The North Shore Navigators continued their second-half resurgence with a 10-2 victory over the Bristol Blues at Muzzy Field in Bristol Wednesday night. With the win, the Navigators slide into a tie for fourth place with a record of 14-16, while the Blues drop to fifth place with a 13-16 record.
Cole O’Connor (Dartmouth) was excellent on the mound for the Navs as he went six innings, giving up two earned runs on seven hits and striking out four. The win improves O’Connor’s record to 2-1 on the season.
The Navigators got the offense going in the top of the third inning when Ben Kennedy (Texas) and Joey Pena (St. Thomas Aquinas) led the inning off with a single and walk, respectively. Mike D’Acunti (Southeastern) reached on an error which scored Kennedy, and then Pena scored on a ground out by the following batter to give the Navs a 2-0 lead. Up next was Alex Brickman (Siena), who doubled the Navigator lead as he hit a laser over the left-field fence to give the Navs a 4-0 lead after three innings.
After the Navigators and Blues exchanged single markers in both the fifth and sixth innings to make the score 6-2, the Navigators blew the game open in the seventh inning. D’Acunti, Colby Maiola (UMass Lowell) and Mack Nathanson (Wofford) all doubled, increasing the Navigator lead to 8-2.
The Navs offense was not finished, as they tacked on a pair of runs in the top of the eighth. RBI hits by both D’Acunti and Maiola pushed the Navigators lead to 10-2.
D’Acunti, Maiola and Brickman combined for eight RBIs and five runs scored in the winning effort.
The win gives the Navigators their fifth straight victory. They have also won seven of their last eight games and 13 of their last 17 games. This comes after the Navigators lost eight straight and 11 of 12 to start the season.
“We struggled at the beginning of the season,” said Navigators General Manager Bill Terlecky. “We have finally hit our groove and we look forward to making a run for the FCBL playoffs. This season is far from over but I can promise you we will be fighting until the end.”
The Navigators return to Fraser Field on Friday this week as they play host to the first place Worcester Bravehearts. It is also a fireworks night with action beginning at 7 p.m. For up to the minute North Shore Navigators news, visit www.nsnavs.com.
