The North Shore Navigators could not get the best of the Seacoast Mavericks in their second matchup in as many nights. After a 13 inning thriller on Thursday night, the two teams faced off in Portsmouth on Friday and the Navigators were unable to get their bats going, falling 6-1.
The pitching for the Navigators was solid for a second straight game. They got a good effort out of starting pitcher Richie Cruz (Florida International) who went 4 2/3 innings on the day. Cruz surrendered three runs on the game, but also managed to lead the team with four strikeouts.
Following Cruz’s effort, Clay Yianacopolus (Assumption College) came into the game and gave a stellar effort. Yianacopolus retired all four batters he faced, striking out three of them and helping the Navs out of a jam.
To end the game, Brian Burke (Curry College) and Sean O’Neill (Brandeis University) came into the game. Burke started his outing strong, striking out three consecutive batters, before loading the bases with no outs in the bottom of the eighth inning. That’s when O’Neill came into the game. O’Neill did his best to limit the damage, picking up one strikeout, and only three runs scored in the inning. Two were charged to Burke and one was charged to O’Neill.
On offense, the most consistent performer of the night was Riley Herold. The Nebraska-Omaha product went 1-for-2 on the day, reaching base three times by way of two walks and a single.
Nick DiBenedetto (Trinity College) also managed to get on base a few times during the night. He walked once, reached on an error, and got a base hit. He also scored the only run for the Navs, scoring on a wild pitch with the bases loaded.
The Navigators will return to action on today when they travel to Campanelli Stadium in Brockton for a day-night doubleheader with the Brockton Rox. The first game is scheduled for 12:05 p.m. and the second game is a 7:05 p.m. The Navs will then return to Fraser Field tomorrow for a matchup with the Torrington Titans. That will be the Father’s Day game, and any fathers in attendance will get to throw a ceremonial first pitch. The game is scheduled to start at 5 p.m.
