By Joshua Kummins
OLD ORCHARD BEACH, Maine — Runs came early and often in Tuesday afternoon’s Futures Collegiate Baseball League game between the North Shore Navigators and Seacoast, but the Mavericks strung together a five-hit eighth inning to post 9-4 win at The Ballpark in Old Orchard Beach.
North Shore drops to 9-16 on the summer with the loss, while Seacoast ― the team directly in front of the Navs in the FCBL’s East Division standings, in fourth place ― is now 12-13.
The first four frames all saw runs scored as the “host” Mavericks took a 5-4 lead through just two innings. It was the Navs’ first neutral-site game since 2013, as Leary Field in Portsmouth, N.H., was not ready for play following Fourth of July fireworks festivities Monday night.
North Shore took the first lead for the fourth straight game in the first, as third baseman Nick Falkson (Tufts) beat out a 5-4-3 double play ball for a fielder’s choice to drive home second baseman Daane Berezo (VCU).
Berezo and first baseman Tyler Kapuscinski (Marist) knocked back-to-back singles after shortstop Joey Pena (St. Thomas Aquinas) drew a leadoff walk, all leading to the game’s opening run. Berezo led five Navs with multi-hit efforts, going 3-for-5, scoring twice and driving in two more runs.
The Mavs sent eight batters to the plate against North Shore starter Brian Van Belle (Broward) and scored three times on four hits in their half of the first frame. Third baseman Sean Sullivan (Dartmouth) and first baseman Jake Lebel (NYIT) posted an RBI double and single, respectively, while second baseman Brock Henderson (Oklahoma) delivered a sacrifice fly to center field for his first of two RBI on the day.
A three-run, two-hit second inning temporarily put North Shore back in the lead. Seacoast’s Casey Aubin (UMass) walked both left fielder Jeff Mejia (UMass Lowell) and catcher Alec Cargin (Wofford) with one out. Center fielder Brad Douglas (Rhode Island College) hit a bloop single over shortstop to load the bases, and the three aforementioned Navs all scored after Pena drew a bases-loaded walk, Berezo singled to right, and Kapuscinski lifted a sac fly to left.
Seacoast grabbed the lead back with two runs on three hits in the second as Peabody native left fielder A.J. DiFillipo (Columbia) and designated hitter Stephen Octave (Franklin Pierce) each posted two-out RBI singles. Thus, Aubin was the winning pitcher as he lasted five innings of six-hit ball and strike out three, despite walking four Navs.
Van Belle, meanwhile, was pulled from his second start of the season after just 1.2 innings, allowing five runs on seven hits while walking two and striking out two. Aubin and Navs reliever Cole Bradley (Wofford) settled the game down after two wild innings, putting up zeroes through the next two-and-a-half frames.
Seacoast added an insurance run in the form of Henderson’s two-out RBI single in the fifth. Bradley dealt a season-high 3.1 innings of three-hit out of the bullpen, allowing just the one run to keep the Navs in the game.
