Team Info

Hartford, Vt

The SwampBats came back from 7-1 down to rally and beat the Upper Valley Nighthawks 16-10 on Saturday evening in Vermont.

The Nighthawks jumped out to an early lead with four unearned runs in the bottom of the first on three hits, two walks, and an error. The SwampBats threatened in each of the first two innings, but were done in by two double-plays, the second of which was controversial due to the shortstop possibly not being on the second base bag. Keene got on the board in the third, when Devin Taylor’s (Indiana) sacrifice fly scored Christian Mercedes (Southern New Hampshire). The threat ended abruptly after that when the Bats hit into their third inning-ending double play in a row. Upper Valley made it 5-1 with a run in the bottom half.

Joel Rodriguez (Charleston Southern) pitched a scoreless fourth before Upper Valley got a two-out, two-run single to make it 7-1 in the bottom of the fifth. Keene began their comeback in the top of the sixth. After leadoff singles by Taylor and George Mason’s Jordan Smith, Evan Goforth (Indiana) drove them both home with a double to the right-center field gap. Joseph Salvo (Samford) followed with a line-drive RBI single on a full count to make it 7-4. The SwampBats then loaded the bases on a walk by UConn’s Bryan Padilla and a single by Mercedes, before Blake DeLamielleure (Jacksonville) drove home Livermore with a single. Padilla was thrown out at the plate on the play trying to bring the Bats within a run.

After Rodriguez pitched a scoreless bottom of the sixth, the SwampBats erupted again in the seventh. Smith started things off with a one out double. Goforth walked, and Smith scored when Salvo reached on an error. Tony Livermore (Northwestern) laid down a perfect bunt single to load the bases and then Padilla followed with an RBI infield single of his own to tie the game. Mercedes gave the Bats the lead with a bases-loaded walk, and Horton followed in kind to make it 9-7. DeLamielleure blooped a single to keep the line moving and bring Taylor up for the second time in the inning. Taylor rocketed a grand slam over the centerfield fence for his seventh home run and the Bats’ second slam of the summer, making it 14-7 Keene.

Sam Portnoy (Rutgers) pitched the seventh and eighth for Keene, allowing one run and striking out three. The Bats added two runs on five walks in the top of the ninth before Kayden Campbell (Louisville) survived a rally attempt in the bottom half to seal the game.

Keene (13-25) is back in action on Tuesday at Vermont after the all-star break.