Navs beat Silver Knights, 6-2

The North Shore Navigators continued their strong push through the final stretch of the Futures Collegiate Baseball League season on Tuesday, posting a 6-2 win over the Nashua Silver Knights at Fraser Field.
The win marked North Shore’s eighth in 11 games since the FCBL All-Star Game and improved its record to 30-20 for the summer.
Pete Gonski (Salem State) allowed a quick run to begin his first start as a Navigator in the first inning, but settled in nicely from there. Silver Knights shortstop Manny Cruz doubled to lead off the game and scored as designated hitter Erik Ostberg reached on a fielder’s choice and advanced to second base on an error.
The Navigators tied the game just two batters into their half of the first. Right fielder Maxx Sheehan (Franklin Pierce) led off with a single, stole second and scored on a deep triple to center field by shortstop Brandon Fischer’s (St. Thomas Aquinas).
North Shore sent nine batters to the plate against Silver Knights starter Ryan Moloney in the third, scoring three more times on four hits and a walk.
Sheehan doubled, stole his second base of the game and scored on the first of back-to-back RBI singles by second baseman Richie Fecteau (Salem State) and first baseman Chad Martin (Bowdoin) with one out. Third baseman M.J. Brown (Lee) made it three Navs runs in the third on a sacrifice fly to right field.
Nashua got a run back in the sixth as first baseman Matt O’Herron lifted a sacrifice fly to right field with the bases loaded, but reliever Rob DiFranco (Bates) struck out left fielder Tyler Noe (of Lynnfield and UMass Lowell) to end the threat and prohibit any further damage.
After pitching exclusively in relief over 11 appearances at Salem State this spring, Gonski provided the Navs with 5 ? strong innings, giving up two runs to earn his first win of the year.
Fecteau picked up his eighth two-out RBI of the season with runners in scoring position in the sixth, extending the Navs’ lead to three runs with a single through the right side.
Sheehan reached base for the fourth time on an eighth-inning walk, stole his third base of the game and advanced to third on a wild pitch before scoring on a sacrifice fly from Fischer. Catcher Kyle Devin (Rhode Island) also finished the night with three hits for the Navs as he and Sheehan combined for half of the offensive output.
DiFranco walked just one Nashua batter and struck out three over 2 ? innings before Speros Varinos (Tufts) closed out the Silver Knights with a pair of strikeouts in the ninth.