Reporter – Franklin Zessis
LYNN — With a 4-0 lead entering the final frame, Ryan Buckler (Virginia Tech) looked to preserve the North Shore Navigators’ shutout. He did just that, inducing weak contact in every at-bat en route to retiring the Blue Sox in order and preserving the shutout.
Backed by a strong performance by the entire pitching staff, the Navigators (1-0) cruised past the Valley Blue Sox 4-0 on Tuesday’s New England Collegiate Baseball League opening day at Fraser Field.
In the team’s home opener, the Navigators elected to start returning pitcher Brett Dunham (Northeastern). The North Andover native sported a 5.64 ERA across seven starts last season, and the rising senior was in complete command in his first start.
Dunham pitched out of the bullpen for the Huskies in the spring, but he featured elite control of all his pitches throughout his outing, allowing him to quickly get ahead and control counts.
“I don’t think (the mentality) changes much,” Dunham said on transitioning to a starting role. “I think you just got to win (against) every hitter (and) every inning.”
He accounted for the Navigators’ first 12 outs, striking out eight and inducing four groundouts to the pitcher. Dunham consistently made quick work of the Blue Sox hitters, finishing the game with no runs and no hits allowed over five innings.
“I thought he was outstanding,” coach Bob Macaluso said of Dunham. “He changed his arm angle…now it’s like three-quarter, short arm in the back, better velocity, (the ball) jumps out of his hands and he pounded strikes.”
The Navigators’ bullpen featured similar efficiency as they preserved the shutout and yielded just one hit. Zach Gleason (Stonehill) was the first reliever used, recording two strikeouts in his perfect inning of work. Jack Volo (Georgetown), Peabody native Joe Castrichini (Stonehill) and Buckler followed.
The first four innings were quiet as the two teams combined four just four baserunners. But the Navigators broke the scoreless tie in the fifth inning as, with runners on first and third, Brendan Jones (Holy Cross) swiped the Navigators’ fourth bag of the game. The stolen base forced an errant throw into center field, allowing him to advance third and score the game’s first run. The error then allowed Ryan Gerety (Northeastern) to double the lead later in the at-bat on a sacrifice fly to center field.
The Navigators added to their lead in the following inning as a double play with the bases loaded. The third wild pitch of the frame gave the Navigators a 4-0 lead.
“It couldn’t have been any better,” Macaluso said of the team’s performance. “We haven’t got off to good starts (in prior years), so I’m really happy about getting the first win.
On the offensive side, Andrew Bianco (Seton Hall) recorded two of North Shore’s four hits and scored a run.
The Navs will look to carry the momentum from their opening-day performance as they travel away from Fraser Field for three consecutive games. The first game of their road trip will be on Wednesday at 6:35 p.m. against the Keene SwampBats.
