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Nighthawks Take Season Series Over Mountaineers
The Newbury College baseball team completed the season sweep with an 8-2 victory over Southern Vermont College, Tuesday afternoon. The win vaults the Nighthawks into second place in the New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) with a 9-6 conference record and 18-13 overall while the Mountaineers fall to 12-19 and 6-7 in the NECC.
First baseman Corey Armstrong put the Mountaineers on the scoreboard to open the game, driving a two-out RBI double down the left field line. Right fielder Corey D. Briggs jumped on his horse and scored all the way from first to take the quick 1-0 lead in the top of the first.
The Nighthawks answered in the home half of the frame. Right fielder Matthew Clawson drew a walk to lead off the inning then swiped his 10th stolen base of the season. Reigning NECC Rookie of the Week, second baseman Daniel Kovner made Southern Vermont starter, Adam Northup work before lining a scorching single into left to send Clawson to third. Newbury’s leader in RBIs, catcher Patrick Curry drove in Clawson to knot up of the score at one with high fly ball to straightaway center. First baseman Alex Chetelat gave the Nighthawks the one run lead lining a rocket just over the outstretched glove of second baseman Dave Gage to plate Kovner.
Since giving up a bloop single to Curry in the second, Northup retired the next seven Nighthawk batters to keep the Mountaineers in the ballgame before giving up a lead-off walk to Kovner to open the fifth. Kovner’s walk and steal of second that inning ignited a three run fifth, pushing the Nighthawk lead to five.
Starter Zach Griesche pitched magnificently for the Nighthawks to earn his third victory of the season. He got out of a tough bases loaded jam in to the top of the third getting catcher Dan Cook to fly out of Kyle Schiavone in center field to end the threat. An inning later, Griesche stranded shortstop Dave Northup on second, who led off the fourth with a double, retiring the side by way of the strikeout. In the top of the fifth, Armstrong kept the inning alive for the Mountaineers drawing a two-out walk to kick-start a mini-Southern Vermont rally. Morin lined a base hit back where it came from before Griesche retired Cook with his sixth strikeout of the game.
Kovner led off the home half of the frame with a walk then got himself into scoring position swiping second. Curry beat out a slow infield roller as the Nighthawks had runners at the corners and nobody out. Chetelat plated Kovner for the fifth Newbury run reach on an infield single then advanced to second on the third baseman’s throwing error. Left fielder Michael Dean drove in Curry with the sixth Nighthawk run lifting a high, towering fly ball to right center.
The Nighthawks return to the diamond tomorrow afternoon when they face conference foe Becker College in Leicester, Mass. for a twin-bill. First pitch is slated for 2:00pm. On Thursday they will host Massachusetts Maritime Academy and Daniel Webster College in a day-night double-header at Campanelli Stadium in Brockton, Mass. Before the game against the Mass. Maritime Buccaneers they will honor their lone senior, James Languirand, for his four years of dedication to the Newbury baseball program.
Game Notes:
In the top of the second, Chetelat made a nice play to retire left fielder Keith Diotte to end a Southern Vermont threat…Later in the game, third baseman Justin MacCutcheon robbed Mountaineer third baseman Dan Vardaro of extra bases snaring a line drive down the line with a diving catch.
