Mountaineers Fall to Keene In Regular Season Finale

Posted: 08-03-2011

Dan Kemp Spectacular Against Keene @2011 Crowley Photos

Keene, NH - Brett Barrett hit a bases loaded sacrifice fly in the bottom of the eighth inning to take the lead as the Keene Swamp Bats defeated the Vermont Mountaineers 3-2 in New England Collegiate Baseball League action on Tuesday night. The loss snapped a three game win streak for Vermont and gave Keene the top spot in the Western Division playlets while the Mountaineers are the three seed.

The Swamp Bats first got on the board in the bottom of the fourth when Kevin Brown hit a solo homerun off Mountaineers starter Anthony Marzi. Marzi (Berlin, CT/UCONN) pitched five strong innings giving up just the one run, scattering five hits and striking out two without walking a batter.

Keene would push another run across in the sixth inning as they loaded the bases on reliever Greg Lutton (New Haven, VT/Albany). The lefty would then get Colby May to hit a deep fly ball to centerfield that scored Alex Chittenden to make it a 2-0 ball game. Swamp Bats starter Taylor Williams was stellar going six strong innings striking out eight while walking four and giving up one run on one hit.

Vermont began the top of the seventh when Greg Bachman worked a lead off walk that chased Williams. His replacement, David Mahoney, would then walk the first batter he faced in Johnny Mishu before retiring two in a row. With runners on first and second, the Mountaineers executed a double steal with Dan Kemp at the plate and two outs. Kemp (Sturbridge, MA/Franklin Pierce) smoked a pitch off the centerfield fence that scored Bachman and Mishu to tie the game at 2-2.

Keene would go begging in the seventh before reliever Liam Rafferty came on in the bottom of the eighth. Rafferty (Westminster, MA/Sacred Heart) hit Brett DeLoach to start the inning followed by a single from David Lyon. Third baseman Colby May would lay down a sacrifice bunt to advance both runners up one base. Vermont would give the intentional pass to Esteban Gomez before Barrett's soft fly ball was caught by Brian O'Grady in right but his throw was up the line scoring DeLoach.

In the ninth, Eddie Medina pitched a perfect inning sealing the win and clinching the division for Keene. Kyle Gehrs (one and one-thirds, no runs, one hit and one strikeout) gets the win in relief while Rafferty is saddled with the loss giving up the one run one one hit. Medina picked up his fourth save of the season throwing just one inning.

Vermont finishes the regular season at 26-16, as the third seed in the playoffs. They will travel to Holyoke, Mass. to take on the second seeded Blue Sox in game one tomorrow August 3rd, at 6:30 p.m. at MacKenzie Field. Game two will be played on Thursday August 4th at Montpelier Recreation Field at 6:30 with game three at Holyoke if necessary. You can hear all the action live on ESPN 1240, WSKI and online at www.thevermontmountaineers.com.

Game Notes: Johnny Mishu (Nashville, TN/Princeton) stole two bases bringing his season total to 20...The Mountaineers stole three bags in the game bringing their new NECBL record to 118 on the season...Brian O'Grady (Warminster, PA/Rutgers) finishes the year as the league leader in stolen bases with 25 which is also a Mountaineers single season record.

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Mountaineers Fall to Keene In Regular Season Finale

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