PORTSMOUTH, N.H. — It was the Navs against the Mavs Sunday, and at the end of the day, the North Shore Navigators and Seacoast Mavericks split a doubleheader — both by the same score.
The Navigators lost the first game 3-0 before turning the tables for a 3-0 win of their own. The split gives the Navigators a 16-19 record heading into the All-Star break. Their record will be good enough to lock them into the third place in the East and it puts them right in the thick of the playoff race.
In the first game, the Navigators struggled to get much offense going. Only Mike D’Acunti (Southeastern University) was able to get multiple hits, as he went 2-3. He also stole his eighth base of the season.
The real standout for the Navs in the first game was their relief pitcher Brett Morrison (Lock Haven). Morrison came on to pitch midway through the fourth inning, and finished the seven-inning contest for the team. In 2 2/3 innings of work, Morrison did not allow a single hit and managed to strikeout five Mavericks.
In the second game, the Navigators struck early on offense. In the first inning, they loaded the bases and Christian Cabrera (Broward CC) hit a ground ball to the second baseman that scored a run.
In the second inning, the Navigators continued their offensive production. Drew Delsignore (Mercyhurst) walked to start the inning and Keith Linnane (Northern Essex CC) launched a double that put runners on second and third. Jordan Roper (Marist College) hit a sacrifice fly that scored Delsignore. Joey Pena (St. Thomas Aquinas) followed that up with an RBI single that scored Linnane and made the score 3-0.
In terms of pitching, the Navigators got an excellent effort out of Nick Malatasta (St. Joseph’s of Maine). Malatesta pitched five innings of shutout ball for the team and ensured that the Mavericks could not get much going. He totaled five strikeouts during his outing and only allowed a total of six base runners.
After Malatesta’s day was done, Evan Glew (Northern Essex CC) came in to close out the game. The southpaw pitched very well and managed to record four strikeouts in his appearance, including two that came in the final inning. He also notched his first save of the season in what was his first relief appearance.
The Navigators will return to action Thursday, after the break is over. They will travel to Nashua to take on the Silver Knights at Holman Stadium. They will return to Fraser Field Saturday (6) against the Mavericks.
