Navigators Post Win! With tonight’s crowd, the Navigators top their all time season attendance record.
Game Recap By Gabbi Riggi
A single up the middle by Keith Linnane (North Reading) (UMass Amherst) was a catcher’s heroics in its own right to give the North Shore Navigators an 11-10 walk off win against the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks on Thursday.
The hit sent pinch runner RJ Warnock (Ave Maria) in from third to take the Navigator’s twenty first victory of the season in an offensive volley with the Sharks.
The Navigators entered the bottom of the eighth trailing 9-7 and with patience in the box earned back the lead without earning a hit. Nate Rossi (Keene State) was hit by a pitch to lead off, but two back to back outs brought the top of the lineup back with two outs.
Joey Pena (St. Thomas Aquinas) and Austin Masel (Holy Cross) earned back to back walks to load the bases. Nick Falkson (Tufts) earned the third consecutive walk brought in the first run for the Navigators. Nick Fuhrmann (Frostburg State) worked a walk in six pitches to draw in the tying run, and Alec Cargin’s (Wofford) hit by pitch brought in the lead run of the inning to take a 10-9 lead.
Martha’s Vineyard worked to tie the game in the ninth on a Troy Stefanski rope single to advance Philip Clarke who had walked aboard to third. A double play ground ball by Kevin Alexy brought in Clarke to make the game 10 all.
The Navigators, now eliminated from the playoffs, still had the opportunity to play spoiler in the Sharks bid for second place in the east with a win. The North Shore jumped out to an early lead, trying to set up a successful start for Kyle Povlock (RIT) in his first appearance with the team.
Navigators started with a three run lead after the first, but were matched by the Sharks through four.
Bryce Gray hit two home runs for the Sharks to spike the lead back, breaking up Povlock’s no hitter in the top of the third to make it 3-1 Navigators. Kevin Alexy sent a two run home run of his own to left in the top of the fourth, cutting the score to 4-3 Navigators.
Gray’s second home run came in the top of the seventh, giving the first tie of the night at 6-6. The Sharks tackled their first lead of the night with a two out single in the top of the eighth inning. Frampton drove the ball up the first base line to push Gray to third. Fentress matched the attack with a double up the third base line to bring in both runners for a 9-7 lead.
Mejia and Fuhrmann both served triples, the first time this season two were hit in a single game for the Navigators, who as a team ended the night scoring 11 runs on 10 hits.
The Navigators continue at home on Friday, hosting the Seacoast Mavericks with first pitch at 7 p.m.
