The Muskrats have made some changes to their 2010 schedule for the last week of the season. The Muskrats will play a doubleheader against Newport on July 28th with game one starting at 3PM and game two at 6:30PM. There is no change for Thursday’s 6:30 game against Lowell but Friday’s off day is now a make up game down in Danbury, Connecticut. The Muskrats will play the Westerners starting at 4PM.
The final day off the regular season will be a busy one for Laconia as they will play a split doubleheader on Saturday July 31st. The Muskrats will host Newport at Robbie Mills Field at noon. They will then travel to Sanford, Maine for a 6:30PM game to conclude the regular season. Come out and support your Muskrats as they look to solidify a spot in the NECBL Playoffs.
(Written by Muskrats outfielder Niko Fraser)
For the first time in the comfort of home field advantage at Robbie Mills Field, the Muskrats were shut out. It just so happened to be the same night that hundreds of fans celebrated the Muskrats inaugural season in Laconia for Fan Appreciation Night.
The streaking Lowell All-Americans defeated the struggling Muskrats 5-0, on a night when Laconia could have gained ground on the beaten first place North Shore Navigators.
Kyle Owings (Spartanburg Methodist) took the mound for just his second start since high school. Owings’ five punch outs through 5.2 innings came up short without the help of the Muskrat offense. The game was grim from the beginning, as Lowell’s leadoff man Matt Miller (Northeastern), who reached base four times in his five plate appearances, singled and later scored on Tim Quinn’s (Franklin Pierce) single.
The All-Americans continued their scoring in the second as designated hitter Matt Collins (Tufts) delivered a single and scored later that inning on Miller’s second single of the night. The night cruised by uneventfully, until the sixth inning when Sean Reilly (Florida International University) singled to lead off the inning and later scored on an errant throw back to the pitcher by catcher Rob Harding (Spartanburg Methodist).
Pat Epps (Central Connecticut) delivered a 3-4 night, which gave him five hits in 24 hours. However, the Muskrats’ were unable to deliver offensively in key situations, loading the bases with less than two outs in the second inning and coming up unproductive. Les Williams (Northeastern) showed no signs of intimidation, sitting down Anthony Iacomini (South Carolina) and Tom Rombilus (New Haven) respectively to end the threat. Threatening again in the seventh inning against reliever Nate Bayuk (Boston College), the Muskrats loaded the bases only to end the inning on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Ryan Lewis (Columbus State).
In the ninth inning, reliever Jimmy Revan (South Carolina) toed the rubber against the red hot Effrey Valdez (NYIT) with the leadoff man Miller on first, again. With a 14 game hitting streak on the line, Valdez sent a Revan pitch deep into the night for a two-run home run, his 13th RBI in the last eight games. The home run spread the gap, putting the All-Americans up 5-0, which ended the scoring of the night.
Williams took the win for Lowell, pitching 6.1 innings, with four strikeouts, two walks and seven hits.
Owings took the loss, pitching 5.2 innings, with six strikeouts, seven hits and three walks.
The Muskrats travel to New Bedford tomorrow night to face the Bay Sox at 6:30 p.m., a game originally scheduled to be played in Laconia. New Bedford is now just 1.5 games behind Laconia for the final playoff spot. The game can be heard on the NECBL Broadcast Network.
Tonight is Fan Appreciation Night at Robbie Mills Field! The Muskrats would like to say thank you to the entire Lakes Region for all of their support over the past 9 months. Please be our guest as we take on the Lowell All Americans in our final regularly scheduled home game. All ages will be admitted FREE. This is our way of saying thanks to our fans and sponsors and giving everyone an opportunity to become a part of the Muskrats family. See everyone tonight!
Sunday night’s 7-4 extra inning home loss to the Navigators had many similarities to Thursday’s loss at North Shore, including the late-game heroics of Cody Dent (University of Florida).
This time it was Dent’s three-run home run in the top of the tenth inning that put the game out of reach for the Muskrats, despite fighting back to load the bases in the bottom of the inning.
And even before that, North Shore was down to their final out in the top of the ninth, down by one, when Anthony Melchionda (Boston College) defied the laws of momentum, launching a solo shot to extend the game.
The Muskrats began mounting a comeback in the seventh inning, down 3-1. With one out, pinch-hitter Ryan Lewis (Columbus St) drew a walk from North Shore’s Mark Williams (Marietta College). Lewis advanced to second on a wild pitch, and then was driven in on a Niko Fraser (Elon) single, bringing the Muskrats within one.
Laconia would take the lead in the eighth with some timely power hitting. Derek Trent (East Tennessee St) narrowly missed a lead off homer, flying out to deep right-center. But Pat Epps (Central Connecticut St) followed with his second double of the game, off the top of the fence in dead center field, also just missing a homer. Adam Kirsh (North Central Texas College) then ripped a barely-fair ball down the third-base line, scoring Epps and tying the game. One out later, it was Tom Rombilus (New Haven) doubling to right to drive in Kirsh and give Laconia its first lead.
The comeback looked complete. Suddenly, the Muskrats were in a position to avenge Thursday’s slip, and had a chance to gain a game on the Division-leading Navigators.
Rob Harding (Spartanburg Methodist College) came on to close out the ninth, and quickly got two outs. But, per usual as of late, the 27th out proved again to be the toughest out for Laconia to get. Melchionda tied things back up with an opposite field long ball.
It was Muskrats closer Nick Krisman who had two outs in the ninth Thursday against North Shore, and Dent who knocked that game-winner into left field. The Navigators have gotten the most out of their final out, and six of the team’s last eight games have all been decided in the ninth inning or extras.
To this point, the late innings had played out just the opposite of Thursday night’s game, where it was Laconia that tied things up in the top of the ninth. Sunday’s ninth inning went almost the same way for the Muskrats, starting with an Evan Marzilli (South Carolina) walk and a Fraser sacrifice bunt. NECBL RBI leader Casey Kalenkosky (Cisco College) was then intentionally passed to first, so it was again Trent with Marzilli in scoring position and Navigators closer Hunter Rivers (Jacksonville St) on the mound.
This same series of events led to Trent’s game-tying RBI double Thursday, and a blown save for Rivers. Sunday night in that spot, Trent walked to load the bases. So it was Epps’ turn to continue a strong game and be clutch; but he struck out. Then it was eighth inning hero Kirsh’s big chance; but he flew out to center to end the inning.
The Muskrats would leave the bases loaded in the final two innings, and Dent would strike for the game winner in between. Two walks and a single loaded the bases for Kalenkosky in the bottom of the tenth, but Rivers struck him out to end the game. It marked back-to-back wins in relief for Rivers against Laconia.
The loss went to Harding, who surrendered Dent’s blast along with Malchionda’s game-changer.
Dan Patrick (Pepperdine) started for North Shore, throwing five innings of one-run ball, with three strike outs, five hits and two walks. Logan Munson (South Carolina) made the start for the Muskrats, matching Patrick’s five innings, with three runs, two strike outs, seven hits and one walk.
Laconia now falls four games behind first place North Shore, still in line for a playoff spot in fourth place. Due to rain makeups, the Muskrats will play every night leading up to the start of the post-season on August 2nd, including a stretch of five games on the road.
Monday night, the Muskrats host the Lowell All-Americans at 7 p.m. All fans in attendance at Robbie Mills Field will be admitted free for Fan Appreciation Night. Those not in the area can listen to the game on the NECBL Broadcast Network.
(Written by Muskrats outfielder Niko Fraser)
In an unfavorable way, late inning heroics seem to follow the Muskrats, as the North Shore Navigators delivered Laconia their third walk-off loss of the month.
North Shore’s Cody Dent (University of Florida) took the thunderous noise from the crowd as encouragement in the bottom of the ninth inning, with two outs and extra innings on the line, as he delivered a walk-off RBI single to left field after battling to a full count and giving the fans five souvenirs.
The 3-2 final undid Laconia’s top of the ninth inning comeback effort. The Muskrats are now 17-16 overall, and 2-14 on the road.
The first inning was Laconia starter Tyler Joyner’s (East Carolina University) only flaw, as he gave up his only two runs, and three out of the five hits allowed, in his final appearance of the summer for the Muskrats. With two down in the bottom of the first, Jason Banos (Columbia University) laced a ball off the extended Tom Rombilus (New Haven) at third base to continue the inning. Anthony Melchionda (Boston College) and Dario Pizzano (Columbia University) followed Banos with a walk and an RBI single, respectively. After Joyner walked designated hitter Garret Smith (Boston College), Jack Mayfield (University of Oklahoma) capped off the Navigators’ scoring for the next eight innings with an RBI single.
Joyner settled down after the first, going on to add five scoreless innings while fanning five. He did not factor in the decision.
The Muskrats got on the board in the fourth as Evan Marzilli (University of South Carolina) doubled down the right field line, followed by Niko Fraser’s (Elon University) ground out to first, which moved him to third base. With the NECBL RBI leader, Casey Kalenkosky (Cisco College) at the plate, Navigators’ starter Crayton Bare delivered a wild pitch. As Marzilli charged from third, catcher Pat Hollerman (Tusculum College) made a nice bare-handed flip to Bare to get the out at the plate. However, home plate umpire Brian Troup thought the ball was still at the backstop, so with his back turned, he called the speedy Marzilli safe at home without seeing the play.
The middle innings were defined by pitching as no one scored from the fourth inning until the final.
In the ninth, trailing 2-1, the Muskrats sent the top of the lineup to the plate. Marzilli reached again on a walk and, seeing that the fourth ball had gotten away from Holleran on the play, Marzili raced to second base. Fraser laid down a sacrifice bunt to advance Marzilli to third base. For the second time in the game, the RBI leader stood at the plate with less than two outs and Marzilli at third. However Mark Williams proved victorious when Kalenkosky grounded out to third. Derek Trent (East Tennessee State University) didn’t let the ‘game-on-the-line’ pressure get to him as he came through with a clutch double off the right field wall which scored Marzilli. Ryan Lewis (Columbus State University) was unable to score Trent’s pinch runner John Polonius (Genesee College) from second, as he grounded out to end the inning tied at 2-2.
Laconia’s Nick Krisman (Judson) sat down the first batter of the bottom of the ninth with a pop-out down the first base line, a promising start for the excellent closer. Pizzano and Smith then reached on consecutive singles. To make the force play at any base, Krisman and the Muskrats gambled by intentionally walking Mayfield, loading the bases. The move seemed favorable when Krisman fanned the next batter, Hollerman, but Krisman was unable to sit down Dent for a fourth time in the game and Dent’s RBI single gave the Muskrats and Krisman the loss.
Navigators’ pitchers Bare, Dillon Hocheavar, Mark Williams, Dan Duval and Hunter Rivers combined to two-hit the Muskrat lineup.
Rivers got the win in one inning pitched, dispite blowing the save, allowing a walk, a hit, and one earned run. Krisman took the loss, his first of the season, with 2/3 innings pitched, one strike out, a walk, three hits, and an earned run.
The Muskrats travel to Connecticut to face-off against Western Division foe Danbury Friday night for the first time of the summer. Follow the game on the NECBL Broadcast Network.