News

MONTPELIER, Vt. – Win, and you’re in.

 

It’s that simple for the Mainers after Bryce Afthim (Southern Maine) went the distance in a shutout against Vermont, 6-0. Sanford homered four times in the game and ended the Mountaineers' attempt to break the win record. 

 

The fireworks started early in the game with some deja vu.

 

Quinn McDaniel (Maine) connected on a home run in the second at-bat, he did the same thing in Vermont on July 17. Lightning struck twice for Black Bear hitters when Jake Rainess (Maine) left the yard for the second time this season, 2-0. 

 

Jumping to the third, Cal Hewett (Vanderbilt) launched a towering fly ball over the left field wall, 3-0. It was his fourth homer of the year, traveling 414 feet with an exit velocity of 102 MPH. 

 

In the fifth, Alex Knapp smoked a fly ball over the left field fence, a two-run shot that brought in Kevin Skagerlind (UMass), 5-0. It was Knapp’s first home run of the season.

 

For Skagerlind, it was the thirteenth time he got hit by a pitch this summer, one off the Mainers' record of 14. 

 

The Moose scored their final run in the eighth on the RBI double from David Bermudez (Manhattan) that drove in Rainess, 6-0.

 

While the long ball was on display, Afthim was the star, as he was wheeling and dealing a complete game shutout against the top team in NECBL. 

 

The Windham, Maine, native struck out five, with no walks or hit by pitches and allowed just three hits across the final six innings. Despite back-to-back singles in the ninth, manager Nic Lops left the ball in his ace's hand, he retired the next three to close it out.

 

Afthim came in with the league-best ERA among starters and it dropped to a flat 1.00 ERA.

 

The green and yellow can clinch a playoff spot tomorrow with a win over Keene. The two will finish out their doubleheader from Thursday that got suspended due to weather.

 

It will start at the top of the second, with the score tied at 0. Zachary Rodgers (UMass-Lowell) will be on the mound. 

 

Written by Matt Scalzo

Director of Broadcasting & Media

 

Photo Courtesy of Emmy Vitali, VitaliVisuals

About the Sanford Mainers:

Sanford Mainers Baseball is Southern Maine's Premier Baseball Experience located in Sanford, Maine and is one of 14 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.