Mainers Split Twin Bill at Vermont, Tie Club Record for Wins
Sanford edged 7-6 in game one; Top Mountaineers 7-1 in nightcap.

Montpelier, VT – The Mainers could not recover from an early 5-0 deficit in game one, but bounced back as Ryan LaPointe pitched five strong innings in a starting role as Sanford pounded the Vermont Mountaineers 7-1 in game two Tuesday night at Recreation Field. With the win, the Mainers tied an all-time club high with 28 wins, going 28-13 in the 2003 campaign. Also, a Sanford win on Thursday or a North Shore loss in any of their four remaining ballgames would crown the Mainers the NECBL’s Northern Division champions. It would also give the Mainers home-field advantage throughout the NECBL postseason.

Vermont got to Mark Schmidt early in game one, tallying three hits, and walking four times while sending 10 to the plate in a five-run first. The big blows coming on two-run doubles by both Jeff Mercer and Matt Duffy.

The Mainers would get two of those runs back in their half of the first. Klint Reed walked and Matt Nandin reached on an infield single to lead off the first. After a Branson Joseph flyout, Anthony D’Alfonso and Devin Harris recorded consecutive RBI singles to make it a 5-2 score.

The Mountaineers would score a second inning run in an unconventional manner. With runners at the corners, Mercer attempted to steal second base. The catcher Will Greenberg threw to second but Mercer stopped dead in his tracks before reaching second. On the throw, the runner Nick Panzarella took of for home. Greg Hopkins tagged Mercer out near first but not before Panzarella crossed home plate to give Vermont their sixth run. Heading to the bottom of the third, Joseph blasted home run number four on the summer, a towering shot to left to make it a 6-3 deficit.

The Mountaineers would re-open a four cushion in the fifth. With the bags loaded and Jeff DeCarlo on the mound, Matt Duffy hit a sharp liner off the back side of the Mainer southpaw, allowing Mercer to score. Sanford, now trailing by four heading into the bottom of the fifth, would cut their deficit in half with run-scoring singles by Brian Harris and Corey Hunt.

Sanford would make one final attempt at a comeback in the bottom of the seventh. With one out, Brian Harris was hit by a pitch. Hunt slapped a single to left. Kyle Groth came in to pinch-hit for Hopkins. With Groth at the plate, a passed ball by Gerald Ogrinc allowed both runners to move up 90 feet. Groth then hit a bouncing ball to first allowing Brian Harris to score but first baseman Joseph Sparacino fielded the ball and stepped on the bag for the second out of the inning. Reed came to the plate and chopped the first pitch he saw off the plate. Dusty Odenbach, on to close it out, gloved it and made an underhand flip to first to end the ballgame.

Schmidt lasted four and a third innings and allowed seven runs on seven hits, walking six in a losing effort. DeCarlo fired two and two-thirds scoreless frames at the tail end of the game. Chris Pickering started for Vermont and went just three and a third innings, giving up three runs on seven Mainer hits. Logan Billbrough picked up the win in relief and Odenback notched his league-leading 11th save.

Game two would stay scoreless until the top of the fifth. The Sanford offense had just recorded two hits against starter Nick Greenwood, who exited after four. Hopkins led off the frame with a single to right off the new reliever R.J. Preach. Hunt walked. Nandin came in to pinch-hit for Groth. With Nandin at the plate, a passed ball by catcher Steven Felix allowed each runner to advance a base. Nandin then hit a slow chopper to short. Hopkins, the runner at third, did not try to score but Hunt, who was standing at second, took off for their base. Hopkins was forced to try to score and was thrown out at the plate.

However, the Mainers would not let this opportunity go to waste. Reed was hit by a pitch to load the bags. Brian Harris drew a bases loaded walk to force in the first run of the ball game. Joseph came up and lined out to right, but it was deep enough to score Nandin. D’Alfonso busted the game open, launching a double splitting the gap in right-center, plating Reed and Brian Harris to give the Mainers a 4-0 lead. Vermont would get their only offense in game two in the bottom of the sixth on a RBI fielder’s choice off the bat of Matt Duffy. The Mainers would put the game away when Devin Harris cleared the bases with a scorching double to the opposite field to give Sanford a 7-1 advantage.

LaPointe allowed just one run on one-hit threw five-plus innings in picking up his second win the of the year. Tony Chisman pitched a scoreless sixth and Ryan Cole finished off the Mountaineers in the seventh. Greenwood pitched four scoreless frames for Vermont. Preach was draped with the loss, allowing the four fifth inning runs.

***Box scores available at necbl.com


Notes…Sanford finished the season series 5-1 against Vermont... The Mainers are off Wednesday before concluding the regular season Thursday afternoon at Lowell. First pitch is slated for 2:00. Audio and video streaming are both available at sanfordmainers.com.