Mainers Rout Swamp Bats in Game One, 15-4
Eight-run seventh caps blowout victory

Sanford, ME – A see-saw affair between the Mainers and the Swamp Bats turned into an 11-run rout as Sanford pounded Keene 15-4 in game one of round two Wednesday night at Goodall Park. Sanford, trailing 4-3 heading into the bottom of the fifth, scored 12 unanswered runs capped off by a eight-run seventh inning. The Mainers were also stellar defensively, recording six double plays including one in the ninth for a fitting end to the ballgame. Sanford has a chance to wrap up the series Thursday night at Keene and lock up a spot in the NECBL championship series against the Newport Gulls, in what would be a rematch of the 2004 championship series.

With the Mainers trailing 4-3, Devin Harris split the game in right-center field for a two-run double, plating Brian Harris and Branson Joseph. Sanford would get a couple of unearned runs in the bottom of the sixth to pad their lead. With Klint Reed on first and two outs, Matt Nandin hit a bouncing ball towards short botched by Jose Macias. Anthony D’Alfonso came to the plate next a poked a single out to left to score Reed. Joseph made it 7-4 on a ringing single to center to score Nandin.

The Mainers would bust it wide open in the seventh, tallying eight runs in an inning for the third time this season. With runners on first and second, Corey Hunt bunted towards third. Josh Chester fielded the bunt but threw it well wide to first. Both Will Greenberg and Greg Hopkins came to the plate, with Hunt ending up at third. This opened the floodgates for Mainers offensively. Reed followed with a run-scoring single to center. After a Brian Harris lineout, Nandin and D’Alfonso ripped consecutive singles setting the plate for Devin Harris. The right-handed hitting slugger pummeled a Ryan Boden fastball well over the wall in right-center, a mammoth grand slam to put the exclamation point on this one at 15-4. Devin Harris ended up with 6 RBIs on the night, a season-high for any Sanford hitter.

Sanford struck first in the third on the first of two RBI singles by D’Alfonso. Each team would trade two-run blows in their respective halves of the fourth and fifth innings. Keene got on the board with a fourth-inning, two-run triple by Alex Lee. That was washed on a Hopkins sacrifice fly in the fourth to score Joseph. Devin Harris also scored on the play as the relay throw got away from the second baseman Chris Tremblay. The Swamp Bats got a RBI single by Dan Grovat and a sacrifice fly from Cliff Hicks in the top of the fifth to make it 4-3, their last lead of the night before the Mainers’ bats took over in the bottom of the fifth.

Mike Wilson started for Sanford. He lasted four-plus innings and gave up four runs on five hits. Kyle Davis was spectacular in relief. The right-hander fired the final five scoreless frames in a winning effort. Sean McDermott was draped with the loss for Keene. In his four and two-thirds innings of work, the lefty allowed five runs on six hits.


***Box scores available at necbl.com

Notes…The 15 runs for Sanford is the second highest mark of the year… The Mainers are now 5-5 all-time in the postseason against Keene… The Mainers and Swamp Bats will play game two Thursday night in Keene. First pitch is slated for 7:00. Audio and video streaming are both available at sanfordmainers.com.