KEENE’S TWO-RUN DOUBLE DOWNS KEENE; MAINERS DEFEAT SWAMP BATS 5-3

SANFORD – Tim Keene has struggled to find hits most of the season, but he couldn’t have picked a better time to come through in the clutch on Saturday night. Keene’s two-run double highlighted a four-run eighth inning and proved to be the difference as the Sanford Mainers defeated the Keene Swamp Bats 5-3 in NECBL play at Goodall Park. With the win, the Mainers move a half-game ahead of idle Concord in the race for the Northern Division’s fourth and final playoff spot. Tyler Stovall drove in a run in his ninth consecutive game and scored another while drawing two walks in the victory for Sanford (19-22). Tyler Cannon went 1-for-4 with a run batted in as well as a run scored for Keene (22-19) in the defeat.

After Sanford starter Luke Demko (Rhode Island/Gilford, N.H.) and Keene starter Alan Morrison each tossed five scoreless innings, the Mainers opened the scoring with a run in the bottom of the sixth inning. Tyler Stovall (Central Michigan/Cincinnati, Ohio) led off the inning and then stole second base, his seventh steal of the year in nine attempts. Two batters later, Stovall moved to third base on Bubba Ruddy’s (Cypress CC/Orange, Calif.) single to left field. Stovall would then score the first run of the game on a single to right field by Max Most (Marist/Port Washington, N.Y.).

The Swamp Bats would score twice to take a 2-1 lead in the top of the eighth inning. Tyler Cannon led off the inning with a single to right-center field and moved to second base on a single through the left side of the infield by Matt den Dekker. The runners moved up to second and third base on a throwing error by the catcher Ruddy, who was trying to pick Cannon off of second base. Mike Freeman then lifted a sacrifice fly to centerfield to score Cannon and tie the game 1-1. Paul Gran immediately followed with a double that one-hopped the wall in the left-center field gap to drive home den Dekker and chase Demko from the game. Gran’s double was also the final play before rain set in on Goodall Park, prompting a 52-minute rain delay. When play resumed reliever Brett Carnline (Wharton County JC/Conroe, Texas) issued a walk but got a pair of groundball force outs to end the inning.

Sanford then set to work in the bottom half of the inning, sending nine men to the plate and scoring five times off relievers Kyle Henry, Matt Vaughn and Ryan Woolley to take a 5-2 lead. Most led off the inning with a single through the right side of the infield and moved to second when Michael Gedman (Le Moyne/Framingham, Mass.) lined a single into left field. Keene then brought Vaughn in from the bullpen and Jeff Helps (Central Michigan/Wyoming, Ontario) greeted him by laying down a bunt single on the third-base side to load the bases. Brian Kemp (St. John’s/East Rockaway, N.Y.) followed and grounded a single up the middle past a drawn-in infield to score Most and tie the game 2-2. Gedman was thrown out at the plate by centerfield den Dekker on the play, while Helps moved to second base. After Noah Lankford (Central Michigan/Cincinnati, Ohio) walked to load the bases and Jeff Grantham (St. John’s/Randolf, N.J.) struck out for the inning’s second out, Stovall worked a full count, fouled of two pitches and then earned a walk to force home Helps and give Sanford a 3-2 lead. Tim Keene (Massachusetts Lowell/Berlin, N.H.) followed and lined a double into right-center field to score Kemp and Lankford to extend the lead to 5-2.

The Swamp Bats struck for an unearned run off of Carnline in the top of the ninth inning to create the 5-3 final score. A.J. Wirensberger led off with an infield single deep in the hole at shortstop and moved to second base on a throwing error by Grantham, who was attempting to throw out Wirensberger at first on the play. Jared Humphreys grounded out to second base to move Wirensberger to third. Wirensberger was then driven home on an RBI groundout to shortstop by Cannon. Carnline then struck out den Dekker to end the game.

Demko started on the mound and did not factor in the decision for Sanford. In 7.1 innings of work, he gave up two runs on seven hits, walked one and struck out five. Carnline earned the victory (1-0) out of the bullpen for the Mainers. In 1.2 innings of relief, he gave up one unearned run on one hit, walked one and struck out one.

Morrison started on the hill for Keene and also did not factor in the decision. Over six innings, he gave up one run on five hits, walked three, hit a batter and struck out eight. Vaughn took the loss (2-4) in relief for the Swamp Bats. In two-thirds of an inning out of the bullpen, he gave up three runs on three hits, walked two and struck out one.

The Mainers return to action on Monday, July 30 when they visit the Holyoke Giants for Sanford’s final regular season game. First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at MacKenzie Stadium in Holyoke, Mass. Matt Janik and Mike Lord will have all the action at http://www.sanfordmainers.com.

A complete box score of tonight’s game will be available via http://www.necbl.com.

Founded in 2002, the Sanford Mainers are a non-profit organization and the premier collegiate baseball team in the state of Maine, playing their home games at historic Goodall Park. A proud member of the NECBL, the Mainers annually aid in progressing the careers of the future stars of professional baseball, in addition to bringing top-notch collegiate baseball to the Sanford area. For more information visit http://www.sanfordmainers.com or call the Mainers front office at (207) 324-0010.