Jeramy Matos (Central Florida) hit his third and fourth home runs at Robbie Mills Field this summer, and the five spot in the Schooners’ order produced seven runs, as Mystic unleashed on the Muskrats Thursday, 14-8
Mystic got just its second win of the season, improving to 2-10, with both victories earned against Laconia.
Ethan Bennett (Tennessee) did the heavy lifting for Laconia, hitting two home runs and driving in four runs, on a 3-for-4 night. The only time he got out, he was hit by the previous pitch, but was called for his second batter’s interference of the season.
Bennett was one of four Muskrats players to help paint the Muskrat Monster on the off day Wednesday. General Manager Noah Crane will now add painting to the team’s regular pre-game agenda.
Laconia jumped out to a lead in the first, with three hits to start the game. After a pick off out, Tyler Jackson (Charleston) yanked a ball on the right side, scoring Marcus Davis (Walters St) on a fielder’s choice. Bennett cleaned up the rest with a long drive over the freshly painted Muskrat Monster, putting Laconia up 3-0 after one.
Matos and Mystic answered right away in the second, as he hit his fourth long ball of the season, and third at Laconia this week. Spencer Haynes (Central Florida) added an opposite-field shot one out later, as Mystic cut the score to 3-2.
In the third, a walk and a double had Matos poised to strike again, so Laconia opted to intentionally walk him, loading the bases and creating universal force outs. Bob Cook (Amherst) made the Muskrats pay, clearing the bases with a double. It was the start of a huge night for the fifth Mystic batter, but Cook would not see the rest of it as he came up with a leg injury at second.
Andrew Santomauro (Lafayette) pinch ran for Cook with Mystic leading 5-3, and stayed on defensively. An inning later, Santomauro found himself in the same bases-loaded situation, and outdid Cook. Santomauro launched a grand slam, after a Matos walk gave him his second RBI, and Mystic jumped out to an 11-4 lead
Laconia got one run back in the fifth on a Bennett RBI single, his fourth of the night. The team added more pressure in the seventh on the first homers by Jackson and Vince Conde (Vanderbilt), bringing the score to 11-8.
But Mystic turned the scoring back on. A walk and a productive out allowed Anthony Turgeon (CCSU) to score on an Eric Yavarone (UConn) single. Then Matos struck again, scorching a ball deep into the night sky. Matos finished with a line similar to Bennett’s, going 3-for-3 with four RBI on two homers and a single. He added two walks.
A total of eight home runs left Robbie Mills Field on this warm June night, one more than the previous high accumulated in last year’s 26-4 Holyoke win. The Muskrats are now 0-2 in games decided by more than two runs, and both have been offensive showcases.
Laconia will take its only trip to North Adams, Massachusetts on Friday, visiting the strong-start SteepleCats at 6:30 PM on the NECBL Broadcast Network. The third-place Muskrats will then return for a four-game homestand, starting with the first-place Gulls Saturday.
