RBI groundout, and eventually took the lead in the sixth with a three-run frame carried by two hits and a Sanford defensive error.

The Mainers were led offensively by Ridley, Cal Hewett (Vanderbilt) and Marty Higgins (St. John’s) who each turned in two-hit performances. Hewett was able to score on a wild pitch in the sixth inning to pull the Mainers within two runs.

Ryan Rue (Hofstra) and Kyle McKernan (Virginia Tech) combined for scoreless relief appearances, with Rue striking out three and McKernan striking out one.

Sanford rallied in the ninth inning and had a chance to take the game after a base hit from Higgins, a walk by Dayne Leonard (Virginia Tech), and a single from Ridley loaded the bases with only one out with the score at 4-2 in favor of Keene. Jonny Barditch (Manhattan College) was able to bring home one run with a sacrifice fly to draw the game to one, but an infield popup in the next at-bat ended the game and finished off a 4-3 win by the SwampBats.

Up next for Sanford is a road game against the Upper Valley Nighthawks on Tuesday, followed by a home date with the Vermont Mountaineers.  

About the Sanford Mainers:
Sanford Mainers Baseball is Southern Maine's Premier Baseball Experience located in Sanford, Maine and is one of 13 members of the New England Collegiate Baseball League, as well as a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded in 2001, playing its first season in 2002. The Sanford Mainers are committed to providing an outlet for collegiate baseball players from across the country to assist in skill development, while also acting as a community partner to the Southern Maine region in regard to youth activities, internships, volunteerism, and more. The Mainers are two-time league champions, taking home the title in 2004 and 2008. For more information on the Sanford Mainers, please visit our website at www.sanfordmainers.com or follow on Facebook at facebook.com/sanfordmainers or on Twitter and Instagram at @sanford_mainers.

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