North Shore Navigators Blog

Seasonal Awards: Your Take?

2008-08-06T17:40:00.005-04:00

As Zander mentioned in his game story from Keene, Owner Phil Rosenfield named this season's Most Valuable Player, Cy Young, Fireman, and Gold Glove Awards. Here is a list of the winners in case you don't know:

Most Valuable Player: #15 Sean McNaughton OF (.353 BA, 3 HR, 33 RBI, 15 2B - 2nd in NECBL, 7 3B - 1st in NECBL, 0 E)

Cy Young: #34 Jimmy Lisowski LHP (38.2 IP, 2-1 W-L, 2.33 ERA, 26 K)
*Lisowski also pitched in the Navigator's early-season contest against Team USA, in which he went five innings, giving up two runs.

Fireman: #16 Chris Prescott RHP (16 APP, 1-0, 0.53 ERA, 9 SV, 22 K)

Gold Glove: #12 John Hill C (19 CSB - 1st in NECBL, .558 SBA%, 2 E)

So there they are...your 2008 Navigators Post-Season Awards. What is your take on the selections? Were they the right calls or do you feel there was someone more deserving?

Navs' home run barrage not enough as Keene clinches series

2008-08-04T01:18:00.003-04:00

Zander Kean, Navigators Sports Information Department

When a baseball team hits five home runs in the course of a single game, as the North Shore Navigators did Sunday in Keene, they will generally come away with a resounding victory. But luck wasn’t on the Navs’ side as the Swamp Bats hit three bombs of their own, battling through multiple North Shore comebacks en route to a 10-7 victory.

North Shore came into the game looking to bounce back from a shutout loss at Fraser Field the night before. But it was Keene who got on the board first. After starter Sean Bierman shut down the Navs in order in the top of the first, Keene pounded out six hits – including a solo home run by Chris Tremblay - in the home half of the inning. Sean McNaughton stopped the bleeding by throwing Alex Lee out at home for the third out, but not before three runs crossed the plate against North Shore starter John Folino.

The Navs picked up a run in the top of the second. After Frank Pesanello doubled Kent Graham over to third, Graham came home on a groundout by Chad Zurcher, cutting the deficit to 3-1.

Folino was able to settle down after the first inning. Though Keene catcher Franco Valdes led off the second with a home run to left, Folino did not allow another run until the fifth. He credited a first-inning mound visit from head coach Jason Falcon with helping him get going.

“[Falcon] pretty much said ‘don’t worry about it, keep doing what you’ve been doing all summer.’ I was making good pitches and hitting spots, but they were just hitting the ball, kind of throwing the bat at it,” Folino said. “And that is what’s going to happen at the next level, so you can’t really complain.”

Over the next two innings, the Navs erased their deficit with a trio of solo home runs. McNaughton drilled the first pitch of the fourth inning over the left field fence, and two batters later, Pesanello deposited one to left-center. Then in the fifth, Mike Provencher tied the game with a left-center shot of his own.

But Keene was able to break through again in the bottom of the fifth. Evan Chambers doubled to left, followed by a Josh Chester triple and a Tremblay double. Chambers and Chester touched home, giving the Swamp Bats a 6-4 advantage.

Once again, the Navs would not be denied. With Nick Belcher on second, Pesanello crushed a Sean Tierney pitch well over the left field fence to tie the score at six. The North Shore catcher finished 4-4, with two home runs, a double and a single.

“I was seeing the ball pretty good today, I got it going. It took a while, but I was seeing the ball well and I got pitches to hit, so it worked out.”

But North Shore’s luck began to run out in the bottom of the inning. With Jason Markovitz on the mound, Keene loaded the bases with one out. Then, Cliff Hicks ripped a grounder toward Kyle Geason at third. If the ball had the gone six inches farther to the right, Geason could have snagged it and recorded at least one out. But instead it deflected off his glove, plating two Keene runners. That put the Swamp Bats ahead for good, 8-6.

Keene picked up another run before the sixth was done, but the Navs didn’t go down quietly. McNaughton blasted another one over the wall in the seventh to make the score 9-7. The home run was McNaughton’s fifth of the season, tying him with Provencher for the team lead.

“Sean McNaughton hit the crap out of the ball all year long,” Provencher said. “I have never seen someone hit the ball like he does, especially with a wood bat, it was just great. It was a great bunch of guys to be around, you can’t have a better time playing baseball."

Fittingly, Keene picked up the game’s final run with the long ball in the bottom of the eighth, this one off the bat of Dan Grovatt. James Wise then shut down North Shore in order in the ninth for his second save in as many nights.

With the loss, the Navs’ season is over, and the players will start heading back home over the next few days – some as early as 7:00 Monday morning. But though their summer season is over, they will all have great memories to cherish.

“I met twenty-four great guys, so you can always have that to fall back on,” Graham said. “We obviously didn’t go as far as we would have wanted to, but there are still more important things than that. I think our team achieved a lot, and it will be sad to leave these guys, man.”

After the team had their final postgame meal at the Keene buffet, owner Phil Rosenfield – in collaboration with the coaches, writers and broadcaster Brett Franklin – handed out some team awards. McNaughton received team MVP, Jimmy Lisowski got the team’s Cy Young award, Chris Prescott was named Fireman of the Year, and John Hill received the Gold Glove.

Each award had stiff competition, a testament to the high level that the entire team played at over the course of the summer. As he said after the game, Falcon couldn’t have asked for a better team to coach for the past two months.

“We did a lot of really good things throughout the year, we probably had the best pitching staff in the league. But I think, more importantly, what we had the best in the league was attitudes,” Falcon said. “They didn’t give me any problems off the field, they weren’t a pain on the field. As a summer league coach, that’s probably the most important thing. The only other thing I could ask for is to win the whole thing, but you know what, you can’t be greedy.”

The team will attend a breakup brunch at Brothers Deli in Lynn on Monday. And though that will officially end their summer, they will all keep in touch throughout the upcoming year. Some of them will face off on the diamond next spring. And who knows, some might even meet in professional ball a few years down the road.

Live Updates - Navs @ Keene - Game 2

2008-08-03T16:19:00.035-04:00

Well, this is the Navs' first absolute must-win game up here in Keene today. The squad is looking to retake home-field advantage, while staying alive in the NECBL postseason. Game time is set for 5:00 PM.

Last Night's Results

Keene 1, North Shore 0
Vermont 5, Sanford 3
Pittsfield 4, North Adams 3
Newport vs. Mainchester - ppd.

Pitching Matchup

NS: John Folino (3-0, 0.45 ERA, 20 IP, 16 K, 2 BB)
KS: Sean Bierman (2-2, 3.70 ERA, 41.1 IP, 42 K, 13 BB)

Starting Lineups

Navs / Swamp Bats
Kuehl 2B/Grovatt 1B
Provencher RF/Chambers LF
McNaughton LF/Hicks RF
Belcher SS/Chester 3B
Graham 1B/Tremblay 2B
Pesanello C/Lee CF
Zurcher DH/Karmas DH
Geason 3B/Macias SS
Little CF/Valdez C

Live Updates

7:40 PM: Garton strikes out to end it. The Navs certainly didn't go down without a fight, no shame in losing a game like this. Final score: Keene 10, Navs 7

7:38 PM: Kuehl grounds to short, looks like Garton is going to pinch-hit here with two outs.

7:36 PM: Costello flies out to left for the first out.

7:33 PM: Prescott retires the side in order after the home run. Here's the Navs' last chance, James Wise is in to pitch for Keene. Looks like Matt Costello is going to be pinch-hitting for Little to start things off.

7:28 PM: Grovatt leads off the home half with a bomb to right-center off Chris Prescott. Keene 10, Navs 7

7:25 PM: Pesanello led off the inning with a single to left, but was thrown out trying to swipe second. Cote then retired Zurcher and Geason to end the top of the eighth.

7:17 PM: Pesanello threw out pinch runner Casey McGrew for the first out of the inning. Kowalski then retired the next two batters, including a strikeout of Valdez to end the inning.

7:13 PM: Kowalski is on to pitch for the Navs here in the bottom of the seventh.

7:07 PM: The expression goes, "third time's a charm." But what about the fifth? McNaughton drops another one over the left field fence, cutting the deficit to two. Keene 9, Navs 7

7:01 PM: Keene gets another run on a double steal, but with runners on the corners, Krull shuts them down. Prov-McNaughton-Belcher coming up in the 7th. Keene 9, Navs 6

6:58 PM: Here's the barn...

6:52 PM: With the bases loaded, a grounder off the bat of Hicks went just out of Geason's reach down the third base line. It deflected off his glove, and by the time Geason tracked it down, two more Keene runs came home. Keene 8, Navs 6

6:33 PM: Behind right-center field here in Keene, there is a barn. With Belcher on second, Pesanello put a ball between the two windows on the second floor of said barn. Score tied, 6-6

6:30 PM: Bierman's day is done, as another lefthander, Sean Tierney, is on to pitch for Keene.

6:26 PM: Markovitz gets it done, getting Lee to fly out to center, then striking out Karmas swinging.

6:19 PM: Keene has gotten to Folino again here in the fifth. A double by Chambers, a triple by Chester and a double by Tremblay have sent two runners across the plate. With one on and one out, Jason Markovitz is coming on in relief. Keene 6, Navs 4

6:11 PM: Provencher just sent one a couple rows of cars deep in the parking lot. 'Nuff said. Tie game, 4-4

6:05 PM: The Navs' defense gets it done in the fourth. A nice diving stab by Geason, a good jump on a line drive from Little, and a runner thrown out at second by Pesanello to get the job done.

5:56 PM: Deja Vu! Pesanello missed a home run by a couple of feet in his first at bat, but wouldn't be denied this time, dropping one beyond the left field fence. Keene 4, Navs 3

5:53 PM: BOMB! McNaughton crushes the first pitch he sees over the left-center field fence. Keene 4, Navs 2

5:50 PM: And Folino does just that! Two strikeouts and a nice play by Geason on a slow roller send the Swamp Bats down in order.

5:42 PM: Navs down in order in the third. Let's see if Folino can keep Keene off the board, with North Shore's 3-4-5 hitters up next inning.

5:38 PM: Valdez led off the bottom of the second with an opposite-field shot, but Folino prevented any further damage, striking out two in the process. Keene 4, Navs 1

5:31 PM: The Navs respond in the second, as with one out, Graham reached on an error by Macias at short. Pesanello followed with a wall-ball double, hit to the deepest part of the park. With runners then on second and third, Zurcher grounded to second, allowing Graham to score the Navs' first run. Keene 3, Navs 1

5:20 PM: The first three Swamp Bat runners reached base, putting a run in and men on first and third. Chester grounded into a double play that plated another run, and then Tremblay hit a solo shot to right-center. McNaughton was able to prevent any further damage, throwing out Lee at home to prevent any further damage. Keene 3, Navs 0

5:08 PM: Kuehl, Prov, and McNaughton go down in order. Folino will look to do the same to the Keene lineup here in the bottom of the inning.

5:03 PM: Kuehl is on his way to the dish, here we go...

4:52 PM: The coaches are out to exchange lineup cards, and Folino is warming up in the pen behind us. Almost ready to get underway!

4:25 PM: The Navs just finished taking infield, and now the Keene players are going to work, preparing the home plate area for play. The first pitch should be coming in just over a half hour.

Know Your Navs: Frank Pesanello

2008-08-03T14:43:00.003-04:00

Frank Pesanello, of Northeastern University and Plainville, MA, added some pop to the Navigators lineup with his arrival on July 14.

You joined the team late in the season - how did you get in touch with coach Falcon, and how did you decide that you wanted to play in this league?

I played in Danbury, two years ago, so I was already familiar with the league. One of my friends coaches at Clark with Coach Falcon, and that's how we got in touch and everything came into place.

What were some of your expectations of this league coming in, and how has it met (or been different from) what you expected?

I knew from my time in Danbury that this was a good league. But it's a lot better playing on a good team. When I was at Danbury, we weren't very good - it's a lot better experience on this team, a lot better atmosphere.

This team seems to be pretty tight, with some great chemistry. What was the adjustment period for you, and how long did it take for you to feel like you were really a part of the team?

No time at all. I know Folino because we played together in Danbury, and we've got some BC and UMass guys, so I play against them in school - so it wasn't hard at all.

What aspect of your game needs the most improvement?

Just putting the ball in play right now, I think, is the one thing I have to work on. I'd like to mix in a few more home runs I guess... it can't hurt.

What's the competition been like in the Colonial Athletic Association with Northeastern?

It's been great - we've had a number of first round draft picks out of the conference, and every hitter mashes pretty well. It's been tough. We've got a few kids from the CAA in the NECBL as well.

What are some of the things that brought you to Northeastern, and what are some things that are unique about the school that have added to your experience there so far?

I transferred there [from Maine] because of Northeastern's coach [Neil McPhee] - he's a little nuts, but he's very honest, and he's a great coach. They've also got a tremendous Criminal Justice program, which is what I want to do - so it was an easy decision. Overall it's been a great experience.

Definitely being in the city is a lot of fun. Going out at night, socializing, seeing famous people walk around, sometimes. It's great.

Do you have some baseball idols or role models?

I have some favorite players, I like Manny and stuff... but nobody who I really model myself after. Actually, a lot of my favorite athletes are football players...

What music do you use to get yourself pumped up before a big game?

I listen to a lot of country, really. Nothing to get too pumped up, just something to hang out and relax.

You guys have played a lot of doubleheaders lately. What's that like for a catcher?

It's nice having another catcher here to split time. But it's not bad. It's not terrible. We've had some long days, and it can be tiring - but it's a lot of fun.

Favorite all-time walk up at-bat songs?

I don't know, this is a tough one. There's so many. I have a terrible one now, I didn't pick it out myself... I can't think of any specifically, though.

If you were to pick your own right now, what would it be?

Honestly... there's so many choices, so many good ones, that I just can't pick one.

Continuing with really hard questions - you can only keep one film, one album, and memories of one baseball game - what would they be?

Favorite movie... hmm... definitely Gladiator. That's one of my favorites. As far as baseball experiences, probably this year, hitting two home runs against Wilmington, who were ranked at the time... as far as a favorite album, I don't know. Any good country album.

Favorite female celebrity?

Definitely Jessica Biel.

And two quick ones: funniest teammate?

Kowalski.

And most easy-going member of the team?

Hmm.. there's a bunch of them. I'll say Folino.

Mailbag: Know Your Navs

2008-08-03T11:45:00.002-04:00

I've gotten a number of questions/comments about "Know Your Navs," mainly pertaining to the fact that we haven't covered everyone yet and the season is almost over. Here is a comment I made in response, which will hopefully clear up some of the confusion:

"The problem with the "Know Your Navs" feature is that we started it a few weeks into the season. If we had known how popular it would become, we would have started it on opening day.

Additionally, since we all have paying jobs and other commitments, sometimes it's not possible for all of us to be at the park every night - and those who are there need to focus on scoring the game, writing the story, updating the blog, etc.

Also, after tough losses, we don't want to go down and bother the players into doing a goofy 5-minute interview when they might be in a hurry to just go home.

That is why we haven't gotten to everyone.

The suggestion that we are playing "favorites" is silly. We have made a concerted effort to cover the Massachusetts guys for our local fans, but beyond that, we've gotten guys from many different schools from all over the country.

I will take this criticism as a positive, since it appears you all like "Know Your Navs" so much!

Hopefully the season still has at least another week to go - if so, we will be able to get even more of the players.

I will be posting two of the interviews today in the run-up to the Keene game."

Thanks, as always, for your support of the team and this site.

-JG

Keene stifles Navs, 1-0, in game 1 of the playoffs

2008-08-02T22:19:00.001-04:00

Joseph Gravellese, North Shore Navigators Sports Information Department

All week long, the mission was clear for the Navigators: lock up home field advantage in the playoffs, in order to avoid needing a win at Keene, where the Navs are winless this season.

But despite earning home field – and despite a complete game, five-hit performance by Matt Costello - North Shore will need to win in Keene to keep their season alive as the Swamp Bats downed the Navigators 1-0 on a cloudy night at Fraser Field.

Tommy Meagher baffled the Navigators over seven shutout innings, giving up five hits and striking out seven batters. Costello was just as good, giving up just one unearned run and striking out nine, but a single run for Keene in the fourth inning was enough to hand the Navigators the loss.

James Wise picked up the save for the Swamp Bats, working around a leadoff single in the ninth inning by Mike Provencher to put Keene on the brink of the NECBL semifinals.

“Under a pressure situation that we’re in [tomorrow], hopefully we’ll be a little bit light, as far as not putting too much pressure on ourselves, because then it becomes more of a problem,” said pitching coach Jim Woods after the game.

“I don’t know if… we felt a little too much pressure tonight. The last few games we haven’t been hitting, maybe we are pressing a little bit because of that. And that could be a holdover, a layover of what we’ve been experiencing offensively [in the last few days].”

The Navigators’ best chance to score off of Meagher came in the bottom of the third inning. Leadoff hitter Kent Graham scorched a single to left for North Shore’s first hit of the game. John Hill followed by hitting a bounding ball up the middle that second baseman Chris Tremblay mishandled; the ball fell to the ground and Graham slid into second base safely, putting the first two men on with nobody out.

Meagher, however, sharpened his resolve and fanned the next batter, Justin Little, for a huge first out. Chad Zurcher then dropped a sacrifice bunt to move the two runners into scoring position, but Sean McNaughton grounded out to third to end the threat.

Keene followed up North Shore’s squander with the game’s only run in the top of the fourth. Evan Chambers earned a leadoff walk. With one out, he took off for second. Catcher John Hill’s throw skipped off of Zurcher’s glove and into centerfield, allowing Chambers to bolt for third.

That extra base would prove to be crucial, as the next batter, Josh Chester, tapped a soft base hit up the middle to bring Chambers plateward and give Keene their only run of the ballgame.

“I’m pretty sure it was my curveball,” said Costello on the pitch that gave up the winning run. “I usually don’t throw it to a righty, especially early in the count, and if I throw it I’m usually going to get it down. I hung a curveball, he sat back on it and slapped it to left.”

Meagher did not give up an extra base hit until the seventh inning, when Kent Graham (2-for-3) rocketed a two-out double that brought renewed life to the fans at Fraser Field. But Meagher once again stepped up his game, getting Hill to chop to first base to end the inning.

The Swamp Bats called upon James Wise, who saved just one game in the entire regular season, to lock down the victory in the eighth and ninth. The ninth inning started off well for the Navigators, as Mike Provencher lined a single to left and Tyler Kuehl successfully sacrificed him into scoring position. But once again, the Navs couldn’t bring him home.

Wise bore down, retiring Nick Belcher on a flyout to right and striking out Josh Garton to end the game.

Game two of the best-of-3 NECBL quarterfinals is tomorrow evening in Keene, as the Navs will take on the Swamp Bats at 5:05 PM. If North Shore wins, game three will be played on Monday night at Fraser Field.

With North Shore facing elimination tomorrow, Woods believes that lineup changes could be in order.

“We’re going to be seeing a left-hander, and he pitches pretty well, so we’ll probably focus on that type of lineup that we have used different times in the year [against lefties].”

He denied, however, that the Navs would gear their lineup toward Keene’s unusually small ballpark, which features a short porch of 320 feet to the power alley in right-center field.

“We generally just go up there, get the matchups that we want and let things fall where they may,” he said.

Costello was much more direct about what the team needs to do to get back in the series: “We better get on ‘em - and get on ‘em early.”

GAME QUOTES: KEENE 1, NAVS 0

2008-08-02T22:00:00.002-04:00

Matt Costello

“A little tired, for some reason I never feel really good on the day of my start. But I’ve been there before, and I usually start feeling a little better by the fourth or fifth inning.”

- on how he felt tonight

“With certain hitters I was going for the ground ball approach, and with certain hitters I can get in their head and usually get the strikeout and get them to roll over.”

-on his approach that let him get quick innings

“Even though my curveball got slapped around a little bit, I usually don’t have my curveball with me. It’s usually just strictly fastball-changeup, mixing in an occasional slider for an out pitch, but my curveball was there tonight.”

-on his pitch selection tonight

“I’m pretty sure it was my curveball I usually don’t throw it to a righty, especially early in the count, and if I throw it I’m usually going to get it down. I hung a curveball, he sat back on it and slapped it to left.”

-on the pitch that scored the game’s only run

“Better get on ‘em and get on ‘em early.”

-on what the team needs to do in Keene tomorrow

Pitching coach Jim Woods

“Under a pressure situation that we’re in, hopefully we’ll be a little bit light as far as not putting too much pressure on ourselves, because then it becomes more of a problem, too. I don’t know if there was pressure on us, and we felt a little too much pressure tonight. The last few games we haven’t been hitting, maybe we are pressing a little bit because of that. And that could be a holdover, a layover of what we’ve been experiencing offensively so far.”

-general thoughts from the game

“I think maybe that they’re just pressing, especially now that we went into a little bit of a slump. For instance, the other night, we didn’t actually need to win the game and we hit the ball pretty well. Prior to that, when we needed to win ballgames they were all 1-0 wins and 2-1 losses. So maybe we are pressing a little bit and need to come out a little bit more loose tomorrow and get the job done and score some runs.”

-on offensive struggles

“Again he was ahead of the hitters, he changes speed so much it gets guys out on their front foot, and he does such a nice job of doing that. Guys can’t get good swings on him, they really have no idea what’s coming next. And he was able to do that all night long, nine innings. Our first complete game of the year and it was a 1-0 loss, which is just bad. Such a good effort [from him].”

-on Matt Costello’s outing

“We’re going to be seeing a left-hander, and he pitches pretty well, so we’ll probably focus on that type of lineup that we have in different times in the year that we have against a left hander.”

-on if there will be any lineup changes tomorrow

“We generally just go up there, get the matchups that we want and let things fall where they may.”

-on if the lineup will be geared toward Keene’s small park

LIVE: Keene shuts out Navs in Game 1

2008-08-02T18:17:00.050-04:00

KEE 0 0 0 / 1 0 0 / 0 0 0 - 1 5 1
NSR 0 0 0 / 0 0 0 / 0 0 0 - 0 5 2

9:11 PM: Swing and a miss, the game is over.

9:09 PM: Belcher hits a deep fly to right, 2nd out - Provencher tags and reaches 3rd. The throw skipped past the 3B, but the shortstop was there to back it up. The game is on Garton now.

9:08 PM: Kuehl bunts him over to 2nd.

9:06 PM: Provencher reaches to lead off the inning with a base hit to left!!

9:03 PM: Reliever James Wise in to close for Keene - I'm personally stunned that they pulled Meagher, who confounded the Navs for 8 shutout innings today.

9:02 PM: We go to the bottom of the ninth.

8:56 PM: ...and he hits into a double play. :( We go to the 9th. Changes: Belcher to SS, Geason in at 3rd base. Costello still pitching.

8:54 PM: Zurcher punches a 1-out single and is lifted for pinch-runner Jesse Bruinsma. McNaughton up...

8:49 PM: Bottom of the 8th - top of the order up - time to get it going!

8:44 PM: Hill squibs it down to first base - the inning is over, and the frustration continues. Costello is back out there to start the 8th.

8:41 PM: Graham picks up the Navs' first extra-base hit of the game, a 2-out rip into the corner in left field - he stands at 2nd base with 2 outs for John Hill.

8:35 PM: Costello fans two more in the 7th (7 Ks overall)... on to the home half

8:29 PM: A 7-pitch 6th inning - Meagher continues to impress. Through 6 innings, it's still 1-0 Keene.

8:28 PM: Meagher Ks Provencher - his 6th strikeout of the game.

8:24 PM: A nice, quick 6th inning for Costello - time to get him some run support!

8:19 PM: Zurch hits a looper to right-center, but Lee tracks it down... the Navs threaten but do not score in the 5th.

8:18 PM: With 2 outs, Little executes a perfect hit and run, scorching a base hit to left. 1st + 3rd, 2 out for Zurcher.

8:15 PM: Garton gets it started the right way, ripping a base hit to left center.

8:12 PM: Costello strikes him out looking at the knees! That's 5 Ks for Costello... and at the halfway point, it's 1-0 'Bats.

8:10 PM: Chambers bats with two outs and Macias on third base.

8:03 PM: Meagher continues to quickly mow through the Navs batting order, much to the delight of the large Swamp Bats traveling contingent. Through four full, it's 1-0 Swamp Bats.

7:59 PM: Casey McGrew hits a grounder down to first base; Graham makes a sweet scoop and takes it to the bag for the final out of the 4th.

7:56 PM: Chester rips a base hit up the middle, scoring Evan Chambers to make it 1-0 Keene.

7:49 PM: McNaughton grounds out to third, stranding two runners in scoring position.

7:47 PM: With 1 out, Zurcher rolls a bunt down the third base line; he's just barely thrown out. The runners move up to 2nd & 3rd w/ 2 out for McNaughton.

7:43 PM: Wow... Hill knocks it up the middle toward second base - Tremblay ranges over to play it, boots it, and it falls to the ground, allowing the first two men of the inning to reach.

7:43 PM: Graham lines a base hit to right, the Navs' first hit.

7:41 PM: One pitch, one out to Grovatt, and the inning is over.

7:41 PM: Macias grounds out to short to end the K-streak.

7:40 PM: Valdes strikes out swinging. This is getting funny now.

7:36 PM: Meagher strikes out the side - wow! Through two quick innings, we're scoreless.

7:34 PM: The backwards-K streak ends, but Belcher goes down swinging for the second out.

7:32 PM: Tyler Kuehl becomes the third consecutive batter to strike out looking. At times like these, I randomly wonder what the record is for most guys striking out looking in a row.

7:30 PM: Costello gives up a base hit to Trembley, then battles back with two straight Ks to end the inning.

7:19 PM: Provencher grounds out to short to end the first.

7:17 PM: Meagher gives McNaughton nothing but breaking balls, and strikes him out swinging on a curve off the outside corner.

7:15 PM: Zurcher works a one out walk to become the game's first baserunner.

7:10 PM: Nice and quick! Costello mows down Grovatt, Chambers, and Hicks in order to get the game started off right.

7:09 PM: The first batter of the game, Dan Grovatt, flies out to left.

7:04 PM: Kudos to Navigators intern Lauren Darrah for her rendition of the national anthem.

7:02 PM: The teams have been introduced, the national anthems performed... and we're just about ready for baseball here in game one.

6:44 PM: Host families are being honored in an on-field ceremony.

6:35 PM: Starting lineups -

Keene / NS
Dan Grovatt 1B / Justin Little CF
Evan Chambers DH / Chad Zurcher SS
Cliff Hicks LF / Sean McNaughton LF
Josh Chester 3B / Mike Provencher RF
Chris Tremblay 2B / Tyler Kuehl 2B
Alex Lee CF / Nick Belcher 3B
Casey McGrew RF / Josh Garton DH
Franco Valdes C / Kent Graham 1B
Jose Macias SS / John Hill C

Tommy Meagher RHP / Matt Costello LHP

6:11 PM: Game 1 of the Quarterfinals between Keene and North Shore at Fraser Field is currently in a weather delay. They are currently aiming to start the game at 7 PM.

Elsewhere in the playoffs:
Vermont @ Sanford, 6:30
Manchester @ Newport, 6:35
North Adams @ Pittsfield, 7

Last Game of the Regular Season...wow.

2008-08-01T14:17:00.002-04:00

Fresh off their extra-inning triumph of the Torrington Twisters, the Navs took the field a mere half-hour later to conclude their regular season against a somewhat familiar foe, the Holyoke Blue Sox (does three games in just over 24 hours constitute familiarity?).

It had been a long day for the team:

1 p.m. - Board the bus from the hotel.
1:30 p.m. - Arrive at McKenzie Stadium for a 3 p.m. scheduled game against Torrington.
1:31 - 6:30 p.m. - Wait.
6:35 - 9 p.m. - Game vs. Twisters

Finally, after rapidly devouring pasta, prepared by Blue Sox employees (it was delish', by the way), the team took the field for game two of the day's double header.

Watching that game, the one element that caught my eye was this: The Navs were having a blast.

We had the pleasure of witnessing three unlikely men take the hill. Hear our assessments of each one's stuff:

Ryan McCrann (1 1/3 IP, 4 R, 3 H, 5 BB)

Former Postion(s): First baseman, third baseman, outfielder

Assessment: McCrann showed...potential? Ok, yes, he had some issues with accuracy (five walks). Yes, his fastball could use more velocity on his fastball. Yes, he needs to keep baserunners honest (six stolen bases). But hey, you give him a couple more innings, maybe let him do some relief work in the playoffs, you might have yourself a reliable pitcher...or maybe not.

Grade: C+

Kent Graham (1 2/3 IP, 2 R, 2 H, 3 BB)

Former Position: First baseman

Assessment: Best way to describe Graham's pitching style: Deliberate intimidation. His routine is done very purposely; he wastes little time in between pitches, and when he gives up a base hit, he insists that the ball be returned to him so that he may promptly attack the next batter. He even attempted a pick-off throw; very impressive. He's got the heater down, now he just needs that off-speed pitch. Best part of his outing: Graham got Ken Gregory to fly out to left field to end the second inning. But before the ball was anyway close to finding Sean McNaughton's glove, Graham calmly walked to the Navigators dugout...too cool.

Grade: B

Mike Provencher (1 IP, 0 R, 0 H, 1 SO)

Former Position: Outfielder

Assessment: Granted he faced two pitchers as pinch-hitters in the inning, Provencher was probably the hardest thrower of all the make-shift pitchers the Navs threw on the mound. He pitched solely out of the stretch, and threw all heat. When Provencher sprinted in from the bullpen as he entered the game in the fifth inning, you almost expected The Troggs - "Wild Thing" to come on the PA system. For the Red Sox fans out there, Provencher is the Navs' Jon Papelbon.

Grade: B+

Joshua Garton (1 IP, 0 R, 0 H)

Former Position: Outfielder

Assessment: Garton had a modus operandi comparable to that of Provencher, but maybe not as high-energy. Still, he got the job done, though he threw to some pinch-hitting pitchers as well. Though it is unrelated to his outing on the hill, Garton must be commended for his defensive play in the bottom of the first inning. With the bases loaded, Craig Turner hit a reasonably-deep fly ball to Garton in right field. Alex Hilliard rightfully tagged up from third, as Garton made the catch from some 275 feet away. Two seconds later, Garton's throw hit catcher Frank Pesanello square in the chest, gunning out Hilliard at the plate. Looking at Garton joyously sprinting to the dugout, you could see smoke coming out of his hand.

Grade: B

The fun didn't stop there.

Chris Kowalski gave new meaning to the word "utility player." Kowalski has been known to ring guys up in the late innings of games, he's been known to drop bombs in batting practice, and come through with base hits in his pinch-hit opportunities. But last night, "Killer" played both first base, in which he made an impressive catch in foul ground, and shortstop, where, ranging to his left, methodically threw out Jeremy Nowak at first (Note: Nick Belcher was playing 1B at the time).

We also witnessed another one of the defensive plays of the year. With Ryan Krull pitching in the fourth inning, he had a ball hit his foot and fly 15 feet into the air. He looked around aimlessly, not knowing where in fact the ball had gone. Meanwhile, Kyle Geason sprinted in from third base, picked up the ball barehanded as it landed to the left of the mound, and fired it to Kowalski (playing first base) to retire the batter. It was not the first time Geason had hurled a barehander like that, but it certainly does not get old.

All in all, it was awesome watching the second game against the Blue Sox. The entire team was happy, and it was the ideal way to conclude a truly prosperous regular season.

Navs clinch home-field in 'extra' special win

2008-08-01T14:03:00.002-04:00

Joe Jasinski, Navigators Sports Information Department

The scenario was simple: If the Navigators defeated the Torrington Twisters, they would secure second place in the NECBL Northern Division, and more importantly, home-field in the first round of the playoffs.

As the saying goes, good things come to those who wait.

After nine and a half innings of scoreless baseball, Kent Graham singled home Tyler Kuehl from third base with the bases loaded for the winning – and only – run.

“We just needed that win any way we could get it,” Graham said. “We would like to do it another way besides the bottom of the tenth, but any time you get a win in this league it is good.”

While the majority of offensive endeavors were unsuccessful, pitchers from both teams did not share the same misfortune.

Navigators starting pitcher Mike DiCato, whose last start came on July 19, delivered eight innings of shutout baseball, surrendering three hits while striking out and walking four batters each.

Pitching with modest offensive support is something DiCato has dealt with all season, Assistant Coach Kristaps Aldins said.

“I think that he just has not gotten the runs,” he said. “He has been one of the most hard-bitten starters that we have had. We just have not scored runs for him, but today he needed a run and he held it up.”

DiCato’s adversary, Torrington starter Danny Beck (2-4), pitched the entire nine and one third innings, giving up nine hits while walking five batters and striking out three.

After giving up a leadoff double to Alejandro Crisostamo (St. Augustine) in the top of the second inning, DiCato went on to strike out the next three batters, escaping the inning and preserving the shutout.

The three strikeouts commenced a sequence in which DiCato retired 12 batters in a row. The streak was broken up when Corey Shimada (Utah) singled to lead off the top of the sixth inning.

“I felt pretty good out there all the way through,” DiCato said. “I was commanding all three of my pitches. That is pretty much it. I felt good.”

Despite loading the bases in the fifth inning, the Navigators were unable to capitalize as Sean McNaughton flew out to left for the third out.

The Navigators left 13 runners on base in the game.

Tyler Kuehl led off the tenth inning with a single to left field. Despite going 0-for-4 in the game, McNaughton dropped a sacrifice bunt, allowing Kuehl to advance to second base with one out. After Nick Belcher and pinch-hitting Frank Pesanello were intentionally walked, Graham hit a grounder to second base with the infield in. The throw to the plate was mishandled by Torrington catcher Bryson Rahier (San Jose St.), allowing Kuehl to cross home plate.

“I think that we are finding ways to win,” Aldins said. “You are going to go through stretches at times when you are not swinging the bat or you are not pitching too well. But good teams are going to find a way to win, and I think we have been able to do that.”

Two North Shore pitchers – Chris Kowalski and Ryan Krull (1-0) – each gave an inning of relief, allowing a single hit combined.

The Navigators will open their playoff series against the Keene Swamp Bats on Saturday, August 2 at Fraser Field in Lynn. The game is scheduled to start at 6:30 p.m. Keene won the season series with North Shore, taking four of the six meetings.

“I think we really, really have shown that we are a very talented ball club,” Aldins said. “We have had some ups and downs, but I think these guys expect to win. I think our guys believe that we are the best team in this league.”

Back from Holyoke: Mission Accomplished

2008-08-01T02:55:00.004-04:00

We've all finally returned from a long two days in Holyoke, where the Navs did what they had to do. Taking one game yesterday from Holyoke and winning today's contest against Torrington permitted North Shore to obtain the #2 seed in the Northern Division playoffs.

We apologize for the lack of coverage of the past couple days. There was only one Internet cord at McKenzie Stadium in Holyoke, which was occupied most of the time by Blue Sox employees. We would like to thank them for letting us post yesterday's game stories today before the game versus Torrington.

Check back tomorrow for the Torrington game story, as well as informal reactions from the tail end game with the Blue Sox. Believe me when I say, Thursday's game against the Blue Sox had some of the craziest baseball scenes I've ever witnessed in person (i.e. 6'5 set-up pitcher Chris Kowalski played two different infield positions, neither one being pitcher)

PLAYOFFS

Game 1 (Sat. August 2)

#3 Keene Swamp Bats (24-17) @ #2 North Shore Navigators (26-16)
6:30 PM, Fraser Field (Lynn, MA)

Thursday's Games

2008-07-31T15:51:00.001-04:00

It was just pouring here in Holyoke, we're talking rain coming down at a 45-degree angle for about a half hour. It's sunny right now, an the grounds crew is trying to make the infield playable again. There is apparently more bad weather on the way, so we're not sure what's going to happen. There's only one internet connection at this park, but if the game(s) are called I will try to hop on and post something.

Navs split doubleheader against Holyoke

2008-07-31T15:45:00.006-04:00

Zander Kean, Navigators Sports Information Department

For the second time in as many days, the North Shore Navigators played a 7-inning doubleheader. And as they did Tuesday against Lowell, the Navs split their twin bill with the Holyoke Blue Sox on Wednesday.

In the first game, North Shore recorded a 1-0 victory behind six shutout innings from starter Wayde Kitchens. The Navs (25-15) took a 1-0 lead once again in the nightcap, but two Holyoke runs proved to be decisive, as the Blue Sox (19-22) came away with a 2-1 win.

Because one of the games to be made up in the doubleheader was supposed to be played at Fraser Field, the Navs were the “home” team for game one, and so Kitchens took the hill in the top of the first. He worked out of a two-on, two-out jam by getting Ken Gregory to pop out to third.

That would prove to be a theme throughout Kitchens’ outing. Though he put a runner on base in each inning – he yielded four hits and four walks - none of those runners crossed home. Kitchens struck out seven over his six innings. After the game, Kitchens said that working in a close game keeps him focused.

“It helps me. When we score more runs, I allow more things to happen on the mound. But When I know it’s a 0-0 game, I know I need to bear down and try not to give up any runs.”

North Shore picked up the game’s lone run in the bottom of the sixth. Josh Garton drew a four-pitch walk to lead off the inning, and was then pinch-run for by Jesse Bruinsma. After a bunt single from Matt Costello and a sacrifice by Tyler Kuehl put Bruinsma at third with one out, John Hill flied to center – deep enough for Bruinsma to score without a throw.

With the lead in hand, Chris Prescott pitched the seventh to pick up his ninth save of the season. In 17 innings of relief, the North Shore closer has allowed just one earned run.

Though they finished off the victory, the Navs picked up just two hits in the game – both bunt singles. After playing at least fifty games before the NECBL season started, some players might be feeling the effects of the long season.

“We’re in the tail end of our season, it’s definitely a grind,” pitcher Adam Herter said. “But we’ve got the playoffs coming up and we’re excited about that. Hopefully we keep winning and see what happens.”

Herter got the ball for game two, and started his outing strong. He picked off a runner at second base in each of the first two innings. He got a lead to work with in the top of the fourth, as a Sean McNaughton double to left-center brought home Chad Zurcher.

In the bottom of the inning, after Holyoke loaded the bases with nobody out, Herter got Craig Turner to chop a ball directly in front of home plate. The ball bounced back to North ShoreHolyoke’s Alex Hilliard followed with a single to right that put the Blue Sox ahead for good, 2-1. catcher Frank Pesanello, who stepped on the plate and threw on to first for a run-saving double play. But

The Navs had opportunities to take the lead back in the late innings, but Holyoke’s Jeremy Nowak struck out three of the four batters he faced to finish the game.

“We made some stupid swings on some bad pitch selections, but we’ve got to do what we’ve got to do,” head coach Jason Falcon said. “We have just got to keep swinging and hopefully our defense and pitching will continue for us.”

Bruinsma knows that the team must fight through any lingering fatigue as the playoffs draw closer.

“Everyone is getting kind of tired, but we’re trying to not let it bother us. We’re not going to make excuses and say that we’re not hitting the ball,” he said. “We’ve probably played tend games in the past eight days, with a hotel night last week and a hotel night tonight. We’re just going to come out tomorrow and do the best we can.”

Tomorrow, the Navs have a split doubleheader in Holyoke. The first game will be a makeup against the Torrington Twisters, with the Navs then taking on the Blue Sox in the regularly-scheduled nightcap.

Navs Split Double-Header With Holyoke

2008-07-30T22:52:00.002-04:00

The Navs split today's games, winning the first one 1-0 after John Hill knocked in Jesse Bruinsma with a sacrifice fly in the bottom of the sixth inning (North Shore was the home team in game 1). In the second game, Adam Herter allowed two runs in six innings of work...one more run then the Navs were able to produce. The Navs run came on a Sean McNaughton double that reached the top of the wall in a very, very deep left-centerfield.

Check back later tonight / early Thursday morning for Zander's game story.

Holyoke & Post-Season Pitching Rotation

2008-07-30T09:26:00.011-04:00

Talking with Coach Falcon after yesterday's double-header, he gave the pitching rotation for the remainder of the regular season (four games in Holyoke today and tomorrow) and the first round of the playoffs. Here is a list of hurlers Falcon will be sending to the hill:

7/30
- Game 1: Wayde Kitchens (1-1, 1.51 ERA)
- Game 2: Adam Herter (5-1, 2.68 ERA)

This will give each starter five to six days rest, respectfully, so that "they will be well rested if called upon to start" in the second round of the playoffs, Falcon said.

7/31
- Game 1: Mike DiCato (2-3, 6.00 ERA)
- Game 2: TBD [This could be comical. Falcon explained the situation this way..."Could be you, could be you (pointing to reporters), could be me. Everyone should just bring their glove that day, because we just don't know yet for sure what we are going to do."]

PLAYOFFS

Round 1
- Game 1 (8/2): Matt Costello (2-0, 1.80 ERA)
- Game 2 (8/3): John Folino (3-0, 0.45 ERA)
- Game 3 (8/4, if necessary): Jimmy Lisowski* (2-1, 2.33 ERA)

*If the Navigators were to advance to the second round by sweeping the first two games of Round 1, then Lisowski would indeed get the start in Game 1 of the second round, Falcon said.

After Lisowski, it would then go back to Kitchens, and the rotation would revert back to where we stand today.

So, now that we have a picture of who will be on the mound in the upcoming days, how do you see this affecting the Navigators' chances of conquering home field advantage and succeeding in the first round of the playoffs?

North Shore and Lowell Split Double Header at Fraser

2008-07-29T21:09:00.002-04:00

Steve DelVecchio, Navigators Sports Information Department

The North Shore Navigators (24-14) and Lowell All-Americans (15-24) split a double-header on Tuesday afternoon and evening at Fraser Field. The Navigators moved one step closer to clinching home-field advantage for the playoffs by salvaging the later game of the double header.

In the first of two games at Fraser, the All-Americans defeated the Navs by a score of 5-3, playing spoiler in that they are far from the playoff picture.

On the bump for the Navigators to begin the afternoon was Mike Gallo (2-3), who was making his fourth start of the year. Gallo was shaky to begin the afternoon, walking the leadoff hitter in Steve Daniels and committing a throwing error to allow Lowell third baseman Nick Pecora to reach base. Gallo got himself into further trouble with a wild pitch, allowing Daniels and Pecora to get into scoring position and be driven in on a two-RBI single by Lowell first baseman Tony Plagman.

Gallo exited the game in the sixth inning after pitching 5.1 innings and allowing 2 earned runs on 6 hits and 4 walks. He struck out 3 batters on the day.

“[It was my] first start in a long time, so I was just trying to get back in rhythm,” Gallo said. “I just didn’t have my stuff today. My location was a little off. I left two two-strike pitches up in the zone and that is how they got their runs. I wasn’t getting the outs that I needed and they were getting the timely hits that they needed. And that’s baseball.”

Getting the start for Lowell and making his fifth appearance of the season was right hander Bryan Leigh (2-0), who was extremely sharp early on, retiring the first ten Navigators he faced and not allowing a hit until the bottom of the fifth inning. Leigh pitched a complete game (7 innings because of the double header), and allowed 2 earned runs on 4 hits and 1 walk. He did not strike out any batters.

The Navigators were able to manufacture a run in each the fifth and sixth innings, but would need more than that to pull off a victory. North Shore shortstop Nick Belcher singled in the bottom of the fifth and was driven in on a double to left field by catcher Frank Pesanello. Navs center fielder Justin Little reached base on an error in the bottom of the sixth and was knocked on Mike Provencher’s single to center field. That was all the offense North Shore could muster up on a day in which Bryan Leigh was extremely effective on the mound for Lowell.

In the night cap of the double-header, the Navigators were able to ride outstanding pitching through 7 innings (the entire game), and pick up their 24th win of the season by a score of 1-0. In order to have home-field advantage for the first round of the NECBL Playoffs, the Navs will need to get to 26 wins.

Getting the start for North Shore in Game 2 was right-hander Mike Adams (0-2), who made his fourth start of the season. Adams was dealing through the first four innings before he ran into a little bit of trouble in the top of the fifth and was relieved by Jason Markovitz. He has also been rehabbing from an injury, which could have a lot to do with his not going deep into the game. Adams finished the game allowing no earned runs over 4.2 innings, walking 2 and striking out 3.

“I actually felt pretty good,” Adams said. “I was surprised at how good I felt. I haven’t thrown in about a month and a half, that many innings at least. It was a big confidence boost being able to come in here and get those guys out.”

North Shore’s bats were noticeably quiet throughout both games of the double header. The only run of the second game came in the bottom of the third inning when Navs third baseman Kyle Geason reached base after being hit by a pitch. He later ended up on third after an error by Lowell pitcher Joey Lucier and a single by Navs right fielder Josh Garton. North Shore left fielder Sean McNaughton was able to push Geason across the plate on a sacrifice fly, making him the only runner in the game to score. Coach Jason Falcon is not concerned about the lack of offense.

“I’m not too concerned about it. Everyone goes through funks,” Falcon said. “We have gone up and down all year. We had fifteen hits three games ago. I think sometimes these guys forget where they are at and what they are trying to accomplish. For a lot of these guys, it has been a really long year. For a lot of these guys, this is probably game one-hundred of their season.”

The pitching was the story yet again tonight for the Navigators. After over four innings of solid work from Mike Adams, Jason Markovitz entered from the bullpen to shut the door on Lowell. Markovitz came on in the fifth inning and retired the only batter he faced to avoid any potential damage. He then struck out the side in both the sixth and seventh innings, allowing only one hit and capping what was another outstanding performance by Navs pitching.

“We didn’t know what to expect from Mike [Adams], he hasn’t been out in a while,” Coach Falcon said. “I did expect that from Markowitz. I am a little bit spoiled because he pitches like that every day. That is why he is an All-Star. Mike came in and did exactly what we needed. He came in and gave us a chance to win the game, and that is exactly what they both did.”

The Navigators have yet another double-header tomorrow. They’ll take on the Holyoke Blue Sox in Holyoke, MA. Game 1 will be at 3 and Game 2 will begin at approximately 6:30.

LIVE - Navs vs. Lowell, Game 2 - 7 INNING GAME

2008-07-29T18:31:00.033-04:00

LOW 0 0 0 / 0 0 0 / 0 - 0 5 1
NSR 0 0 1 / 0 0 0 / - 1 2 1

8:12 PM: WHIFF! Navs win! Navs win!

8:12 PM: Full count...

8:11 PM: McKenna is the last hope here for Lowell.

8:10 PM: Markovitz whiffs Daniels - two down!

8:08 PM: One out. Daniels is up w/ the bases empty.

8:04 PM: We go to the 7th! Markovitz is still out there to try to finish this one off.

7:57 PM: Lowell puts on the leadoff man, but Markovitz Ks the next three consecutively to end the inning.

7:47 PM: It turns out to be another quick inning - 1-0 Navs thru 5.

7:44 PM: Hill singles to start the inning, and is lifted for pinch runner Mike Provencher.

7:41 PM: One pitch, one out for Markovitz! The inning ends, and after seemingly fifteen minute at the ballpark, the Navs are six outs away from a big victory in their home finale.

7;39 PM: Adams departs after a solid outing. Jason Markovitz comes in out of the 'pen to take on Kevin Rivers.

7:39 PM: Pecora hits a rocket to left but Bruinsma gets a nice jump to track it down. 2 out.

7:36 PM: Lowell puts two on again with one out - let's see if Adams can do another escape act. Nicholas Pecora now bats for Lowell.

7:27 PM: The Navs once again go quietly. It's not been a good offensive day for the team so far - let's hope the pitchers can continue to pick them up.

7:21 PM: And Adams fans Rouches to end the inning. Nice work!

7:20 PM: Adams picks up a big K for the 2nd out. Rouches is up now.

7:18 PM: Lowell puts two on with one out for old friend Dan Coury.

7:14 PM: Bruinsma is picked off of second base to end the inning.

7:13 PM: Navs load the bases, and McNaughton brings home Geason with a deep sac fly to left. 1-0 Navs

7:11 PM: Geason gets hit by a pitch, then Bruinsma drops a bunt and reaches base when the pitcher can't field it cleanly. Two on, one out.

7:07 PM: Lowell puts two on but does not score, and through 2 1/2, we remain tied, 0-0.

7:03 PM: Lowell gets a two-out baserunner as a tough hop hits Belcher right at the bottom of his face. They called it an E6, but it was a tough hop - I think it should be changed to a hit. Belcher was shaken up for a few minutes, but he's up and playing now.

6:57 PM: Cruising right along - scoreless thrtough two.

6:45 PM: Joey Lucier sets the Navs down in the first - we're scoreless.

6:40 PM: Jesse Bruinsma leads it off for the Navs.

6:37 PM: A good first inning for Adams. Lowell 0, Navs coming to bat.

6:33 PM: Navs starter Mike Adams retires Daniels for the first out.

6:32 PM: Joe, Zander & I just returned from a roundtable discussion on LYNNCAM - I hope you enjoyed it! We're getting set for baseball here in game two as Steve Daniels steps in for Lowell.

Navs Drop Game One of Double-Header, 5-2

2008-07-29T18:22:00.001-04:00

Steve DelVecchio, Navs Sports Information Department

The North Shore Navigators (23-14) came up on the losing side of game one of yet another double header Monday afternoon at Fraser Field. The Lowell All-Americans (15-23) defeated the Navs by a score of 5-2, playing the role of spoiler on a day in which North Shore was trying to inch closer to clinching home-field advantage for the playoffs.

On the bump for the Navigators to begin the afternoon was Mike Gallo (2-3), who was making his eighth start of the year. Gallo was shaky to begin the afternoon, walking the leadoff hitter in Steve Daniels and committing a throwing error to allow Lowell third baseman Nick Pecora to reach base. Gallo got himself into further trouble with a wild pitch, allowing Daniels and Pecora to get into scoring position and be driven in on a two-RBI single by Lowell first baseman Tony Plagman.

Gallo exited the game in the sixth inning after pitching 5.1 innings and allowing 2 earned runs on 6 hits and 4 walks. He struck out 3 batters on the day.

Getting the start for Lowell and making his fifth appearance of the season was right hander Bryan Leigh (2-0), who was extremely sharp early on, retiring the first ten Navigators he faced and not allowing a hit until the bottom of the fifth inning. Leigh pitched a complete game (7 innings because of the double header), and allowed 2 earned runs on 4 hits and 1 walk. He did not strike out any batters.

The Navigators were able to manufacture a run in each the fifth and sixth innings, but would need more than that to pull off a victory. North Shore shortstop Nick Belcher singled in the bottom of the fifth and was driven in on a double to left field by catcher Frank Pesanello. Navs center fielder Justin Little reached base on an error in the bottom of the sixth and was knocked on Mike Provencher’s single to center field. That was all the offense North Shore could muster up on a day in which Bryan Leigh was extremely effective on the mound for Lowell.

The second game of the double-header will be beginning shortly. Mike Adams will get the start for North Shore as they look to come away with the split against the Lowell All-Americans. Check back later for a full recap of both of the day’s games.

LIVE UPDATES - Navs vs. Lowell, 7/29/08 GAME 1 - SEVEN INNING GAME

2008-07-29T16:17:00.024-04:00

5:44 PM: Game over - Lowell wins 5-2. Check out me, Joe, and Zander on LYNNCAM between games, talking Navs baseball.

5:39 PM: Krull gets 3 Ks in the inning - it's 5-2 as we go to the bottom of the 7th.

5:34 PM: Plagman launches a homer to right to make it 5-2 Lowell. uh oh

5:29 PM: Kuehl grounds out to end the inning. On to the 7th and final inning of play...

5:28 PM: Provencher is caught stealing... gah. 2 outs.

5:26 PM: Provencher brings him home with a base hit up the middle, and the Navs have serious life now. Here's Kuehl with a runner on first and one out.

5:25 PM: Little reaches on an error by the shortstop with one out.... in Vermont, it's Mountaineers 6, Mainers 3 in the 4th.

5:21 PM: Krull keeps it 4-1 after 5 1/2. The Navs have 6 outs to produce 3 runs.

5:12 PM: Gallo departs with a runner on first and one out in the sixth. Certainly not his best outing of the season, but he does have his team in the game. Ryan Krull is now in.

5:06 PM: Pesanello's RBI double closes the gap to 4-1.

5:02 PM: Belcher picks up the first Navs base hit.

4:58 PM: Still down 4-0 in the bottom of the 5th. Lowell's pitcher, Bryan Leigh, still has a no hitter going and is nine outs away from finishing it off.

4:49 PM: Through two, Vermont still leads Sanford, 5-2.

4:42 PM: Navs go down in order in the third.

4:38 PM: Lowell goes down in order in the top of the 3rd. In game one of doubleheader action, Sanford trails Vermont 5-0 in the 2nd inning.

4:23 PM - Rivers grounds out to Belcher at short, 6-3. 4-0 Lowell after 1 1/2 innings.

4:22 PM - Nicholas Pecora knocks a single into centerfield, scoring two more for Lowell. 4-0 Lowell with runners on first and second. Right-fielder Kevin Rivers at bat.

4:21 PM - Gallo walks Lowell short stop Pat McKenna to load the bases.

4:18 PM - Sorry for the delay folks, it's not looking too good here in Game 1 of today's double-header against the Lowell All-Americans. It's 2-0 here in the top of the second. Navigators starting pitcher Mike Gallo allowed two unearned runs in the top of the first inning, and Lowell has runners on second and third base with two outs here in the top half of the second inning...

Playoff Picture: 7-29

2008-07-29T09:19:00.002-04:00

LAST NIGHT

Torrington 1, Pittsfield 0
Keene 11, Pittsfield 2
Sanford 10, Holyoke 4
Sanford 6, Holyoke 3
Vermont 5, North Shore 0
Newport 9, Lowell 2
Newport 6, Manchester 3

Playoff Picture (to be updated daily)

Team - # of wins - Max # of wins - [Places they can finish] -e#=elimination number

North

SAN - 27 - 30 [1-2]
--Clinch home field [1st or 2nd]: Wins=27--
NSR - 23 - 29 [1-4]
--Clinch in: Wins=23--
KEE - 22 - 26 [2-5]
VER - 20 - 25 [2-5]
HOL - 18 - 22 [3-6] e#=4
--Clinch out: max wins #=19--
LOW - 14 - 19 [4-6] e#=OUT

--Clinch 1st: Wins=30--

Sanford clinched home-field with their wins over Holyoke; Holyoke's two losses also ensured the Navs of a playoff berth. Lowell was eliminated by virtue of their loss to Newport.

South

NEW - 24 - 26 [1-2]
PIT - 22 - 27 [1-2]
--Clinch home field [1st or 2nd]: Wins=22--
--Clinch in: Wins=20--
NA - 18 - 21 [3-5]
MAN - 15 - 19 [3-5]
TOR - 13 - 19 [3-6] e#=5
--Clinch out: Max wins=15--
DAN - 11 - 14 [5-6] e#=OUT

--Clinch 1st: wins=27--

Not much changed, outside of Newport taking over first place for the time being with wins over Lowell and Manchester.

Navs fall to Vermont, but clinch playoff spot

2008-07-29T02:24:00.004-04:00

Zander Kean, Navigators Sports Information Department

On Monday afternoon, the North Shore Navigators rode up to Montpelier, Vermont looking for a decisive win over the Mountaineers to vault them into the postseason. A win combined with a Holyoke loss would officially clinch a Navigator playoff spot, allowing the team to turn its attention to securing home-field advantage for at least the first round.

And as the Navigators and Mountaineers finished up infield practice, the first game of Holyoke’s doubleheader went final, with the Sanford Mainers coming out on top. The Navs could secure their postseason future with a victory. But Vermont’s Eric Smith had other ideas. Smith bested the Navigator lineup over six shutout innings, helping his team hand North Shore a 5-0 loss.

Smith started out strong in the first, striking out the side against the Navs’ potent top of the order. The Navs (23-13) found ways to put runners on base over the next several innings, but Smith stranded runners in scoring position in the second and fourth innings.

On the hill for the Navs, Jimmy Lisowski did his best to match Smith’s performance. With the help of a pickoff in the second inning and a caught stealing by catcher John Hill in the fourth, Lisowski surrendered just one run over his first four innings.

“Early on in the game I felt good, I was mixing up my pitches well and hitting spots,” he said. “When I made mistakes they made me pay, I missed some spots and left some balls up. They were hitting my changeup pretty good, I probably should have stayed away from that a little bit more.”

Those missed spots caught up to him in the bottom of the fifth, though his outfielders nearly allowed him to escape unscathed. The first two outs of the inning were recorded on a pair of highlight-reel catches – a diving grab in the left-centerfield gap by Sean McNaughton followed by a leaping snag by Justin Little on a tailing line drive to center.

But then, Vermont’s Jonathan Roof, Nick Panzarella and Nick Harris came up with consecutive hits, the last a two-run double that put the Mountaineers (20-17) ahead, 4-0.

Lisowski then got out of the inning and battled his way through two more innings of work. Though he certainly gave up more runs than he would have liked, he gave the Navs’ bullpen a needed break. Beginning Tuesday, the Navs will play six games in three days; a stretch that will test the limits of the team’s pitching staff.

“This one of those games where I didn’t want to waste another pitcher,” head coach Jason Falcon said. “Jimmy was doing his job. We weren’t going to score many runs, and I wasn’t going to send another guy out there. If we had got some runs then who knows, but Jimmy did an outstanding job of keeping us in the game.”

The Navs did have their chances to get back in the game, but a few chance bounces kept them off the scoreboard. In the fourth inning with a runner on third, Hill drove a sharp grounder off Smith’s glove – but it bounced straight to Roof who made a timely throw to first. And with two men on in the seventh, Chad Zurcher ripped a ball down the line in left that would have cut the deficit in half – but it fell just a few feet foul.

Falcon is confident that although his players might be feeling the effects of a long season, his lineup will be poised to come through in the playoffs.

“I thought we were in a pretty good rhythm coming into today, but we got shut down. I think our hitters are going to be fine; we’re just getting to the end of the year here a little bit. But we’ve got six games in three days here so they’ve got to get it going, and I think they will.”

And though it didn’t happen the way they had hoped for, the Navs arrived back in Lynn with a playoff spot in hand, as Sanford defeated Holyoke in the second game of their doubleheader. But just because the team is guaranteed a playoff spot does not mean their regular season work is complete.

For one thing, the Navs still have a shot at the number one overall seed in the Northern Division. And the Navs would still love to have home field advantage over the Keene Swamp Bats in the first round. Keene’s Alumni Field has a remarkably short fence in center and right-center, and the Swamp Bats have benefited from that dynamic against the Navigators, taking all three of the teams’ meetings there.

“We don’t really want to go play Keene up there twice if we can avoid it,” Falcon said. “We’ve still got a lot to play for here, as far as I know none of the playoffs have been set. So obviously we’d like to chase first if we can, and we’d like to keep Keene behind us if at all possible.”

Tomorrow, the Navs can make strides toward those goals as they host a doubleheader against the Lowell All-Americans. Mike Gallo will get the start for North Shore in game one, with Mike Adams working the nightcap.

LIVE: Navs @ Vermont, 7/28

2008-07-28T17:53:00.032-04:00

North Shore Navigators (23-12, 2nd place) @ Vermont Mountaineers (19-17, 4th place)

It's a rare (for the last few weeks, anyway) beautiful evening up here in Montpelier as the Navs get ready to finish up their season series against the Mountaineers. So far, the Navs have taken 4 of 5 of the teams' meetings - including both up here in the Green Mountain State. The biggest potential development here tonight is that if the Navs head back to Mass with a win - and Holyoke loses at least one game of their doubleheader against Sanford - they'll clinch a playoff spot.

*** I'm told that as of ~6:00 PM, Sanford was leading Holyoke 8-2 in Game 1. If that score holds, then a Navs victory seals a postseason berth.

Pitching Matchup

NS: #34 Jimmy Lisowski (2-0, 1.42 ERA, 31.2 IP, 21 K, 12 BB)
VT: #18 Eric Smith (2-2, 4.72 ERA, 34.1 IP, 29 K, 14 BB)

Starting Lineups

Navs/Vermont
Little CF / Roof SS
Zurcher SS / Panzarella LF
McNaughton LF / Harris CF
Provencher RF / Felix RF
Kuehl 2B / Mercer DH
Belcher 3B / Sherry 2B
Costello DH / Paquette 1B
Graham 1B / Ogrinc C
Hill C / Duffy 3B

Live Updates

9:20 PM: Just got word that Sanford has beaten Holyoke in the second game of their doubleheader, which officially puts the Navs in the playoffs. Not the way they would have liked to clinch, to be sure, but that's one thing that's off their minds heading into this six-game-in-three-day stretch.

9:13 PM: And that's the game as Zurcher flies to right. I'll try to get an update on the Sanford/Holyoke score after going down to the field for interviews.

9:08 PM: Little lines a single to left, loading the bases. Vermont's manager isn't messing around, as he's come out to replace Balsinde with the Mountaineer closer, Dusty Odenbach.

9:05 PM: A little bit of life here with two outs. Garton worked a pinch hit walk and Hill ripped a single to right. Little is up looking to extend the game.

8:56 PM: With the help of another runner hosed at second by Hill, Kowalski works a smooth inning. The Navs' have one more shot here in the ninth against Vermont reliever AJ Balsinde.

8:52 PM: Harman sets the middle of the Navs' lineup down in order, it just doesn't seem to be their night. Kowalski is out to pitch the bottom of the eighth, ending Lisowski's outing. Even though the result of his outing wasn't what he would have hoped, with the doubleheaders coming up his 7 innings of work will prove valuable.

8:41 PM: A soft liner from Ogrinc and a bunt single from Roof put runners on the corners with one out. Lisowski got Panzarella to fly to right, but it was deep enough for Ogrinc to beat Provencher's throw home. Vermont 5, Navs 0

8:31 PM: Zurcher ripped a ball down the left field line that fell about three feet foul with two on and two out, but a couple pitches later Harman got him to ground to short, ending the inning. Lisowski is back out for the seventh with no action in the pen, with three doubleheaders in a row coming up coach Falcon is looking to get as much out of his starter as he can.

8:20 PM: Costello leads off the seventh with a hard-hit single to right. That's going to be all for Smith, as Casey Harman is on in relief for Vermont. Harman started the all-star game for the North and has a 0.49 ERA in six starts, but is now working out of the pen.

8:15 PM: Lisowski bounces back to set down Vermont 1-2-3, with two groundouts to Belcher and a strikeout.

8:11 PM: The Navs go down in order again. There's some action in the Vermont bullpen, a new pitcher might be just what they need to get some offense going.

8:05 PM: A pair of great catches from McNaughton and Little got the first two outs of the inning, but with a runner on first, consecutive hits from Roof (single), Panzarella (RBI single) and Harris (2-run double) sent three Vermont runs home. Vermont 4, Navs 0

7:49 PM: Smith sets down the top of the Navigator order in the top of the fifth.

7:45 PM: Two, Navigator style! Lisowski hit Felix to open the inning, but got Mercer to pop to center for the first out. Then he picked a grounder off the bat of Sherry, turned and made a strong throw to Zurcher covering second, who in turn tossed it to Graham for the double play.

7:39 PM: Kuehl led off the inning with a walk, and Graham drew a walk of his own three batters later, putting runners on the corners with two away. Hill hit a sharp grounder off Smith's glove, but it bounced right to Roof, who made the play at first to end the Navigator threat.

7:26 PM: With runners on first and third (again), the Navs prevented any further damage. First, Lisowski struck out Harris looking, then Hill threw out Panzarella as he tried to steal second for the third out.

7:21 PM: With runners on first and third and one out, Lisowski had Roof picked off of first base. But as Roof ran toward second, Ogrinc broke for home. Zurcher's throw pulled Hill off the plate, allowing Ogrinc to score the game's first run. Vermont 1, Navs 0

7:11 PM: Hill led off the third with a line-drive single to center, and McNaughton moved him to second with a two-out single of his own. But Smith got Provencher to pop to first, keeping the Navs off the scoreboard.

7:02 PM: Mercer beat out a dribbler to third to open the bottom of the second, but Lisowski quickly picked him off and set down the next two Vermont hitters in order - Sherry on a soft liner to Graham and Paquette with a swinging strikeout. Still scoreless through 2.

6:55 PM: Graham chops one right back to Smith to end the inning.

6:53 PM: With Kuehl on second, Costello beats out an infield single to extend the inning. Two on, two out with Graham at the plate...

6:44 PM: Lisowski retired the first two Mountaineers he faced, but then gave up a double to Harris. No harm done, though, as he got Felix to pop out to Zurcher on the first pitch to retire the side.

6:38 PM: Little, Zurcher and McNaughton all down on strikes in the top of the first. Based on a couple of the pitches to McNaughton, the home plate umpire's going to have a pretty generous zone tonight.

6:32 PM: Vermont's taken the field, the national anthem's been sung and Justin Little is taking cuts in the on-deck circle. Play ball!

6:23 PM: The Sanford-Holyoke score has gone final, with the Mainers winning 10-4. So the Navs control their own destiny tonight - win and they're in!

6:19 PM: Lisowski and Smith are taking their warmup tosses with their respective catchers. Right now, Lisowski is working out of the stretch with Hill standing behind the bullpen plate.

6:08 PM: Both teams have taken infield and the grounds crew is finishing their last-minute preparations. The left field line is painted, with the right field line and the batter's boxes soon to follow.

Updated playoff picture, July 28

2008-07-28T14:58:00.003-04:00

Last Night:

Sanford 6, Keene 5
Sanford 9, Keene 4
North Adams 14, Danbury 4
North Adams 2, Danbury 0
Vermont 7, Pittsfield 5

Playoff Picture (to be updated daily)

Team - # of wins - Max # of wins - [Places they can finish] -e#=elimination number

North

SAN - 25 - 30 [1-4]
--Clinch in: Wins=25--
NSR - 23 - 30 [1-5]
KEE - 21 - 26 [1-5]
VER - 19 - 25 [2-6]
HOL - 18 - 24 [2-6] e#=6
LOW - 14 - 20 [4-6] e#=1

--Clinch out: max wins #=19--
--Clinch home field [1st or 2nd]: Wins=27--
--Clinch 1st: Wins=31--

With Sanford's sweep over Keene, the Mainers become the first team in the North Division to clinch a playoff spot. The two losses by Keene mean that the "magic win #" needed to lock up home field in the first round is 27, and Sanford is two wins from reaching that mark. Sanford's wins also eliminated Vermont and Holyoke from contention for first place.

At the other end of the table, Lowell is now one loss away from being the first team eliminated from playoff contention.

South

PIT - 22 - 29 [1-2]
NEW - 22 - 26 [1-2]
--Clinch home field [1st or 2nd]: Wins=22----
Clinch in: Wins=22--
NA - 18 - 21 [3-5]
MAN - 15 - 20 [3-5]
TOR - 12 - 19 [3-6] e#=5
--Clinch out: Max wins=15--
DAN - 11 - 14 [5-6] e#=OUT

--Clinch 1st: wins=27--

North Adams' sweep over Danbury knocked the Westerners out of playoff contention (surprise, surprise). Pittsfield and Newport locked up home field advantage last week; it's still to be determined who will be the #1 overall seed. Pittsfield's magic # for 1st place is 5.

RAINOUT

2008-07-27T19:28:00.002-04:00

In a rare, stunning turn of events, rain has forced the postponement of tonight's game between the North Shore Navigators and the Holyoke Blue Sox. We will post makeup information as soon as we get it.

The Navs travel to Vermont tomorrow night to take on the Mountaineers at 6:30 PM.

NEWS FLASH...It's raining.

2008-07-27T18:28:00.002-04:00

Well, it appears as if tonight's game will not begin at 7 p.m. as it was originally scheduled. The tarp is still on the field here, and the only action seen thusfar was an inspirational sliding display by Mike Gallo, Mike DiCato, Jason Markowitz, Chris Kowalski and Jesse Bruinsma. We even got a chance to see who would best take center for the Navigators football team when DiCato brought out a rubber football.

Still raining in Lynn...we'll keep you posted on weather improvements...hopefully.

Magic numbers

2008-07-27T16:07:00.003-04:00

Somehow, without noticing it, it snuck up on me: it's the last week of the season. Tonight is our penultimate home date of the regular season, and Tuesday night's doubleheader is Fraser's regular season finale. Thus, seven days before the start of the playoffs, it's time to contemplate the complex and very entertaining North Division pennant race.

Here are the standings:
North Shore 23-12
Sanford 23-12
Keene 21-14, 2 GB
Vermont 18-17, 5 GB
Holyoke 18-18, 5.5 GB
Lowell 14-22, 9.5 GB

Making the playoffs

The magic number for the Navs to stay ahead of 5th place Holyoke, and thus clinch a spot in the postseason, is 2 - so a win over the Sox tonight means that the Navigators are in the playoffs. Or, if Holyoke goes on a big run and solidifies their playoff berth, the magic number to finish ahead of Vermont is also 2 (since North Shore has won the season series against the Mountaineers).

So the formula here is simple: One win in three tries against Holyoke, or two wins overall, and the Navs are in the playoffs, no matter what anyone else does.

First place

Because the Navs hold the tiebreaker over Sanford, they "only" have to win all seven remaining games to clinch first place.

Let's take a look at the schedule breakdown:
NAVS - SANFORD
vs. Holyoke / vs. Keene
@ Vermont / vs. Keene
vs. Lowell / vs. Holyoke
vs. Lowell / vs. Holyoke
@ Holyoke / @ Vermont
Torrington* / @ Vermont
@ Holyoke / @ Lowell
*in Holyoke

Although Sanford has one more home game, their path is a bit tougher, playing three doubleheaders, all against teams in the North Division playoff hunt.

After Sanford and Keene complete their doubleheader tonight, we'll have a lot clearer picture at the top of the North standings.

Home Field

The #1 concern for many Navigators fans is having to play 2 of 3 in Keene in the playoffs. Keene has been the toughest place to play for North Shore this year, as they have lost all three games there. With the Navs holding a two-game cushion over the Swamp Bats, the magic number to stay ahead of them (and at least ensure home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs) is 6.

The last playoff spot

Not only are Vermont and Holyoke just 1/2 game apart from one another in the standings, their season series is tied 3-3. If the two teams are tied at the end of the season, they will play a one-game playoff, with the site being determined by coin toss.

Tiebreaker rules

In case any of these teams end up tied (very likely):

Article I, SECTION VII – TIE-BREAKER RULES
(A) The NECBL shall use the following tie-breaker rule for teams eligible for the playoffs that end the regular season with identical win-loss records, with the exception of the final playoff spot (see below):
a. FIRST- Head-to-Head record between teams tied.
b. SECOND- Combined Head-to-Head record with First teams.
c. THIRD – Combined Head-to-Head record with Second place teams.
d. FOURTH – Combined Head-to-Head record with third place teams (etc., until a winner can be decided)
e. FIFTH – In the event all of the foregoing fails to break the tie, it shall be broken by a coin toss.
(B) In the event of a tie for the last and final playoff spot, the position shall be decided by a one game playoff with the home field to be decided by a coin toss.

Playoff Picture (to be updated daily)

Team - # of wins - Max # of wins - [Places they can finish] -e#=elimination number

North
NSR - 23 - 30 [1-5]
SAN - 23 - 30 [1-5]
KEE - 21 - 28 [1-5]
VER - 18 - 25 [1-6] e#=8
HOL - 18 - 24 [1-6] e#=7
LOW - 14 - 20 [4-6] e#=2

--Clinch in: Wins=25--
--Clinch out: max wins #=18--
--Clinch home field [1st or 2nd]: Wins=29--
--Clinch 1st: Wins=31--

South
PIT - 22 - 30 [1-2]
NEW - 22 - 26 [1-2]
--Clinch home field [1st or 2nd]: Wins=22--
--Clinch in: Wins=22--
NA - 16 - 21 [3-6] e#=7
MAN - 15 - 20 [3-6] e#=6
TOR - 12 - 19 [3-6] e#=5
DAN - 11 - 16 [3-6] e#=1

--Clinch 1st: wins=31--
--Clinch out: Max wins=15--

Folino deals, Navs handle Vermont 8-0

2008-07-26T21:28:00.003-04:00

Joe Jasinski, Navigators Sports Information Department

The Navigators were “one swing away,” Head Coach Jason Falcon said, of winning this morning’s match-up against the Keene Swamp Bats. Instead, they dropped the first of two games on today’s agenda, 6-5. Coming back to Lynn to play the Vermont Mountaineers, the Navigators needed an inspiration to get back in rhythm.

It is safe to say that John Folino provided that inspiration.

Folino pitched a magnificent seven innings, allowing only two hits and striking out seven Vermont hitters. He retired the last fourteen batters he faced in succession.

Behind Folino and a three-run home run by Nick Belcher in the first inning, the Navigators soundly dismantled the Vermont Mountaineers 8-0, bringing North Shore even with Sanford in the divisional standings (discounting Sanford’s result tonight).

It was Folino’s ability to locate the strike zone early in the count that allowed him to be so effective, Head Coach Jason Falcon said.

“Strike one, Falcon said. “That’s the basics of the game. The compliment I got from him came from the third baseman, who said that he threw everything where you need to and he didn’t throw anything that was hittable.”

Falcon made several changes in the lineup as well. Chad Zurcher was placed second in the lineup, Sean McNaughton was placed third and Mike Provencher batted behind McNaughton in the clean-up spot.

“Every now and then it’s good to mix up the lineup and have guys see some different pitches,” Falcon said. “I think that Chad Zurcher is one example of a guy who’s really starting to see the ball well.”

A three-run, two-out first inning rally gave the Navs an early lead.

After Vermont starting pitcher Eric Katzman (Michigan) struck out Justin Little and Chad Zurcher, Sean McNaughton laced a double down the third base line to continue the inning. Mike Provencher walked on four pitches to place runners on first and second base. Belcher then connected on a fastball, launching his first home run of the season over the left-center field fence.

A five-hit, four-run third inning widened the North Shore lead.

With one out, the Navigators collected four straight singles, culminating in a two-run single to shallow left field by Tyler Kuehl.

“I just wanted to get some hits because I’ve been struggling a little bit,” Kuehl said. “I didn’t have my hardest hits ever but they fell in, and they all count."

Kuehl’s single brought his season-RBI total to 25, second-best on the Navigators behind McNaughton (30).

Kent Graham then brought home Belcher on a deep sacrifice fly. Frank Pasanello’s RBI-double that scored Kuehl concluded the rally, and gave North Shore a 7-0 lead.

RJ Preach (Arizona St.) came in to relieve Katzman at the start of the sixth inning, but was unable to survive his first inning unharmed. After leading off the inning with a single, Justin Little trotted home after McNaughton cracked a sacrifice fly to centerfield.

It was Preach’s only inning of work, as he was then relieved by AJ Balsinde to begin the seventh.

Ryan Krull and Chris Prescott combined to work two innings of scoreless baseball. Krull allowed one hit in the eighth inning.

With one out in the top of the ninth inning, pinch-hitter Ethan Paquette hit a ball to left-center field for what appeared to be a single. Giving chase was Little, who made a diving catch to his right for the second out of the inning.

McNaughton’s double in the first inning was his thirteenth of the season, putting him in second place behind Matt Adams of Pittsfield for most in the NECBL.

LIVE: Navs vs. Vermont

2008-07-26T17:55:00.041-04:00

North Shore Navigators vs. Vermont Mountaineers, 6:05 PM, Fraser Field

VT 0 0 0 / 0 0 0 / 0 0 0 - 0 3 1
NS 3 0 4 / 0 0 1 / 0 0 - 8 15 0

8:30 PM: NAVS WIN! 8-0

8:25 PM: Prescott pitching here in the 9th with 2 outs.

7:58 PM: Folino leaves the game after going seven shutout innings, giving up 2 hits, striking out 7, and walking 1. He retired the last 14 men in a row. In to pitch: Krull

7:53 PM: Belcher smacks a leadoff double, then is lifted for pinch-runner McCrann.

7:50 PM: Folino sends them down in order yet again - make that 14 straight retired.

7:40 PM: McNaughton sac fly scores Little - 8-0 Navs.

7:34 PM: Another 1-2-3 inning. Folino has retired 11 in a row.

7:28 PM: Navs put two on, but Geason flies out to end the fifth.

7:20 PM: Folino continues to cruise - another 1-2-3 inning.

7:06 PM: 1-2-3 go the Mountain Men in the 4th.

7:00 PM: The inning ends, not before four big runs for North Shore. Big match race here bweteen Chomps the Gator and "The Professor." It looks like Chomps is finally going to win a race....... and he does!

6:59 PM: Pesanello swats it to deep center for an RBI double.

6:57 PM: The already-taxed Vermont 'pen may be forced to go to the well early. Good news for the Navs.

6:56 PM: Graham adds to the lead with a deep sac fly, scoring Belcher.

6:56 PM: Kuehl flares it into shallow left for a 2-rbi single. He advances to 2nd on the throw to the plate.

6:52 PM: McNaughton, Provencher, and Belcher pick up back-to-back-to-back 1-out singles to load 'em up for Kuehl.

6:34 PM: Geason leads it off with a perfect bunt single.

6:30 PM: Navs spin a 4-6-3 double play to end the top of the 2nd, still 3-0 good guys.

6:20 PM: THE POWER-HITTING NAVS STRIKE AGAIN! Belcher smokes his first homer of the year (and picks up his 20th, 21st and 22nd RBIs - 3rd on the team), a no-doubter to left, and it's 3-0 North Shore.

6:19 PM: ...and Provencher walks to put two on.

6:18 PM: McNaughton doubles! His thirteenth two-bagger of the year.

6:16 PM: Two strikeouts, looking, to start it.

6:14 PM: Let's see how the newly-tweaked top of the order performs here in the bottom of the first.

6:06 PM: Folino fans Roof to start the game.

5:55 PM: We have lineups - Coach Falcon has shaken up the Navs lineup:
Little CF
Zurcher SS
McNaughton LF
Provencher RF
Belcher DH
Kuehl 2B
Graham 1B
Pesanello C
Geason 3B
-
Folino SP

VERMONT
Roof 2B
Felix LF
Oaks RF
Sparacino 1B
mercer 3B
Duffy SS
Nesbitt DH
Ogrinc C
Panzarella CF
-
Katzman SP

Droppin' bombs with Chris Kowalski

2008-07-26T15:48:00.013-04:00

Before yesterday's (7/25) game against Sanford, the Sports Information Department caught up with Chris Kowalski, the Navigators' 6'6 beast-of-a reliever. Though we often fear for our lives when passing the intimidating "Killer" Kowalski, we found that, after chatting with him for a little while, the rumors were true...he really is the funniest player on the team. Here's what Killer had to say...

What makes the Massachusetts such a desirable summer baseball destination?

"People are really nice around here. Obviously, when there is baseball in the area, people are committed to coming to games. I go to Boston College, so I see the people there and I see that people are really involved in this league. It is good to come to Lynn, too, and see the same type of commitment from the residents here. It is just good to see that all over the place because you think that some of the small towns would not have that, but it is good to see that commitment from these guys, too."

You are a communications major. If baseball does not work out, could you see yourself becoming the next Don Orsillo or Jerry Remy?

"My main goal is to do it as a player. That has been my dream. Maybe like a coach or something or something like that, but definitely something baseball related because I love the game, and I am still a student of the game every day."

What has been your favorite Red Sox season in the past?

"It has got to be '04. Seeing that we were down 3-0 and to come back was just incredible. Just the fact that they all stuck together and no one really faltered; it was just great to see that type of camaraderie. It is something you strive for, being on a Major League team. It is not individuals, it is all 'team guys,' which is good."

Describe a scene where you finally could say, "Wow, I've made it" in baseball.

"Absolutely. When I was a senior in high school, I participated in a pre-draft workout at Yankee Stadium. I was on the mound there and I was just like, 'Wow, this is where, you know, all the greats stood.' It was just great to just stand there and throw. I hit a couple balls out in batting practice. It was a great experience. I played with a couple first-round [draft picks] and it was a great experience to see how good they are and to see how good I need to be and what I have to work on. Realizing you had made it, it is a great experience and you want to keep getting better every day."

It seems that the bullpen is pretty tight. Obviously, after the season is over, you won’t be seeing them every day. Have you guys arranged any sort of communication, maybe bedtime phone calls?

"We always have fun together, you know, Krully [Ryan Krull]. [Jason Markowitz], [Chris] Prescott and I, it is just great. We text message each other every single day, sending each other funny stuff. It is always good to just keep the humor alive. We are all here to win, we are here to get better, we are here to get innings, and that is the big thing, we are all in it together. We all root for each other when we are out there. It is great and it is what you have got to love."

Let’s talk about Boston College basketball. It could be a shaky year, but you’ve got Tyrese Rice coming back.

"Yea, it is actually good. I run with the [basketball] guys at school. My baseball coach is not too happy about it, but yea, I play with them at school. I was pretty good coming out of high school. But they are good, man. Playing in [the ACC], it is just like in baseball, that conference is tough. The Carolina's and teams like that, every year each team is good, but we are hoping for a good year. We have got some good freshmen coming in and a good sophomore class."

Related to that…You are playing in Chapel Hill. You are Al Skinner. You go in the locker room before the game. Give me your pre-game speech.

"Everyone is always looking at the number one team in the country, but no one ever looks at who is going to beat them. You go in there, we don’t care who it is, who the opponent is. The same thing for baseball. You have got guys coming in saying 'Oh, this guy is going to be the number one overall [draft] pick.' You know what, we do not care. We are going to go in there and play. That is the biggest thing with [the ACC]. Everyone is like 'Oh, you are so honored to be in this conference.' But we are not just in it to play. We are in it to win. So get in there and win. That is the biggest thing."

Sean McNaughton actually picked you to win a Navigators team battle royal, if there ever was one. What would be your technique in the ring?

"Probably just intimidate them; scream at them or something. Then I would just pick 'em up and throw 'em. But these are all funny kids, just a great group of guys here. I love 'em. They are all awesome and we are all like brothers and we all mess around with each other. It is great."

It seems that The Mighty Ducks as become the consensus for this team.

"Oh, absolutely. Quack out all the way. Absolutely."

Which character do you most relate to?

"I am probably Dean Portman. Or Fulton Reed. Absolutely, 150 percent. Wayde [Kitchens] and I are probably the bash brothers, that is what we have dubbed ourselves as. That is definitely the best comparison."

On a more serious note…would you consider yourself to be the greatest batting practice home run hitter in Navigators’ history?

"I absolutely would. I was a little angry with Coach Falcon for not putting me in the Home Run Derby. I just come here every day and try and drop absolute bombs. And that is just the biggest thing that guys always give me crap for. I can hit balls out in batting practice and then I get in the game…it is a little different story. But definitely, I would say I am at least top two…I don’t know who the other guy is, but."

Navs drop a tight one in Keene

2008-07-26T15:32:00.007-04:00

The Navigators lost game one of today's day-night, two-state doubleheader, 6-5, to the Keene Swamp Bats. The team bus should be arriving here at Fraser Field in the next twenty minutes as the team prepares to take on the Vermont Mountaineers tonight at 6.

Update:
3:54 PM - The team has arrived at Fraser and the field is now being prepared for batting practice.

4:48 PM - Uh oh... the Vermont Mountaineers aren't here yet and it's only 77 minutes until game time.

5:07 PM - The Mountaineers have arrived.

Navs fall to Sanford, 5-3

2008-07-25T22:34:00.001-04:00

Joseph Gravellese, Navigators Sports Information Department

After cruising through six innings, Navigators starting pitcher Matt Costello ran into trouble in the seventh, putting the first two Sanford batters on base. As he has done so many times this season, Coach Jason Falcon turned to the bullpen to put out the fire, bringing in Jason Markovitz to protect the Navs’ 3-1 lead.

This time, however, the bullpen couldn’t hold back the prolific Sanford Mainers offense, who scored four unanswered runs in the seventh and eighth innings en route to a 5-3 victory over North Shore at Fraser Field.

Markovitz took the loss out of the bullpen – his first defeat of the season (4-1). Mike Wilson gutted through 6 2/3 innings, overcoming back-to-back home runs by Kent Graham and Frank Pesanello in the second inning to pick up the victory (3-1). Wilson allowed three runs on five hits, striking out four and walking three. It was not his best outing of the season, but it was enough to give Sanford a huge win.

With the win, Sanford ties North Shore for first place in the NECBL Northern division. The Navs are 22-11 while Sanford improves to 23-12.

The seventh inning breakdown began when Costello walked Devin Harris on four pitches. The next batter, Klint Reed, hit a deep grounder to short that was good enough for an infield single.

“There was [thought of taking him out after six innings], but [Sanford] had their eight, nine and one hitters up, so I said, ‘Okay… he has got a lefty to start the inning,” said Falcon after the game. “He was going to come out after that leadoff lefty, so who knows.”

“It wasn’t the pitch count so much as I just wanted to go one more, then give it to the bullpen,” explained Costello. “I wasn’t planning on giving up an infield single and walking a guy. If I didn’t walk guys, then hey, we win that ballgame.”

The early jam triggered Falcon to call on Markowitz, who has been virtually untouchable this year, giving up just one run on thirteen hits in fifteen appearances coming into the game.

The Mainers were undeterred. They roared back to take the lead - with the help of a few fortunate rolls.

Will Greenberg stepped up with the intention of sacrificing the two runners into scoring position, but his bunt was perfectly placed, allowing Greenberg to fly into first to load the bases.

Things went from bad to worse with Matthew Nandin at the plate. Nandin squibbed one down the first base line, to the left of the pitcher’s mound. Markovitz slipped as he attempted to play it, keeping the bases loaded and allowing a run to score to cut the Navs’ lead to 3-2. The next batter, Kyle Groth, reached on a fielder’s choice to tie the score.

Pinch hitter Gregory Hopkins was then hit in the arm with a 1-2 fastball, allowing Sanford to take a 4-3 lead without the benefit of a single hard hit ball in the inning. Markovitz recovered to strike out Brian Harris and Corey Hunt, but the damage was done.

“For Jason Markowitz to hit a batter, especially a pinch hitter who was batting .150, is a freak play,” said Falcon. “I don’t know why we were throwing that pitch, maybe it just got away from him. Maybe it got loose.”

Sanford finally got their hard hit ball in the eighth. Devin Harris welcomed Chris Kowalski to the game with a mammoth home run to the deepest part of center field, giving the Mainers a crucial insurance run. It capped a big day for Harris, who reached base three times, scored two runs, and stole a base.

North Shore was unable to recover, as Nick Centatiempo and Tony Chisman teamed up for 2 1/3 innings of hitless relief to close out the win.

The Navigators struck first against Wilson with their first back-to-back homers in the second. Graham hit one to left that barely cleared the wall to make it 1-0. Pesanello then one-upped him with a no-doubter, extending North Shore’s early lead.

Things continued to look good for the home team in the bottom of the third. Sean McNaughton continued his torrid pace with his seventh triple of the season to lead it off. Then, cleanup hitter Nick Belcher scorched one toward third that took an odd bounce over the head of Hunt, plating McNaughton.

The Mainers responded immediately with a run in the fourth. Costello walked D’Alfonso to start it, and Branson Joseph brought him home, dropping a triple over the head of Justin Little in center.

Eight Mainers batters reached base in the game, with only Hunt going 0-for-4.

On the flip side, McNaughton was the only Navigator with a multiple hit game, tripling in the third and singling in the fifth. McNaughton ended the day 2-for-4 with a run scored. Additionally, Little walked three times and stole a base, continuing his production from the top of the order.

The Navs have very little time to recover from this difficult loss, as they must get on a bus tonight to Keene, NH. They will stay in Keene overnight before playing the Swamp Bats tomorrow morning at 11 AM. After that game, they will travel home to face Vermont in their regularly scheduled game at 6 PM in Lynn.

It’s the start of a busy stretch for North Shore, who will play nine games in six days.

“It is a heavy schedule. But we are going up to Keene tonight, so we will be well rested,” said Markovitz following the game. “We have got to take it to them tomorrow, a little revenge, because they have been killing us at their little field. We have got to come in with a little chip on our shoulder and take care of business.”

Fans can keep up with all the action at the team’s official website, www.nsnavs.com.

LIVE: Sanford downs Navs, ties for first in the division

2008-07-25T18:47:00.040-04:00

North Shore Navigators (22-10) vs. Sanford Mainers (22-12)

PITCHERS:
SAN - Mike Wilson (2-1, 4.67 ERA, .263 OBA)
NSR - Matt Costello (2-0, 0.64 ERA, .109 OBA)

SAN 0 0 0 / 1 0 0 / 3 1 0 - 5 8 1
NSR 0 2 1 / 0 0 0 / 0 0 0 - 3 5 1

9:43 PM: Navs lose, as they go down in order in the 9th.

9:38 PM: Devin Harris strikes out with two on in the 9th. Gallo pitched the 9th - time for a rally.

9:26 PM: Navs go down in order.

9:20 PM: Bottom of the 8th now - let's see if Belcher can get things started.

9:16 PM: D. Harris destroys a Kowalski offering, homering to the deepest part of the ballpark. Wowza.

9:13 PM: Kowalski in to pitch for NS.

9:12 PM: Wilson's line - 6.2 IP, 5 H, 3 BB, 4 K... and three runs, as McNaughton lines out to first.

9:11 PM: Provencher walks - there's two on for McNaughton. How 'bout another triple?

9:10 PM: And he does! He swipes 2nd on the 1-1 pitch. The count is now 2-1 to Provencher.

9:07 PM: You've got to think that with a right handed reliever on the hill, Little will be thinking long and hard about taking off for second base during this at bat. He's 12-for-13 on steals this season.

9:06 PM: Little walks, ending the day for Mike Wilson. In to face Provencher: numero 26, Nick Cenatiempo.

9:05 PM: Two quick outs in the home half of the 7th.

8:58 PM: Heeeeeeee struck him out swinging on a curve in the dirt!!

8:56 PM: Jason gets a huge out, striking out Brian Harris looking. If he can get Hunt here and keep it a one run game, it will be a job well done.

8:55 PM: Markovitz's 1-2 fastball to Hopkins is too far inside and clips him. The hit batsman forces in the go-ahead run - 4-3 Mainers.

8:53 PM: Gregory Hopkins is pinch hitting with the bases loaded and 1 out.

8:52 PM: That closes the book on Costello - he allows 3 runs.

8:51 PM: D'Alfonso grounds it to deep short, Belcher throws to second for one out, but the throw to first is not in time. Sanford ties the game and has runners on the corners with one out.

8:49 PM: Bad to worse - Nandin squibs one down the first base line, Markovitz slips and can't make the play. Bases still loaded and there's a run in - 3-2 Navs.

8:48 PM: Greenberg drops a sac bunt attept to the left of the mound, and beats it out down the line to load the bases. Suddenly the Navs are in a real mess - bases loaded, 1 out. Corners are in, middle infielders back.

8:44 PM: Sanford puts the first two men on (walk, infield hit) in the 7th, spelling the end of Costello's evening. Markovitz comes in out of the pen. Costello's line: 6+ IP, 4 H, (so far) 1 R, 4 BB, 2 K. Not his sharpest outing of the season, but so far, good enough to put the Navs in line for another big win. Let's see if the 'pen can hold the lead.

8:31 PM: Sanford puts two men on again but once again gets Hunt to fly out to left to end the inning.

8:14 PM: Sanford puts runners on the corners with two outs but Provencher makes a diving catch in right to rob Nandin and end the inning.

8:03 PM: Moving briskly along, we head to the 5th with the score 3-1 Navs.

7:58 PM: Brian Harris puts a scare into the crowd with a deep drive toward the wall in left but McNaughton is there to retire the side.

7:56 PM: Joseph is retired on a play at the plate - D'Alfonso grounds it to 3rd, Geason throws tot he plate, and Joseph is retired. Two down.

7:55 PM: Branson Joseph drops an RBI triple over the head of Justin Little in center. 3-1 Navs.

7:51 PM: Tyler Kuehl just absolutely robbed Nandin to lead off the fourth. He ranged to his right, almost all the way to 2nd base, went down and made a stop that would make Tim Thomas proud, set himself, threw to first, and got Nandin in time for the out. WOW.

7:43 PM: Belcher hits a hot shot to third, it takes a hop in the dirt over the head of the third baseman and into left for an RBI single.

7:42 PM: We've got one of the largest and most energetic crowds of the year on hand at Fraser.

7:41 PM: McNaughton with a leadoff triple.

7:39 PM: One-two-three go the Mainers.

7:34 PM: The 2nd inning is over, but not before the Navs put up two on back-to-back jacks.

7:30 PM: Geason walks on four pitches.

7:29 PM: Graham's homer was a close one... but Pesanello just smashed an absolute no-doubter. The outfielders didn't even bother to watch that one sail out. 2-0

7:27 PM: Kent Graham smashes a two out solo homer to left. 1-0!

7:25 PM: Here's what you missed during technical difficulties: Each time got a runner on base but could not bring him home in the first inning. Justin Little led off the home half with a walk but the next three batters (Provencher, McNaughton, and Belcher) all grounded out. Costello pitched a very quick 2nd inning, 1-2-3.

7:10 PM: We're having Blogger technical difficulties. Stay tuned.

7:02 PM: Greenberg strikes out looking, one down.

7:01 PM: He starts it off with a strike.

7:00 PM: Costello is on the hill and ready to go. Let's see how he goes against the lefty-laden Sanford Mainers.

6:51 PM: It's a real scorcher, a nice change of pace after all of that pouring rain.

6:48 PM: We have starting lineups!
Sanford - NS
Greenberg C / Little CF
Nandin 2B / Provencher RF
D'Alfonso DH / McNaughton LF
Joseph CF / Belcher SS
Groth 1B / Kuehl 2B
Harris SS / Garton DH
Hunt 3B / Graham 1B
Harris RF / Pesanello C
Reed LF / Geason 3B

Two, Navigator Style

2008-07-25T17:50:00.003-04:00

The recent deluge upon New England has wreaked havoc on the NECBL schedule.

I have heard of twi-night doubleheaders, regular doubleheaders, day-night doubleheaders, two-stadium doubleheaders (Yankees/Mets) and, thanks to the NECBL, two-team doubleheaders, with the host taking on two different squads in one day.

But over the next 24 hours the Navs will embark upon something I've never seen before: a two-state doubleheader.

Following tonight's home game against Sanford, the Navs will board a bus to Keene, NH and will stay there overnight. They will take on the Swamp Bats at 11 AM before getting on the bus and coming home to face Vermont at 6 PM.

It's the start of a very busy period for the Navs. On Tuesday, they will play two 7-inning games against the Lowell All-Americans at Fraser, with game one starting at 4 PM. North Shore then travels to Holyoke on Wednesday for a single game on Wednesday night, then a pair of games on Thursday, both played at Holyoke's McKenzie Field: vs. Torrington at 3 PM, and their regularly scheduled game vs. Holyoke at 6:30 PM.

Are you confused yet?

It could be worse - Tonight, Holyoke hosts Vermont in a (really) Tripleheader starting at 4:30.
The Sox have to follow that up with another doubleheader tomorrow in Lowell.

In total, the league's twelve teams will play 10 games tonight.
Vermont @ Holyoke, 430
Vermont @ Holyoke, 7
Vermont @ Holyoke, 930
Keene @ Lowell, 5
Keene @ Lowell, 8
Danbury @ Torrington, 5
Danbury @ Torrington, 8
Sanford @ North Shore, 7
Newport @ North Adams, 7
Manchester @ Pittsfield, 7

Tomorrow is a slow day, with "only" nine games:
North Shore @ Keene, 11 AM
Holyoke @ Lowell, 5 PM
Holyoke @ Lowell, 8 PM
Newport @ Torrington, 5 PM
Newport @ Torrington, 8 PM
Vermont @ North Shore, 6 PM
Sanford @ Keene, 7 PM
Danbury @ Manchester, 7 PM
North Adams @ Pittsfield, 7 PM

Then, after a reasonably normal Sunday and Monday, there's another ten on Tuesday:
Lowell @ North Shore, 4 PM
Lowell @ North Shore, 7 PM
Sanford @ Vermont, 4 PM
Sanford @ Vermont, 6:30 PM
Danbury @ Manchester, 4:30 PM
Danbury @ Manchester, 7:30 PM
Pittsfield @ Torrington, 5 PM
Pittsfield @ Torrington, 8 PM
North Adams @ Newport, 6:30 PM
Holyoke @ Keene, 7 PM

I'm glad I'm not in charge of scheduling all of these games.

The marathon kicks off tonight at 7 as the Navs take on Sanford in a battle for first place - keep it here for updates!

7/24: Game vs. Keene PPD

2008-07-24T15:37:00.010-04:00

Rain, rain, go away...Tonight's game against the Keene Swamp Bats (20-12) has been postponed due to the continuously awful weather conditions. A make-up date has not been disclosed, yet. The Navigators now have 11 games remaining on the schedule, with double-headers already scheduled for next Tuesday (7/29) in Lowell and next Thursday (7/31) in Holyoke (one game against the Blue Sox and another against the Torrington Twisters).

While there will be no action today, here are some pictures taken by Meaghen Hamill, the Navigators' Community Outreach and Activities Coordinator. Thanks Meg!

Navigators strut their stuff at a Boston Red Sox tryout at Fenway Park. (From left-to-right: Mike Provencher, Kent Graham, Chad Zurcher, Jason Markowitz, Tyler Kuehl, Justin Little, Mike Gallo and Nick Belcher.)

Though the Northern Division was defeated, 5-2, the Navigators were well represented at the 2008 NECBL All-Star Game. (From left-to-right: Jason Markowitz, Chris Prescott, Sean McNaughton, Mike Provencher and Tyler Kuehl.)

Rally caps were vital in the Navigators' fourteen-inning victory over the Keene Swamp Bats on July 21. The game was won on a single to left-field by Matt Costello. Mike Provencher (far left) scored the winning run.

Navs rally to win rain-shortened game in Sanford

2008-07-24T00:46:00.001-04:00

Zander Kean, Navigators Sports Information Department

At approximately 3:00 PM on Wednesday, the overcast sky over Sanford, Maine began spitting light rain. That rain then turned into a downpour, pushing the start of the North Shore Navigators’ game against the Mainers back two hours.

Finally, Goodall Park drained well enough for the game to get underway at 8:30. And in what would turn out to be their last at-bat, the Navs broke open a pitcher’s duel to come away with a rain-shortened 4-1 victory.

With the win, North Shore (22-10) moved into sole possession of first place in the NECBL North and clinched the season series against the Mainers (22-12). The Navs have won four of five against Sanford.

“We got the offense when we needed it, maybe Lady Luck was on our side, maybe she knew the rain was coming,” head coach Jason Falcon said.

On the hill for the Navigators, Adam Herter began his night with a strikeout of Corey Hunt. And with the help of a double play in the second inning, Herter faced the minimum number of hitters through the first three innings and retired 10 of the first 11 batters he faced.

“I felt good. The rain delay was kind of a bummer, just waiting around getting ready to play, but it worked out well for us,” Herter said. “I was just going after their pitcher. You have just got to stay sharp mentally and go out and bear the conditions.”

Sanford’s Pat Lehman began his outing just as well. Coming into the contest with a 0.90 ERA over his six starts, Lehman scattered four hits over the first five innings. In that span, he struck out six Navs and walked just one.

The Mainers put the game’s first run on the board in the bottom of the fifth. Anthony D’Alfonso drove a Herter offering just over the head of North Shore centerfielder Justin Little, reaching third as the ball bounced off the wall. Herter then struck out Devin Harris, but gave up a fly ball to Will Greenberg that was deep enough to send D’Alfonso home.

Mike Provencher and Sean McNaughton helped the Navs respond in the following inning. Provencher led off the inning with a double to the gap in left-center, and McNaughton roped a triple to the same spot to tie the score at 1. Two batters later, Nick Belcher hit a sacrifice fly to deep center to give North Shore its first lead of the night, 2-1.

But the Navigators weren’t finished in the inning. John Hill plated Matt Costello – who had reached on an infield single – with a triple to left-center. And Chad Zurcher followed with a line-drive base hit to right, sending home Hill for the fourth Navigator run.

Catchers aren’t typically known for their wheels, but Hill’s hustle gave him his first three-bagger of the season.

“I knew he had it in him, and I am probably the only guy that has said that. He got to third, looked at me and said, ‘thank you, I don’t think I will ever hit one again,’” Falcon said. “Maybe you don’t take that chance with a guy out, but we had the lead and we had a good guy on the mound, so I was thinking what the hell, let’s take a chance.”

In the bottom of the sixth, the rain came back with a vengeance as Herter worked a quick 1-2-3 inning. With the weather showing no signs of letting up, the Mainer players wasted no time in covering the infield with their tarp. By the time the rain stopped, the infield was completely soaked, and within a few minutes the game was called.

In his six innings, Herter allowed just two hits and an unearned run. He did not walk a batter and struck out three Mainers. He credited the Navs’ solid defense – North Shore came into the game with a league-best .972 fielding percentage – with allowing him to work through easy innings.

“I was trying to get the ball back as soon as I could; just trying to get it over the plate to let them put the ball in play. Luckily, [Sanford] hit the ball hard on the ground and our defense worked well under the conditions and we came away with a big win tonight.”

With Mike DiCato on the hill, the Navigators will look to build their division lead tomorrow – weather permitting – as they travel to Keene to take on the Swamp Bats.

Navs win rain-shortened game

2008-07-23T23:08:00.003-04:00

After 6 innings in Sanford, the skies have opened again, forcing an end to tonight's game between the Navigators and the Sanford Mainers.

The Navs led 4-1 after 6. The game is official, so North Shore leaves Sanford with a huge win.

Joe + Zander will post the full report later tonight.

Game underway in Sanford

2008-07-23T21:03:00.001-04:00

I have been informed by Joe Jasinski that the Navs and Mainers are underway in Sanford after a substantial rain delay, scoreless in the second inning.

Listen/watch

Game threading

2008-07-22T09:59:00.002-04:00

Thanks to everyone who read or participated in last night's live game post. When I started posting live game diaries to the blog, I envisioned it being exactly how it was last night - with fans away from the park joining in, reacting live, and asking questions. I hoped to make everyone at home feel like they were at the ballpark with us, watching the game.

"Watching" the game alongside all of you last night made it even more fun. Thanks for being a part of it, and I hope you enjoyed it, too.

Navigators, Costello victorious in fourteen-inning epic

2008-07-22T02:16:00.003-04:00

Joe Jasinski, Navigatos Sports Information Department

Fourteen innings; ten pitchers; an ejection; a defensive blunder by a back-up catcher…playing left field.

After remaining deadlocked at 1-1 after thirteen and a half innings, a Matt Costello line-drive over the glove of replacement left-fielder Franco Valdes allowed Mike Provencher to score the game-winning run in front of the faithful fans at Fraser Field.

Leading off the fourteenth inning, Provencher chopped a ball down the third base line, narrowly beating out the throw to first from Keene catcher Dan Petro (E. Tennessee St.). After Provencher stole second on another close play, Swamp Bat first-baseman Paul Karmas (St. John’s Univ.) was ejected from the game for arguing with the first-base umpire Paul Brooks.

It was Provencher’s first hit of the night, having been retired five times previously.

Starting left-fielder Dan Grovatt (Virginia) replaced Karmas at first base, and back-up catcher Franco Valdes (Virginia) moved out to left field. After Sean McNaughton was intentionally walked, pinch-hitting John Folino laid down a beautiful sacrifice bunt, advancing both base-runners to second and third. Tyler Kuehl was then intentionally walked, bringing Costello to the plate to face the new Keene reliever Sean Bierman (Vanderbilt).

Costello roped a first-pitch fastball to left field. Valdes advanced forward to make the catch, but allowed the ball to shoot over his glove, scoring Provencher uncontested.

The win puts the Navigators (21-10) a game and half ahead of the third-place Swamp Bats (20-12) in the NECBL Northern Division. North Shore also moves percentage points ahead of the second-place Sanford Mainers (22-11), who’s game versus Lowell was postponed due to rain.

Costello went three for seven from the plate, tied for the most hits of any batter in the game (Nick Belcher also had three hits). Despite his fourteenth-inning heroics, the joy was accompanied by fatigue, Costello said.

“Honestly,” he said, “I’m so tired that I do not even know how to react. It felt good; really good. This one was a lot of fun – but very tiring.”

Perhaps overshadowed by the longevity of the night was the six innings pitched by Navigators’ starter Wayde Kitchens, who threw six innings of consistency, giving up a single run on five hits while striking out three batters.

The Swamp Bats left thirteen men on base – the Navigators left eighteen – none more important than the two left on in the top of the tenth inning. A single, an errant throw to an unmanned second base by Costello and a walk loaded the bases with no outs for Keene. Ryan Krull then struck out Chris Trembley (Kent State) and induced a 5-2-3 double play to leave the mound unscathed.

“I really just wanted to get one guy at a time,” Krull said. “Just wanted to get that first guy. You have to start somewhere.”

North Shore sent four relievers to the hill through the eight innings following Kitchens’ departure. Jason Markowitz and Krull each gave two innings of shutout relief, followed by Chris Kowalski, who gave two and one-third innings. Despite inheriting two base-runners from Kowalski, Chris Prescott (1-0) did not allow a run in his inning and two-thirds work.

“It just says a lot about our guys,” Head Coach Jason Falcon said. “They are not going to give in to anybody. I do not know how many times they had runners in scoring position with less than two outs – but give credit to the players, they just do not want to give up anything.”

Justin Little led off the fifth inning with his second bunt single of the evening. After stealing second and advancing to third base on a passed ball, Little was brought home on a McNaughton ground out, making the score 1-0 North Shore.

Despite escaping a jam in the fifth inning with runners on second and third base, Kitchens’ shutout was erased in the sixth inning after Paul Karmas singled home Evan Chambers, who had reached on a double, one of two extra-base hits Kitchens surrendered.

NAVS GAME QUOTES: JULY 21, 2008 - Navs 2, Keene 1 (14)

2008-07-22T00:32:00.001-04:00

NAVIGATORS GAME QUOTES – JULY 21-22, 2008 – NAVS 2, KEENE 1 (14)

by Joseph Gravellese, North Shore Navigators Sports Information Department

Coach Jason Falcon

It was a battle between two teams near the top of the North Division, so we all expected a competitive game. But you couldn’t have possibly seen that coming, could you?

No. Never in a million years. I put all of our position players in. This game is on the players, not me – they all did an excellent job, every single one of them.

Have you ever been involved in a game like this?

Last year in the playoffs, game 2 against Lowell, they took us to 15 innings and they beat us. It was nice to end up on the winning side today.

Talk about persisting through all the jams, and through some great Keene pitching, to score the winning run.

It just says a lot about our guys – they’re not going to give in to anybody. I don’t’ know how many times they had runners in scoring position with less than two outs – but give credit to the players, they just don’t want to give up anything. We talk about winning as many home games as we can, and they certainly went out and did their job tonight.

Is it possible to even describe the job done by the bullpen tonight?

No, you really can’t. that’s what they do, that’s what they’ve done all year. They do what they’re supposed to do. They make me look good on a night like tonight, when I made more mistakes than any coach in the history of the game. They’re competitors, and a lot of them have a future ahead of them. After what I saw tonight, I know a lot of them have a future ahead of them.

If the game goes to inning 15, who’s coming in?

Gallo was next. He was ready for3-4 innings. He’s probably all upset because he was down there pumping from the 6^th inning on.

There were a lot of big plays tonight, and it would be impossible to recount them all. But are there any that especially stand out in your mind, looking back?

The game-winning hit, obviously… but Folino’s bunt. That’s a play that has to be made in order to win this game. Defensively, we made a bunch of really good plays tonight. Little had a good running catch, Zurcher made a couple of great plays at short, and Costello had a few good scoops down at first base. Great game all around.

Justin Little, CF

How did it feel to get eight at bats in one game?

Well, I wish it could have been one less and I could have got a game winning hit earlier. But in that kind of game, it’s nice to just get the win. That was a great game. It doesn’t get any better than that.

Matt Costello, 1B, game winning hit

You jumped on that first pitch and lined it to left for the game winner. It looked like an out from my seat, but it fell in. Talk about what you were looking for in that at bat.

They’ve been beating me with fastballs with their lefties, just throwing the hard stuff. So I wanted to choke up and just put it in play, and not hit into a double play. I got the fastball and just got my bat to it.

How does it feel to end such a dramatic game?

Honestly, I’m so tired that I don’ teven know how to react. It felt good. Really good. This one was a lot of fun – but very tiring.

Ryan Krull, reliever. Worked out of a bases loaded, 0 out jam in the 9^th inning

Talk about working out of that bases loaded, nobody out jam in the 9^th. What was your approach, and what did you talk about during those conferences at the mound?

I really just wanted to get one guy at a time. Just wanted to get that first guy. You have to start somewhere. I got ahead of him with a changeup, then he swung and missed at a fastball. That was big. And then we put on the intentional walk to set up the double play, and it worked out.

Were you throwing pitches specifically to try to get the double play?

I was just trying to keep the ball down in the zone in general. Make sure they couldn’t get anything up in the air. You always have to keep it down in that situation to prevent a sac fly.

Two really good teams battling it out tonight – talk about how it feels to be part of a game like tonight’s.

It was a blast. This was the first game I’ve been in that’s been this long all year. It’s fun. It’s long, obviously, but it’s fun to get everybody in the game. It’s a good team win because just about everyone on the team had a contribution.

It was a lot of fun. We were trying to figure out what we could do to change up the luck and get the win. We tried rally caps in every direction – forwards, backwards, sideways. We had it all going on.

Chris Kowalski, reliever. 3 1/3 scoreless innings.

Talk about the work of the bullpen as a whole tonight.

Unbelievable job by everyone. It’s been like that all year – just come in and throw strikes.

What’s it like to watch a game like that from down in the bullpen?

It’s great, you just have to stay focused and be ready when your number is called. Throw strikes, get outs, keep the game moving. Nobody wants to be the guy that loses it. It’s great to see all the guys out there competing.

Could you tell that Costello’s game winner was a hit? It looked like an out at first from the stands.

Yeah, it’s funny – I know the left-fielder, he’s a catcher at [the University of ] Virginia. I knew that once he hit it to left field it had a good chance of falling in. And that was it.

Wayde Kitchens, starting pitcher.

Seemingly six, seven, eight hours ago, you pitched today. Talk about how you felt on the mound facing this tough Keene lineup.

I felt good. Fastball was working today, I was hitting the strike zone a lot. I just wanted to keep us in the game.

In the fifth inning, you got out of a major jam – runners on first and third with nobody out. Talk about the pitches you made to get out of that and keep the game tied.

I threw all fastballs, really, then threw the curveball once I got to two strikes. And luckily for me both pitches worked and I got out of it.

How does it feel as a starting pitcher to leave the game, then have to watch as it goes on for eight more innings. Is it agonizing to be watching a game like this from the dugout?

Not really, it was actually a lot of fun. This game was huge for us, we needed the win. Obviously, I just wanted the team to win. I wasn’t agonized at all – it was great.

Mike Gallo

I’m told that you were next in line to come out of the bullpen if the game went to 15 innings. Was there any shred of disappointment when the game ended and you didn’t get to pitch? Be honest.

Well… I haven’t pitched in about 24 days, so… I’m happy we won, but I would have liked to have come in.

How did it feel to watch this game from the bullpen?

By myself with Hill… jeez. It was exhilarating [laughs].

Phil Rosenfield, owner

Phil, this was absolutely the most thrilling game we’ve seen so far at Fraser – what was this like from the owner’s perspective?

It’s great, as long as it ends in a win. Whenever a game ends like that, you go home happy.

(on the game winning hit by Costello):

Just like lightning – one swing, and boom – it’s over. First I thought it was a hit, then I thought it was an out, then I thought it was a hit.

Any plays from this game stand out to you today?

Yeah, actually, I thought the last run was poetic justice, because [Keene’s] first run came on a play where our outfielder broke in, then went back out, and the ball went over his head. So for the same thing to sort of happen in reverse was great poetic justice. That’s what I love about baseball, things like that always seem to happen.

Zander Kean, cameraman, LynnCam

Were you getting tired from all that standing?

The best decision I’ve ever made in my cameraman career was lowering my tripod and sitting down from the 11^th through the 14^th. I was ready to go 20 If I had to.

NAVS WIN EPIC GAME, 2-1 IN 14TH

2008-07-21T23:57:00.003-04:00

Well, I'm emotionally drained... how about you? The players and coaches all seem very pumped up - yet very tired at the same time.

I just returned from the field with a bushel of quotes from a players and coaches about tonight's thrilling 14 inning victory over Keene. "Version 1" of the Game Story will be without quotes since we all really need to get out of here. But once we get home, we'll update it with lots of player & coach reactions.

It turns out that from my position on press row, I missed what turned out to be the key moment of the game. After Provencher's close steal of second base, Keene 1B Paul Karmas had some choice words for the umpire. He got tossed, forcing LF Grovatt to move to first base, and putting backup catcher Franco Valdes in left field.

Naturally, Costello lined the first pitch to left field - and Valdes missed it, finally ending an amazing game.

The other breaking story I got from the field was that if the game went to the 15th, Mike Gallo would have been the next guy to come in out of the bullpen.

Stay tuned for the story & quotes. GO NAVS!

LIVE: Navs, Keene battle into the night

2008-07-21T19:05:00.094-04:00

North Shore Navigators (20-10, 2nd place, .5 GB) vs.
Keene Swamp Bats (20-11, 3rd place, 1 GB)

Wayde Kitchens (1-1, 1.52 ERA, .245 OAVG)
Tommy Meagher (1-1, 3.78 ERA, .190 OAVG)

KEE 0 0 0 / 0 0 1 / 0 0 0 / 0 0 0 / 0 0 - 1 8 1
NSR 0 0 0 / 0 1 0 / 0 0 0 / 0 0 0 / 0 1 - 2 13 2

11:38 PM: WITH THE OUTFIELD IN, ON THE FIRST PITCH, COSTELLO LINES IT TO LEFT AND THE LEFT FIELDER JUST PLAIN MISSES IT! NAVIGATORS WIN. NAVIGATORS WIN. NAVIGATORS WIN. NAVIGATORS WIN. NAVIGATORS WIN.

11:38 PM: Now pitching, Sean Bierman, a lefty. He started against us earlier this year. This is just his 2nd relief appearance of the year. He has a 3.31 ERA and an opponents average of.........HOLD THE PHONE

11:35 PM: Kolarek is finally pulled from the game after 3 1/3 strong innings of work... no runs allowed so far, but he's responsible for all three guys on base. He gave up 3 hits in his outing.

11:35 PM: They issue the free pass to Kuehl, loading the bases for Costello.

11:33 PM: Folino successfully gets the bunt down! 2nd and 3rd for Kuehl!

11:33 PM: Folino squares to bunt, and drops the first one foul.

11:32 PM: Keene's manager is getting animated with the ump now, for the 2nd time this inning, prolonging an already very long game. ANd now they are having their 3rd mound conference of the inning. There's nobody warming up in the bullpen, and Kolarek is well into his 4th inning of work.

11:31 PM: McNaughton is intentionally walked, bringing up the pitcher's spot, Folino - who will surely be bunting here.

11:27 PM: Provencher steals 2nd on the benefit of yet another close call. Keene's manager is out to argue - he definitely has a case, but it was close. Provy got a good jump and appeared to get under the tag. Winning run in scoring position...

11:25 PM: Provy legs out an infield hit on a VERY close call.

11:23 PM: 2-3-4 guys again: Provy-McNaughton... Kowalski? or a pinch hitter? - update: it looks like John Folino has a bat in the dugout. Apparently the Navs lost the DH slot at some point.

11:22 PM: Chambers pops out to CF. ON TO THE HOME HALF!

11:21 PM: Grovatt singles, making him 2-for-6 with a walk in 7 plate appearances.

11:18 PM: 2 outs, nobody in in the 14th. Now batting, Dan Grovatt.

11:12 PM: Who's up for some more baseball? Little grounds out to first base, and we go to the 14th.

11:10 PM: Zurch grounds one into the hole, the shortstop can't get to it, and the winning run moves up to 3rd! It's now on Justin Little as the Swamp Bats conference at the mound. The Navigator bullpen is quiet, so if we have a 14th inning, it will be Prescott starting it.

11:09 PM: If you left the game earlier while it was tied and are here to check on the final result -- we're still playing!!! 1-1 in the bottom of the 13th, with a runner on 1st and 1 out for the Navs... make that 2 outs, as Pesanello strikes out swinging.

11:08 PM: Belcher with the one-out single!

11:05 PM: Costello leads it off here in the home half of the 13th.

11:02 PM: Prescott throws the inside cheese, clearly a ball, but Macias goes around (seemingly in an attempt to twist out of the way of the pitch). TO THE BOTTOM OF THE THIRTEENTH! If you're not loving this, there's no hope for ya. ;)

11:02 PM: Full count.

11:01 PM: This game unofficially started at 7:11 PM, so we are almost guaranteed to hit the four hour mark.

11:00 PM: Lee walks, loading the bases w/ 2 outs for Jose Macias.

10:59 PM: Petro grounds into a fielder's choice for the second out.

10:54 PM: At'll be all for Kowalski on the night after 2.1 stellar innings. The game is now handed over to All-Star closer Chris Prescott.

10:52 PM: Little makes a nice running grab to retire Trembley for the first out. Navs will now walk Karmas intentionally to set up the double play possibility with Petro up.

10:51 PM: Chambers steals 2nd.

10:50 PM: Kowalski walks leadoff man Evan Chambers.

10:49 PM: We knew this was going to be a critical divisional showdown - and both teams are treating it as such. Very intense game, and very entertaining.

10:47 PM: Kowalski stays out for the 13th. His pitch count is still low, so the Navs are able to get some huge innings out of him here. It looks like Prescott is starting to stretch out in the 'pen.

10:46 PM: Kuehl grounds back to the pitcher - he hustles down the line but the throw just barely beats him. We go to the 13th! Gotta love it.

10:44 PM: Base hit up the middle! Navs' first hit of extra innings.

10:44 PM: Kowalski pinch hits for Graham! Could he seal his own victory with a walkoff homer?

10:43 PM: This is quickly setting the record for longest live-blog ever.

10:42 PM: Here goes - this is the inning to get it done. Provencher, McNaughton, Graham.

10:41 PM: Kowalski strikes out Grovatt looking to end the 12th.

10:39 PM: Two pitches, two outs!

10:38 PM: One pitch, one out in the 12th - McGrew grounds out to first unassisted.

10:37 PM: Well, that was a quick eleventh as Little strikes out looking on an outside fastball. Kowalski is back in for the 12th. This is getting very fun.

10:35 PM: After 2 quick outs, Little is up... time for the first ever walkoff inside-the-park home run?

10:32 PM: Now pitching for Keene: Adam Kolarek (6.14 ERA, .263 OAVG)

10:31 PM: Kowalski fans 2 in a 1-2-3 eleventh. He's got his groove back. Time for 11th inning magic? Pesanello - Zurcher - Little

10:24 PM: And it'll be Chris Kowalski dealin' in the 11th for North Shore.

10:23 PM: Well, this one has taken a dramatic turn. Belcher hits a fly ball to left center, Lee slides and makes the nice grab. Falcon argues that he trapped it, but it did look like a catch from here. To the 11th we go...

10:21 PM: Costello lines one toward the gap in RCF, the hardest hit ball all day. Sets up runners at the corners for Belcher with 2 out. There's a big conference at the mound now -------- but Keene will stay with Wise.

10:19 PM: Kuehl strikes out for the third out of the inning, but the catcher drops it and Kuehl speeds down to first. Let's see if the Navs can make some noise with their extra out.

10:15 PM: McNaughton leads it off for the good guys...

10:13 PM: DID SOMEBODY ORDER A HOUDINI ACT? Karmas hits a hard grounder to 3rd, Belcher throws home for the out there, and Pesanello tosses it down to first to END THE INNING. Time for a walkoff...

10:11 PM: Krull gets a HUGE 3 pitch strikeout of Trembley. 1 out, Karmas up. Navs infield moves back into double-play depth. The corners stay in.

10:10 PM: Navs have the infield in.

10:08 PM: Grovatt drops a bunt, the Navs attempt to force at 2nd base and.... there's nobody at 2nd base... the throw sails into center, and Keene has runners on 2 + 3 with nobody out. Krull is now intentionally walking Chambers to load the bases for Trembley. The Navs will need a Houdini act now.

10:06 PM: Westlake leads off the Keene 10th with a base hit.

10:04 PM: Provencher grounds out, and this extraordinarily long 1-1 game will head to extra innings.

9:58 PM: Provencher will be facing a new pitcher -- #5 James Wise (4.14 ERA, .269 OAVG)

9:57 PM: Little Ks- it's up to Provencher.

9:55 PM: Little - who's already been on base thrice in this game - is up with one out.

9:52 PM: Keene goes down 1-2-3 - it's time for walkoff #2! Zurcher, Little, Provencher due up for the Navs

9:47 PM: Markovitz departs after two innings, giving up just one hit... Coach Falcon hands the game over to Ryan Krull, with Kowalski stretching in the bullpen as a backup plan. Now catching, Frank Pesanello (after John Hill was lifted for pinch-hitter Kyle Geason in the bottom of the 8th)

9:45 PM: Belcher lines one off the pitcher's glove, thrown to 1st for the 2nd out. Geason now pinch hitting for Hill.

9:43 PM: Costello singles, steals 2nd, and reaches 3rd on a throwing error by the catcher... runner on 3rd, 1 out for Belcher.

9:38 PM: Keene puts two on in the 8th but Markovitz gets out of it --- STILL tied at 1

9:26 PM: Scratch that - Kent Graham pinch hits for Garton.

9:24 PM: McNaughton hits one to shallow center, Lee slides to attempt a catch but the ball pops out of his glove, and the Navs have runners at the corners with two outs. Garton is up, with Kuehl on deck.

9:16 PM: Markovitz impresses (as usual), pitches around a 2-out error to put another 'zero' on the scoreboard. Still tied at stretch time.

9:09 PM: McDermott fans Hill to end the inning. Markovitz is now in to pitch for NS - Kitchens leaves after 6 - 1 run, 5 hits, 3 Ks, 2 BB.

9:07 PM: Belcher smokes a double to right-center.

9:03 PM: Sean McDermott (VA Tech) in to pitch for Keene. Meagher pulled after 5 solid innings - 1 run, 5 hits, 5 Ks, 2 walks.

9:02 PM: Kitchens jams Petro, gets him to pop out - ending the top of the 6th.

8:58 PM: Karmas dinks a base hit on the ground to left field, plating Chambers; we have a tie game.

8:44 PM: McNaughton hits a little ground ball to short that is enough to bring home Little from 3rd.

8:40 PM: Little steals 2nd with 1 out... and reaches 3rd on a passed ball

8:37 PM: Little picks up his second bunt single of the game to start the bottom of the 5th.

8:37 PM: Rains are most definitely on their way - it looks like it's raining not far beyond CF

8:35 PM: What an escape by Kitchens! He gets Westlake to ground out to short on a sweet breaking ball, ending the inning. His curveball has been outstanding tonight.

8:31 PM: Kitchens gets McGrew with the high heat. Two down.

8:29 PM: Just as good: he gets Macias to pop out to short. 1 away.

8:28 PM: the Kitchen could use a K here. He has Macias in an 0-2 hole.

8:27 PM: The Swamp Bats have their biggest threat of the night so far, as Petro hits a leadoff double and Lee moves him to 3rd on a single to right. 1st + 3rd, 0 out for Macias.

8:23 PM: 4 hits for the Navs so far, but nothing doing - scoreless through 4 complete. The clouds look very ominous overhead at the moment - but at this pace, we'll have an official game soon.

8:12 PM: Trembley picks up Keene's first hit, but he is swiftly erased on a 5-4-3 double play by Paul Karmas.

8:03 PM: Garton and Kuehl pop out consecutively and Keene gets out of a major jam

8:02 PM: Garton up with one out and the bases loaded

7:55 PM: The Navs have put the first two men on in the bottom of the 3rd (Zurcher bloop single, Little bunt single). Provy is up now

7:44 PM: Meagher sends the Navs down in order. Quick start to this one.

7:38 PM: The Kitchen throws a 1-2-3 second inning.

7:35 PM: Kitchens gives Petro the heat, which absolutely shatters his bat, sending the big piece flying right at two fans in section I. There are no injuries, and there's one out in the inning. Good news all around.

7:32 PM: Kuehl grounds out to end the inning.

7:30 PM: Two out magic - McNaughton walks, Garton singles to left. Kuehl up.

7:25 PM: In response to the commenter: the field is in very good shape, and here are the lineups:
Little CF / Grovatt LF
Prov RF / Chambers DH
McNaughton DH / Trembley 2B
Garton LF / Karmas 1B
Kuehl 2B / Petro C
Costello 1B / Lee CF
Belcher 3B / Macias SS
Hill C / McGrew RF
Zurcher SS / Westlake 3B

7:22 PM: Kitchens allows a walk in the first but otherwise it's smooth sailing for the Big Guy. Scoreless thru 1/2 inning.

7:11 PM: We're underway.

7:05 PM: Welcome to Fraser on a very cool, overcast evening as the 2nd place Navs take on the 3rd place Swamp Bats in a marquee NECBL matchup. We're under a slight delay here as heavy rains at around 4:30 PM held up batting practice and infield practice. It looks like we're probably ten minutes away from first pitch.

Check out Zephyr

2008-07-19T22:09:00.004-04:00

Zephyr, an up-and-coming local rock band, performed a spectacular set following tonight's 4-3 win over the North Adams SteepleCats. If you like what you heard from these budding stars, you can check out their website at www.myspace.com/zephyrboston.

Also: due to inclement weather, tonight's fireworks display has been postponed until next Saturday night, when the Navs will be home to face Vermont. All fans with a ticket stub from tonight's game will be granted free admission to next Saturday's game.

Garton, Provencher propel Navs to 4-3 win

2008-07-19T22:08:00.002-04:00

Joseph Gravellese, Navigators Sports Information Department

On Monday night, with the bases loaded and the Navigators trailing the Pittsfield Dukes 4-1, coach Jason Falcon called on new addition Joshua Garton to pinch hit. In his first at-bat for the Navs, Garton flew out to left field, halting hopes of a late comeback.

Five nights later, Garton came to the plate in a similar situation against the North Adams SteepleCats – but this time, the results were much different.

Trailing 3-1 in the bottom of the 7^th, Garton delivered for the Navs, launching a two run home run to deep right to tie the score.

That game-changing moment paved the way for Mike Provencher’s walk-off single in the ninth, giving North Shore a thrilling 4-3 win in front of a big crowd at Fraser Field. Jason Markovitz (4-0) got the win, needing just one pitch to wiggle out of a bases loaded, two out jam in the top of the 9^th.

“It feels great getting the opportunity to play in this league,” said Garton after the game. “I was playing in a small league back home, and getting the call to come play here was the best thing that has happened to me in quite a bit. It felt great to bring the game back in reach of a win.”

Garton’s homer also took starting pitcher Jimmy Lisowski off the hook, keeping him undefeated (2-0) on the season. Lisowski battled through seven innings, scattering six hits and yielding three runs while striking out five SteepleCats.

“I felt good,” said Lisowski, a Warwick, MA native. “Before the game, my arm felt good in the pen. Coming out here, I felt good, I just wanted to throw strikes and let my defense work behind me.”

The real stars of the night came out of the Navigators bullpen as Ryan Krull, Chris Kowalski, and Markovitz teamed up to pitch two shutout innings to keep the game tied.

After quickly getting two outs in the eighth inning, Kowalski worked himself into a ninth inning jam that nearly handed North Adams the game.

Delgado smacked a base hit up the middle to lead off the inning. With one out, Semeniuk hit a chopper down the third base line that Nick Belcher appeared to have snagged to start a 5-4-3 double play. But the umpire ruled it a foul ball, keeping the inning alive. Semeniuk went on to work a walk, putting two men on with one out. Kowalski’s wild pitch then put the go-ahead runs in scoring position.

With the infield drawn in, Kowalski got Sean Parker to hit a hard grounder to short. The runners were unable to advance, and Parker was retired for the second out.

After intentionally walking the dangerous Van Horn (3-for-3, 3B, RBI), coach Falcon went to the lefty, Jason Markovitz, to face John Malloy. Markovitz did not disappoint, as Malloy flew out to left field on the very first pitch to end the inning.

SteepleCats reliever Derek Shaw could not hold down the Navigators in the bottom of the 9^th, walking Garton and Chad Zurcher consecutively to start the inning. He was listed in favor of lefty Donny White, whose first and only pitch clipped Justin Little in the elbow to load the bases.

The SteepleCats’ third pitcher of the inning, Greg Robinson, fared no better. Mike Provencher scorched a single past the dive of shortstop Jonathan Smith, giving the Navigators their first walkoff win of the season.

“I was looking for pretty much anything over the plate, anything down. I was trying to hit something on the ground and hit something hard,” explained Provencher.

Provencher and Garton were each mobbed by their teammates after the winning run scored.

“I was just excited to get in that situation,” said Provencher. “I love getting in that kind of situation, it gets me pumped up. I like coming in with the team on my back. The guys were great, cheering everyone on [from the dugout]. It was a good time.”

The end of the game may have been fun for the Navs, but it started inauspiciously.

After starting pitchers Jimmy Lisowski and Mitchell Clegg dueled through three scoreless innings to start the game, the SteepleCats put up a picket fence, scoring single runs in the fourth, fifth, and sixth innings to jump out to a three run lead.

North Adams’ first run came on a play that had previously been very kind to the Navigators this season – the pickoff.

Jonathan Smith led off the fourth inning with a single to right. One out later, Kyle Geason misplayed a hard ground ball by Ryan Delgado. His throw to first was off line, putting runners on the corners for North Adams.

With Mike Donato at the plate, Lisowski spun off the mound and attempted to pick off Delgado, but he was called for a balk. It was just the second balk of the season for North Shore pitchers, and the first that resulted in a run, as Smith trotted home from third.

Falcon went out to argue the call, but to no avail.

Kyle Geason’s second error in as many innings allowed Ryan Semeniuk to reach base to start the fifth. Sean Parker dropped a sacrifice bunt to move him into scoring position, allowing Greg Van Horn to plate him with an RBI single.

The SteepleCats stretched their lead to three an inning later when Delgado punched a base hit into left, scoring Hoilman.

But Lisowski battled back, pitching a scoreless seventh to depart with his team still very much in the ballgame.

North Shore began their comeback bid in the home half of the sixth. Clegg walked Chad Zurcher, then gave up a hard single to right off the bat of Kyle Geason. A passed ball put two men in scoring position with one out for Provencher, who grounded to second base but did enough to bring home the Navigators’ first run. Clegg avoided further damage in the inning, but the stage was set for Garton’s seventh inning heroics.

“It is huge [to get a come-from-behind win],” said Lisowski. “We came back from down 3-0, put up those runs, tied it and then our bullpen held it down to the end, and then we came up with some clutch hits in some clutch at-bats. I think knowing that we can do that will only help us down the road in close games.”

The game featured a wide range of wild weather. The game started under a burning sun, with a first pitch temperature of 93 degrees. Two hours later, the game was halted for 57 minutes due to severe thunder and lightning in the area.

The win brings the Navigators to the All-Star break with a record of 20-10, one half game behind division leading Sanford. Sean McNaughton, Tyler Kuehl, and Chris Prescott will join today’s heroes Markovitz and Provencher in representing the North Division at tomorrow’s All-Star game in Torrington, Connecticut.

Provencher will also participate in tomorrow’s Home Run Derby, one of three skills competitions taking place before the actual game (along with the Fastest Runner and the Most Accurate Throw).

“With this Sam Bat here, I going to go with about six or seven [homers] in the first round,” laughed Provencher. “I don’t know, we will see what happens. I’ll take six homers.”

The Navs resume play on Monday night with a home game against the Keene Swamp Bats. Fans can find out more information about upcoming games at the team’s official website, www.nsnavs.com.

PROVENCHER HITS WALK-OFF SINGLE; NAVS WIN

2008-07-19T17:30:00.056-04:00

NA 0 0 0 / 1 1 1 / 0 0 0 - 3 8 0
NS 0 0 0 / 0 0 1 / 2 0 1 - 4 7 2

9:07 PM: PROVENCHER KNOCKS A BASE HIT PAST THE SHORTSTOP AND INTO LEFT FIELD! GARTON CROSSES THE PLATE! THE NAVIGATORS WIN!

9:03 PM: White throws exactly one pitch - he came in to face the lefty and couldn't get him out. Now pitching - righty Greg Robinson. Let's see if Provencher can crack him.

9:03 PM: Little is hit by the first pitch he sees - it's up to Mike Provencher.

9:00 PM: New pitcher for the SteepleCats, lefty from CCSU Donny White.

8:59 PM: Belcher flares it to left, but Donato is there to stab it and there are two outs. Can Justin Little end it?

8:58 PM: Belcher is behind in the count 0-2..... he lays off a tough curveball and it's now 1-2.

8:57 PM: ...and he works the walk. Time for a conference at the mound - two on, one out, and Nick Belcher at the plate with a chance to be the hero.

8:56 PM: Zurch gets ahead in the count, 3-0...

8:56 PM: Garton walks. It's Zurcher's turn.

8:53 PM: He pops out to center. It's Josh Garton's turn. He tied the game - can he win it?

8:52 PM: Kent Graham leads off the 9th for the good guys... and takes ball one.

8:51 PM: First pitch swingin', and Malloy flies out to left. The Navs escape a major jam and will now have the chance teo walk off with a win. Derek Shaw to the hill for North Adams.

8:49 PM: Jason Markovitz comes on to face Malloy. Kowalski's line : 1.1 IP, 1 H, 1 K, 1 BB, 0 runs so far, responsible for all 3 baserunners.

8:47 PM: Kowalski gets a HUGE out. With the infield in, Parker grounds out to 3rd and there's 2 outs. They will now intentionally walk Van Horn to load the bases with two out.

8:44 PM: We've had a negative turn of events here. With 1 out and a runner on first, Semeniuk chopped one down the third base line; Belcher scooped it and the Navs appeared to turn a 5-4-3 double play. But the ump ruled it foul, and Semeniuk went on to work a walk. Kowalski then threw a wild pitch to put runners on 2nd + 3rd with 1 out for Parker.

8:35 PM: Down go the Navs, 1-2-3. It's gonna have to be a walkoff win. The Navs haven't had one yet this year. Time to change that.

8;34 PM: Costello pinch hits for Pesanello and lines out to short.

8:29 PM: On Kowalski's first pitch, Smith takes off and is caught stealing for the 2nd out. Hoilman then Ks swinging to end the inning.

8:26 PM: Game on - Kowalski is making his warmup tosses.

8:14 PM: After a 33 minute delay, the tarp is coming off. We are probably 5-10 minutes away from resumption of play.

7:31 PM: ALERT: We've only seen a few drops of rain, but due to ominous lightning in the not-too-distant horizon, the players have been called off the field.

Statement -"With severe thunder and lighting heading this way, we are protecting the ballplayers by keeping them off the field for approximately thirty minutes. Hopefully, at that time, we will be able to resume the game."

:30 PM: Kowalski comes in to pitch with a runner on first and one out.

7:24 PM: Now pitching for North Shore - Ryan Krull.

Jimmy Lisowski went 7 innings, giving up 3 runs (1 earned) on 6 hits, striking out 5 and walking 1. He also balked in a run.

7:23 PM: Provencher grounds out to short to end the inning. But not before the Navs tie it!

7:20 PM: Now pitching, Derek Shaw. Clegg's line -6.2 IP, 6 H, 4 K, 3 BB, so far charged with 3 runs - the two men on base are his responsibility

7:19 PM: Little walks on four pitches, and that'll be the evening for Clegg.

7:17 PM: Geason is replaced on the basepaths by speedy pinch-runner Jesse Bruinsma.

7:16 PM: Geason doubles to left, his second hit of the game.

7:15 PM: WE HAVE A NEW GAME! Josh Garton hits a mammoth 2-run bomb to deep right, and it's 3-3.

7:03 PM: Pesanello strikes out on a low pitch with runners on 2nd and 3rd, ending the threat.

6:59 PM: Provencher grounds it to the 2nd baseman Van Horn, who makes a very curious decision, trying to throw out Geason advancing to 3rd instead of getting the sure out at first. Geason slides in safely, Zurcher trots home, and Provencher is aboard with 1 out.

6:57 PM: Little Ks swinging for the first out of the inning. It'll be up to the 2-3 punch of Provencher and McNaughton.

6:56 PM: Zurcher walks and Geason singles to get things started in the bottom of the 6th.

6:47 PM: Delgado hits a hard shot off the glove of Geason and into left field, scoring Hoilman; 3-0 NA.

6:41 PM: Graham rocks a 2-out double to left-center, but Garton grounds out to first to end the inning.

6:37 PM: Fans continue to trickle into Fraser - it's filling up quite nicely. Local band Zephyr will perform after tonight's game, and a fireworks display will cap off the evening.

6:29 PM: Van Horn pokes a single up the middle, bringing Semeniuk plateward; 2-0, 'Cats.

6:26 PM: Rough start tot he game for Geason, who makes his 2nd error of the game, allowing Semeniuk to reach to start the 5th. Parker then sac bunts Semeniuk over to 2nd base.

6:15 PM: Lisowski picks up the Navs' second balk of the year, and the first of the run scoring variety, making it 1-0 North Adams.

6:04 PM: Geason bounces into a double play to end the inning.

6:02 PM: Zurcher gets a 1-out rally going with a bunt single down the first base line.

5:59 PM: Lisowski fans Malloy for the 3rd out.

5:58 PM: Lisowski picks off Greg Van Horn for the second out of the third inning.

5:52 PM: Through two quick innings, we're scoreless. Seabiscuit is now putting in yeoman's work under the hot sun.

5:40 PM: Make that three in a row, as McNaughton grounds out.

5:40 PM: Clegg has retired the first two Navs batters in order.

5:39 PM: There's a pretty good crowd on hand at the park tonight, especially given the extreme heat and the multiple reschedulings of the game.

5:35 PM: Mitchell Clegg (1-1, 3.04) gets the ball for North Adams.

5:33 PM: Navs starter Jimmy Lisowski gets off to a great start, retiring North Adams in order.

5:30 PM: Good evening, and welcome to Fraser Field on a steamy late afternoon (93 degrees at first pitch). Tonight, the Navs take on the North Adams SteepleCats, owner of the coolest jerseys in the NECBL. I'm partial to the black-and-gold color scheme.

Q+A with Peabody's Mike Gallo

2008-07-19T15:00:00.001-04:00

After a few battles with the Blue Screen of Death, my computer is back in commission, just in time to post this Q+A session with local favorite Mike Gallo. Gallo chatted about his Fraser memories, becoming a true southern boy after a year in Florida, and hometown baseball heroes.

****

Did you play at Fraser at all as a kid, or in high school?

I played here in the 2005 Agganis All-Star game nd won the MVP award. It was a real thrill.

What’s it like for a guy from the North Shore to play here, in front of all these local fans?

It’s unbelievable. I’m so glad to have this opportunity. To play here as a local guy just makes it that much better.

You played for Lake City (FL) Community College and are now on your way to Milligan in Tennessee. What brought you to those schools?

Scouts in the area told me to go down to Lake City. I went down there for a year and it was a lot of fun.

What was that experience like?

Florida is different. The Southern hospitality is unbelievable. I just had to get used to the lingo – the y’alls and everything. But it got me ready to talk to the southern boys here, Belch and Zurch.

What is your best pitch?

Probably my curveball, this year.

Is there one aspect of your game that you think needs the most improvement?

There’s always room for improvement in everything. I just want to get better everyday. The one thing I really want to improve is my walk-to-strikeout ratio.

Who are some of your funniest teammates?

I’m just going to have to go with Kowalski on this one. The guy is a nut. A real nut.

What’s in your CD or MP3 player right now?

Nothin’ but Kenny Chesney.

Favorite female celebrity?

She’s not a celebrity yet, but my girlfriend.

Aw, isn’t that nice. Coke or Pepsi?

I don’t drink soda, but I love that southern sweet tea.

Sweet tea? Kenny Chesney? You really liked your experience down south, huh?

Oh absolutely – gotta love it.

Favorite sport other than baseball?

Gotta be golf. I played in high school.

[As it turns out, Mike and I played against each other in high school, as I was on Revere’s team at the same time. Small world!]

Do you model your pitching style after anyone?

My pitching role model would have to be hometown hero Josh Beckett.

If you could have dinner with any three people in the world, who would they be?

Probably my girlfriend, my mother, and Ted Williams.

Do you have a car, and if so, what kind of car?

I used to have a ’99 Ford Ranger, but I totaled it. Right now I’m driving my mom’s minivan.

If you had unlimited funds and could buy any car, what would you buy?

A really sweet matchbox car.

Nice.

Navs' offensive barrage too much for Lowell

2008-07-18T22:28:00.000-04:00

Zander Kean, Navigators Sports Information Department

As the sun set and the lights turned on at Lowell’s Alumni Field, ominous storm clouds threatened to throw a downpour on top of the North Shore Navigators as they took on the All-Americans. And finally, the rains came in the bottom of the ninth – but not before the Navs pounded out 15 hits en route to a 7-0 victory.

Any chance of a slow start following the Navs’ two consecutive off-days was immediately wiped away, as Justin Little ripped a single to right to open the game. Little then swiped second base and scored on a one-out single off the bat of Sean McNaughton, giving North Shore (19-10) the early 1-0 lead.

“The offense dictated the game from the very beginning and after two days off, I was happy to see that we were not, sort of, silenced,” head coach Jason Falcon said. “I was nervous there that we were going to be a little bit stagnant there with the bats, but the guys came out swinging and that is important.”

The Navs would build their lead in the following inning. Nick Belcher reached on an error by Lowell (9-22) starting pitcher Connor Fahey and Kent Graham singled to right, moving Belcher into scoring position with two out. Then Kyle Geason delivered, driving a 1-1 pitch into right-center. As the ball was misplayed on the outfield, Belcher and Graham both came around to score, making the score 3-0.

The Navs made it three consecutive innings with a run in the third. After McNaughton beat out an infield single and Matt Costello doubled him over to third, Tyler Kuehl chopped a ball between the drawn-in third baseman and shortstop, plating the fourth Navigator run.

That offense was more than enough for North Shore starter John Folino. Making just his second start for the Navigators, Folino opened his outing by striking out Dan Godefroi. He remained sharp throughout his six shutout innings - yielding just four hits, fanning two, and walking none.

After the game, Falcon praised Folino’s efficiency on the mound.

“He almost pitched a boring game. Before I knew it, it was the fourth inning and he was only sixty pitches deep. We are very happy with him,” Falcon said. “Having him throw a good six innings tonight on only eighty pitches, that’s awesome.”

The hit parade did not let up in the fifth. Little bounced a single up the middle to open the frame, bringing Mike Provencher to the plate. And Provencher drove a Fahey offering off the right field fence, hustling into third with a triple that sent Little across the plate. McNaughton followed with a sacrifice fly to right that gave the Navigators a 6-0 advantage.

After Belcher singled to center and John Hill reached on an error to open the top of the sixth, Lowell manager Ken Connerty ended his starter’s day, bringing in Matt Fontaine in relief of Fahey. Graham welcomed Fontaine with a double off the left field fence, knocking in Belcher for the seventh North Shore run. That closed the book on Fahey, who surrendered seven runs – five earned – on twelve hits in five-plus innings. He struck out two Navigators and did not walk a batter.

For the game, Graham finished 3-3 with a run scored and an RBI. He raised his batting average 35 points, and appears to be fully recovered from a back injury that limited his playing time in June.

“I am feeling a lot better. I am feeling healthy, which is most important,” he said. “I know what I can do and obviously I am starting to get hot now, so hopefully I can just ride it into the playoffs and beyond.”

The team’s 15 hits were spread throughout the lineup, with nine different hitters getting in on the action. Falcon spoke about his team’s ability to produce from top to bottom.

“I’m happy with [Graham], and with Kyle Geason. Kyle Geason is swinging the bat real well right now - a bunch of our guys are. Even the new guys are coming in and swinging the bat aggressively. Justin Little, as well, is swinging the bat pretty aggressively. So with those three guys - if they can get to where they normally are, we are going to be really potent one through nine.”

Mike Adams finished out the game in relief of Folino, giving up just one hit over two innings. He began the bottom of the ninth, but rain, thunder and lightning officially ended the game before Adams could.

With the win, North Shore moved into a temporary tie with the Keene Swamp Bats for second place in the NECBL Northern Division. Both Keene and the Sanford Mainers – who came in a game ahead of the Navs – were on the road tonight. Sanford traveled to Holyoke to take on the Blue Sox, while Keene battled the Vermont Mountaineers in Montpelier.

Saturday, the Navs face off against the North Adams SteepleCats at 5:30 PM. Originally, a makeup game with the Torrington Twisters was to be played at 2:00, but that game has since been rescheduled for July 31.

Navs-Torrington game postponed (again)

2008-07-18T18:27:00.004-04:00

Because of scheduling conflicts at Fraser, Saturday's early game against Torrington has been postponed once again. It's actually going to be played at Holyoke on July 31 (the last day of the regular season), with the first pitch at 3:oo PM. Presumably, the regularly scheduled game between the Navs and Blue Sox will take place after that, around 6:30 or 7. So that makes 3 games in 2 days at Holyoke, with one of them against Torrington. Quite the way to close out the regular season!

Tomorrow's game against the North Adams SteepleCats will be played at its scheduled time of 5:30.

Meet Justin Little & Mike Provencher: Bull Durham, Guns N' Roses and Cuttin' a Rug

2008-07-18T17:55:00.017-04:00

In the latest installment of "Know Your Navs", we sat down with outfielders Justin Little and Mike Provencher, both in their second NECBL season and both hailing from Mesa State College in Grand Junction, Colorado. As you know, these two make a lethal combination on the field. What you'll learn is that they are quite the tandem off it...

Which character in Bull Durham can you most easily relate to?

Provencher: "I’d have to go with Nuke…Nuke definitely. There are so many times, especially out here today, I did it tonight, Sean McNaughton got a base hit with two outs, I’m on second base, and I watched the ball go into center field. I definitely have my moments. I may have some talent, but every once in a while I’ll have some brain farts and just kind of space out."

What video games can you admit an addiction to?

Both: "Tiger Woods [PGA Tour]. And Guitar Hero."

Who shoots the better score on Tiger Woods?

Provencher: "I can get him on Tiger Woods."

Little: "He’s got me on Tiger Woods, I am definitely better on Guitar Hero."

Any song in particular you simply enjoy rocking out to?

Provencher: "My favorite is AFI – Ms. Murder."

Little: "I think [Guns N' Roses'] Sweet Child Of Mine is pretty fun."

Who is faster on the basepaths?

Provencher: "He’s definitely got me. I’m nipping at the heels."

Little: "But I’ve still got him."

Provencher: "Yea…he’s still got me."

Mike, you grew up in Grand Junction. What has attracted you to stay there for college?

Provencher: "The baseball program is great. Our coach, Coach [Chris] Hanks is awesome. He has had a winning program for a long time. The team is awesome, the area is nice, the climate is perfect. I mean, you can’t beat that. I’m two hours from the closest ski resort so I’m snowboarding all the time in the off-season. I can’t complain, it is just a nice place to play baseball."

Justin, why should people come to Westminster (Little's hometown)?

Little: "It used to be, about ten years ago, 'Come live in Westminster!' But now, now it’s full. It’s nice. We’ve got Water World! It’s the nation’s biggest water park. Westminster is just a good neighborhood to live in. The people, your neighbors, they are always nice."

I talked to McNaughton about a week ago about his steak infatuation. Mike, you’re a big steak guy. He’s a big steak guy. You are both putting up monster numbers this season. Is that where the power is coming from, the steak and potatoes?

Provencher: "It has got to be. There has got to be some sort of correlation with that. I would definitely stick with steak and potatoes every day of my life if I could. So, yea, there has got to be something. Or maybe it’s something out here in the water. Maybe the beach days or something like that. But steak has always held true, so I’ve stuck with it."

Do you two have any unique handshakes?

Both: "Oh, we have got a dirty handshake." (Advice: Tilt your head at a 90 degree angle to the right for best viewing. My apologies.)

Any hidden talents?

Provencher: "I try and show off as much as I can on the slopes. But I try and keep it down for baseball purposes. I don’t want to go crazy. Other that than, I am…I am one heck of a dancer. I can cut a rug."

Little: "That is true. He can dance."

What are we talking here? Salsa?

Both: "Oh, we’re talking anything."

Provencher: "We’re talking salsa. We’re talking hip-hop. We’re talking line dancing. I got it. I got it."

What about you, Justin?

Little: (laughing) "Ah, I don’t know."

Are you guys crashing weddings together?

Provencher: "Oh yea, Bobby O’Shea over here (patting Little on the back)."

Little: "I don’t know; I don’t really show off that much."

As a kid, Halloween is a huge holiday. It then gets "revived" in college. What has been your best Halloween costume ever?

Little: "Last year, us two and our roommate were all gangsters."

Provencher: "Yea! We all grew out the mustache. We all had-"

Little: "Dickies. Dickies with flannel shirts buttoned just at the top. And then a [white, sleeveless shirt] underneath. Bandannas down over the eyes."

Provencher: "And then I took a black permanent marker and drew tattoos on everyone's neck. I then I drew our gang name on everyone's fingers. So every picture we took, we [flashed our gang name]. I had the big ol' sunglasses on, too."

Navs featured in Thursday's Globe

2008-07-18T00:32:00.004-04:00

Julian Benbow of the Boston Globe had a cool feature on the team in today's GlobeNorth section. Since many of y'all aren't from the North Shore (let alone anywhere near the Globe's circulation), here's a link to check it out.

Globe Feature

Kuehl, North Shore roll over Newport, 7-1

2008-07-15T22:53:00.000-04:00

Steve DelVecchio, Navigators Sports Information Department

In a battle between two NECBL playoff contenders on Tuesday night at Fraser Field in Lynn, the North Shore Navigators (18-10) managed to knock off the Newport Gulls (15-14) by a score of 7-1. The versatile Matt Costello got the start for the Navs, turning in yet another extremely effective outing.

Costello looked sharp from the game’s opening pitch, retiring the first eleven batters he faced and holding the Gulls hitless through the first four innings, before giving up an infield single to Newport designated hitter Jared Prince in the top of the fifth.

“Two great performances by [Costello] this year,” Navs Coach Jason Falcon said. “He keeps people off balance by throwing a variety of pitches. I think he actually invents pitches while he’s out there, to be honest with you. That’s what most lefties do. I was glad we gave him something to work with there early in the game. I don’t think we’ve knocked a pitcher out of the game this early all year.”

With his fastballs consistently in the mid to upper 80’s, Costello was able to get through seven innings of work giving up only one earned run on four hits to go along with four strikeouts and three walks. He earned his second win of the season in as many starts. He really was forced to battle tonight, in that he was feeling a bit under the weather before the start of the game.

“To be totally honest with you, I didn’t feel too good before the game,” Costello said. “I felt a little tired, and I have a tweaked muscle right in the hip area, so I was trying to work against that, too.”

The Navigators were able to draw first blood in the ballgame, scoring three times in the bottom of the third inning. Taking part in the scoring was Navs newcomer Jesse Bruinsma, who singled to lead off the bottom of the third and later scored on a sacrifice fly by shortstop Nick Belcher. North Shore was able to take a 3-0 lead into the fourth inning and, with a sharp Costello on the mound, never look back.

Bruinsma, who started in center field, was in the lineup last Thursday for North Shore’s exhibition game against the Dominican Republic All-Star team. However, tonight’s game had a bit of a different feel for the local Lynnfield, MA native and Curry College sophomore.

“I felt good. There were a little bit of nerves at the beginning of the game just being this was the first NECBL game,” Bruinsma said. “The [Dominican Republic All Star] team was a good team, but you know, these are the best teams around. So, yea, I was a little nervous, but I felt good, especially in the beginning of the game. Towards the end of the game, I felt a little run down. Throughout the game, I was comfortable. That is really all I wanted to be. I wanted to be comfortable.”

Continuing to swing the bat well, NECBL Northern Division All-Star and Navigators’ second baseman Tyler Kuehl enjoyed a monster evening, playing a role in six of the seven runs scored by the Navs. Kuehl finished the evening 3-for-3 with an impressive three runs batted in and another three scored to lead the scoring attack for North Shore.

“I just go out every day and just try and get dirty every day,” Kuehl said. [I just try to] keep things simple.”

Coach Jason Falcon turned to his All-Star pitching duo of Jason Markovitz and Chris Prescott to pitch the seventh and eight innings and hold off any potential comeback, sealing a 7-1 victory for North Shore. Markovitz allowed no earned runs in the eight on one hit, and Prescott followed with a perfect ninth.

The Navigators will enjoy two scheduled days off on Wednesday and Thursday before heading to Lowell to take on the All-Americans on Friday, July 18^th. The game is scheduled to start at 6:30PM. Jimmy Lisowski will be on the hill for the Navs.

LIVE: It's North v South as Navs, Gulls collide

2008-07-15T18:26:00.046-04:00

North Shore Navigators v. Newport Gulls, 7/15/08, 7 PM

Starting Pitchers
NEW: Greg Holle (1-1, 4.26 ERA)
NSR: Matt Costello (1-0, 0.00 ERA)

NEW 0 0 0 / 0 1 0 / 0 0 0 - 1 5 2
NSR 0 0 3 / 0 0 1 / 3 0 - 7 10 0

9:48 PM: Final score: 7-1 Navigators. Big win.

9:47 PM: Two down!

9:46 PM: One away.

9:43 PM: Birthday Boy Chris Prescott (21st) is in to pitch the 9th for the Navs.

9:35 PM: All-star Jason Markovitz pitches another scoreless inning, and the Navs take their 7-1 lead into the bottom of the 8th.

9:31 PM: The Navs pull off their second twin killing of the night, keeping the bases empty with two outs.

9:25 PM: Markovitz in to pitch for the Navs.

9:22 PM: Pesanello absolutely crushes a double to left to make it 7-1. Kuehl crosses the plate, giving him 3 runs scored and 3 runs batted in on the day.

9:16 PM: And that'll be all tonight for Tom Costigan. In to pitch, lefty Geoff Brown (1-2, 7.45 ERA).

9:15 PM: Tyler Kuehl ropes a 2-run double to left that may well have put this one out of reach - it's 6-1 Navs.

9:07 PM: Costigan is still going strong for Newport - an impressive outing out of the 'pen after the short start by Holle.

9:05 PM: Costello gives the Navs another seven strong, putting his team in position to win this one. There's a lot of action down in the 'pen, so it looks like Costello's done for the night.

8:52 PM: Geason drops in a base hit down the right field line to make it 4-1.

8:45 PM: Kuehl steals 2nd and goes to 3rd on a wild throw by Melillo.

8:43 PM: Kuehl continues to demonstrate his ability to hit it to any part of the field, poking a leadoff single to get the 6th inning started off right.

The Revere (yay!) youth group in front of us is getting very loud and in to the game now, firing up the crowd with "We Will Rock You" and The Wave. It's Revere Night at Fraser, which included mayor Thomas Ambrosino throwing out the first pitch (a sidearm strike, by the way).

8:23 PM: Santomauro hits it right up the middle - Belcher ranges way over to his left to knock it down, and forces an out at first, but a run scores from 3rd.

8:21 PM: The Gulls have their firswt threat of the game, runners at 1st & 3rd with 1 out for Nick Santomauro.

8:09 PM: Costello whiffs Gregory to end the 4th.

7:57 PM: In to pitch for Newport, #25 Tom Costigan. (2-2, 4.01 ERA)

7:56 PM: The Gulls demonstrate a quick hook, pulling Holle after 2 2/3 IP, 3 H, and (so far) 3 R. He also walked 3 and struck out 1.

7:55 PM: Joshua Garton knocks an RBI single to right to make it 3-0, and this place is getting loud.

7:52 PM: Tyler Kuehl hits an RBI single to put the Navs up 2-0.

7:51 PM: Time and time again, speed kills. Belcher hits a high flyout to the center fielder, but thanks to the double steal, Bruinsma is able to tag up and cruise home for the game's first run.

7:50 PM: With one out, the Navs pull off the double steal.

7:48 PM: Jesse Bruinsma pokes the Navs' first hit of the night, just past the shortstop and in to left field. A walk to Provencher puts runners on 1st & 2nd for co-player of the week Sean McNaughton.

7:43 PM: The Navs turn a slick 6-4-3 double play on a grounder by Soccoro to end thetop of the 3rd.

7:37 PM: Geason swings at the first pitch and gives it a ride to deep center, but Rhoad tracks it down to strand three and end the inning.

7:36 PM: The bases are loaded with two outs for Kyle Geason, thanks to two walks and a hit batsman.

7:25 PM: A man with a radar gun has given us an official reading on Costello: 88 MPH

7:22 PM: Costello is bringing the heat tonight. We're not privy to a radar gun, but he looks to be hitting 90 - or at least the high 80s - with his fastball.

7:20 PM: Bruinsma was just involved in a very long, highly entertaining rundown between second and third, and very nearly escaped. He was picked off attempting to steal third, but nearly wriggled out of it using some blazing speed. He may well be the fastest guy on the team.

7:11 PM: New guys Joshua Garton, Jesse Bruinsma and Frank Pesanello are in the lineup tonight. Bruinsma led off, and reached first on a throwing error by the pitcher.

6:28 PM: It's a lively night at Fraser Field as we get set for a battle between two of the best teams in the league, the North Shore Navigators and the Newport Gulls. Fans have already been treated to a pre-game musical performance on the first base party deck.

There's a real buzz in the park as there are a number of groups in attendance, including a youth group just below us in section E. Youth groups often bring great atmosphere to the ballpark.

State of the Race - July 15

2008-07-15T17:54:00.002-04:00

With Keene and Sanford idle last night, the Navs lost a half game on each, putting them 1.5 behind division-leading Sanford and 1 behind the second place Swamp Bats.

Vermont's 5-4 win over Newport put them in to a 4th place tie with idle Holyoke, 4.5 games behind the leader.

Tonight, Keene hosts North Adams while Sanford is home against Pittsfield.

The Navs play Newport tonight at 7 PM under hot, sunny skies in Lynn.

Co-Player of the Week

2008-07-15T17:09:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to Sean McNaughton for being named one of the NECBL co-players of the week.

From NECBL.com:

Sean McNaughton, North Shore Navigators

Brigham Young's McNaughton came a long way from Lakewood, WA to play summer wooden bat baseball and it's paying off for the sophomore. He leads his team in batting, currently at a whopping .371 and enhanced his stats this past week. Sean did everything except homer - until he blasted 2 against Lowell on July 7th. His weekly totals: .450 BA, 5 runs, 9 hits, 2 doubles, 3 HRs and 8 RBI, and a stolen base.

Ness’ ‘dirty stuff’ too much for Navigators

2008-07-14T22:29:00.001-04:00

Joe Jasinski, Navigators Sports Information Department

Starting pitcher Michael Ness (Duke) and the Pittsfield Dukes’ pitching staff came into the game with the second-best earned run average (3.24) in the NECBL behind North Shore (2.67).

Allowing a combined one run on three hits, including six and one-third of no-hit baseball by Ness (4-1), they made their case for being the best.

Thanks to quality pitching and timely hitting, the Dukes (16-11) managed to split the season series, defeating North Shore (17-10) 4-1 at Fraser Field.

“I told their coach, I have not seen a guy deal like that against us in a long time,” Coach Falcon said. “Tip your cap to him, he did a great job. Sometimes you run in to guys who have nights like this.”

The loss moves the Navigators a game and a half behind the first-place Sanford Mainers and a game behind the Keene Swampbats, who were both idle, in the Northern Division standings.

The Dukes scored all four of their runs with two outs, highlighted by a game-winning, two-run single by Domenic DiRicco (Cornell) in the top of the sixth inning.

After Navigators starting pitcher Mike DiCato (2-3) retired the first two batters of the second inning in order, a dropped fly ball by Mike Provencher allowed Chris Edmonson (Le Moyne) to reach second and kept the inning going for Pittsfield. Jason Krizan (Dallas Baptiste) then looped a broken-bat single into centerfield, scoring Edmondson, and giving the Dukes a 1-0 lead.

An Edmondson single, Krizan sacrifice bunt, and walks by Matt Adams (Slipery Rock) and Jake Rosenbeck (Buffalo) loaded the bases for Pittsfield in the sixth inning. With runners in scoring position, Pittfield was once again able to capitalize. Both Edmondson and Adams crossed the plate on a DiRicco single up the middle, making it 3-0 Pittsfield.

DiCato was relieved from the game after the sixth inning, allowing two earned runs on eight hits, striking out and walking two Pittsfield batters.

“It looks like [DiCato] changed his mechanics a little bit tonight,” Falcon said. “I know that he is snakebit a little bit – he got that one unearned run. I wish we took advantage of the strike zone as much as they did, but it did not look like that happened tonight. That was probably one of the best hitting teams in the league, so I thought he did pretty well.”

The next inning, Krizan delivered a two-out double down the left-field line, scoring Musso from second base, and expanding the Dukes’ lead to four runs.

After retiring 19 batters without allowing a hit, Ness gave up the first Navigators hit to Sean McNaughton in the bottom of the seventh inning.

McNaughton drilled a triple to the wall in right-center field, and was brought home two batters later, when Tyler Kuehl laced a single off Ness’ ankle. The Navigators then proceeded to load the bases, but a fly out to left field by pinch-hitter Joshua Garton (Volunteer State C.C.) allowed Ness to escape the inning allowing only the one run.

Garton was the last out Ness recorded in his seven innings of work. The Navigator bats produced three hits off of Ness, striking out twice and walking once.

“I don’t know what to say,” Tyler Kuehl said. “He just had dirty stuff.”

The Pittsfield bullpen pitched two innings of no-hit relief.

The Navigators bullpen provided three innings of solid relief following DiCato’s departure. Despite allowing a run in the seventh inning, Ryan Krull and Chris Kowalski allowed just one hit in their three innings of relief. Kowalski struck out the side in the top of the ninth.

“All year long, our pen has been great – coming in, throwing strikes,” Kowalski said. “You know that we’re going to go out there and compete. It is good just to know that we will always get in there and throw strikes.”

McNaughton led off the ninth inning with a walk, advanced so second base on a passed ball, but was unable to advance any further.

The Navigators have four games remaining before Sunday’s All-Star game in Torrington, including a double-header on Saturday; the Navigators face the North Adams Steeplecats in the matinee and the Torrington Twisters in the nightcap.

LIVE: Navs look to gain on idle Keene, Sanford

2008-07-14T18:56:00.046-04:00

North Shore Navigators vs. Pittsfield Dukes at Fraser, July 14, 2008
Happy Bastille Day!

Dukes starting pitcher - #26 Mike Ness - 3-1 1.20 ERA
Navs starting pitcher - #23 Mike DiCato - 2-2 6.97 ERA

Dukes stats / Navs stats

PIT 0 0 1 / 0 0 2 / 1 0 0 - 4 9 0
NSN 0 0 0 / 0 0 0 / 1 0 0 - 1 3 1

9:27 PM - Game over - the Dukes hang on to win this one, 4-1.

9:25 PM - Down to the last out

9:22 PM - A passed ball moves McNaughton in to scoring position, eliminating the double play (barring something bizarre).

9:21 PM - McNaughton gets it started with a walk.

9:20 PM - Uh oh. In 14 appearances this year, Anderson has yet to yield an earned run.

9:18 PM - In for the Dukes here in the 9th is closer Zack Anderson.

9:16 PM - Kowalski sets down all three batters by way of the K - two swinging, one looking. Time for a rally.

9:10 PM - Now on the mound, #25 Chris Kowalski

9:09 PM - A quick inning for Sabol, and the Navs are down to their final three outs.

9:07 PM - Jake Sabol in to pitch for Pittsfield - Ness departs after 7 innings, giving up 1 run on 3 hits, with 2 Ks and 1 BB.

9:03 PM - Zurcher makes a Jeterian running grab down the third base line to end the top of the 8th.

8:57 PM - Garton swings at the first pitch and hits it hard, but right at the left fielder... inning over. Navs strand 3.

8:54 PM: Graham gets hit by a pitch up and in - the manager is out to argue, claiming that Graham leaned into it. To be honest, he kind of has a case. It's a tough call. Either way, he's had his say, and pinch hitter Joshua Garton - the third new guy signed today, and one we didn't even know about yet - will bat with the bases loaded and 2 outs.

8:52 PM: Johnny Hill keeps the rally going with a successful hit-and-run, putting runners at the corners for Kent Graham.

8:51 PM: The Navs are on the board! Kuehl lines one off the leg of pitcher Mike Ness, reaching first and scoring McNaughton.

8:50 PM: A K by Belcher takes some of the air out of the crowd at Fraser - it's on Kuehl now to bring home McNaughton.

8:48 PM: ADIOS, No Hitter! Sean McNaughton laces a triple to right field, and we're in business here in the 7th.

8:43 PM: Krizan rips an RBI double to score Musso, extending the Pittsfield lead to 4-0.

8:35 PM: Ryan Krull in to pitch for North Shore... the line on DiCato: 6 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 2 K, 2 BB

8:33 PM: Another quick inning for Ness - is it too early to start talking about a n* h****r?

8:23 PM: DiRicco knocks a base hit up the middle, just out of the reach of the stretching Kuehl, to score two runs

8:22 PM: Pittsfield has loaded the bases with two outs for Dominic DiRicco.

8:09 PM - After just about the fastest inning you'll ever see (5 pitches), we are thru 5 with the Navs down 1-0.

7:56 PM - Solid crowd in attendance tonight, counting the packed party deck. Not Dominican Night level, but definitely one of the bigger crowds of the year.

7:47 PM - Zurcher grounds out to end the inning on a VERY close play at first. 1-0 thru 3 full

7:45 PM - Speed kills, episode 150: Justin Little reaches on a two out fielder's choice, steals 2nd, and breezes in to 3rd on a wild pitch.

7:39 PM - Adams rocks another double to left field, but Krizan gets a little too adventurous on the basepaths , trying to run home from first. The McNaughton - Zurcher - Hill relay is perfect and Krizan is out by a mile. It's still 1-0 thru 2.5

A group of fans enjoying the game from the third base party deck

7:36 PM - Krizan makes the Navs pay with an RBI single to left.

7:34 PM - DiCato looked en route to a second consecutive 1-2-3 inning, but Provencher dropped a fly ball to right field by Edmonson; he churns into 2nd base with 2 outs.

7:23 PM - Through 1.5 it's still scoreless. DiCato is looking good so far - good command on his fastball, getting ahead in counts.

7:09 PM - The Dukes put two on in the first, but that's no sweat for DiCato, as he getse Krisan to whiff and Adams to ground out to end the inning.

7:03 PM - Hertler steps into the batters box and we're ready to go.

6:58 PM - Navigators Starting Lineup:
#5 SS Zurcher
#20 RF Provencher
#15 LF McNaughton
#3 DH Belcher
#17 2B Kuehl
#12 C Hill
#9 1B Graham
#10 3B Geason
#11 CF Little

Official NECBL All-Star Press Release

2008-07-14T17:59:00.001-04:00

NECBL Commissioner Mario Tiani proudly announces the 2008 New England Collegiate Baseball League All-Star Teams.

On July 20, 2008 the NECBL will hold its 15^th annual All-Star Game at Fuessenich Park in Torrington CT. First pitch is scheduled for 6:00 PM. An additional feature for our fans and scouts in attendance will be our Skill Competition. The Skill Competition for Most Accurate Arm and Fastest Runner will kick off at 1:45 PM. Our traditional Home Run Derby is scheduled to start at 2:15 PM. Please join the crowd and watch the best Players from the North and South Divisions compete. Come early to watch the exciting pre-game events and batting practice. For those that cannot attend in person, please watch or listen-in on TeamLine as we plan to broadcast “Live” the Skill Events, Home Run Derby and the 2008 New England Collegiate Baseball League All-Star Game.

Representing the North Division:

Position	Starter	Substitute(s)

Catcher	Sean Killeen – Holyoke – Trinity	Gerald Ogrinc – Vermont – Wright State
		Danny Petro – Keene – East Tenn. State

1B	Kyle Groth – Sanford – Cornell	Paul Karmas – Keene – St. John’s

2B	Tyler Kuehl – N. Shore – P.L. Nazarene	Corey Jones – Holyoke – Cal St. Fullerton

SS	Matthew Nandin – Sanford - LeMoyne	Pat Mc Kenna – Lowell – Bryant

3B	Nicolas Pecora – Lowell – Wheaton	Corey Hunt - Sanford – Virginia

OF	Alex Lee – Keene – Clemson	Kevin Rivers – Lowell – Franklin Pierce
	Sean McNaughton–N. Shore-Brigham Young	James Wood – Holyoke – Trinity
	Michael Provencher –N. Shore - Mesa St.	Kevin Nieto – Vermont – Manhattan

DH	Nick Harris – Vermont – SE Missouri St.

Pitchers		Middle Inning

Starter	Casey Harmen – Vermont – Clemson	Justin Albert – Holyoke – Vermont
		Pat Lehman – Sanford – George Washington
Closer	Chris Prescott – N. Shore – St Joe’s	James Wise – Keene – Washington St.
		Matt Fontaine – Lowell – Eastern Ct.
		Dusty Odenback – Vermont - UConn
		Jason Markovitz – N. Shore – Long Beach St.
		Tony Chisman – Sanford – Georgia Southern

Representing the South Division:

Position	Starter	Substitute(s)

Catcher	Mike Melillo – Newport - Elon	Jack Murphy – Newport - Princeton
		Kyle Mahoney – Danbury – High Point

1B	Matt Adam – Pittsfield – Slippery Rock	Paul Hoilman – N Adams – East Tenn. St.

2B	Taylor Meehan – Newport - Harvard	Kevin Carby – N. Adams – Tenn. Wesleyan

SS	Michael Olt – Danbury - UCONN	Jake Rosenbeck – Pittsfield - Buffalo

3B	Mike Tamsin – Newport – Northeastern	Chase Austin – Torrington - Elon

OF	Chris Edmondson – Pittsfield - LeMoyne	Nick Santomauro – Newport - Dartmouth
	Matt Grosso – Manchester – Notre Dame	Jason Martin – Pittsfield – San Jose St.
	John Malloy – N. Adams - LaSalle	Brian Baudinet – Torrington - UMASS

DH	Alex Gregory – Newport - Radford

Pitchers		Middle Inning

Starter	Tim Boyce – N. Adams – Rhode Island	Brian Pendergast – Manchester - Manhattan
		Michael Oskandy – Danbury - Quinnipiac
Closer	Dan Mahoney – Newport - UCONN	Zach Anderson – Pittsfield - Buffalo
		Kyle Vazquez – Pittsfield – Franklin Pierce
		Chase Reid – Newport - Vanderbilt
		Michael Ness – Pittsfield - Duke
		Robert Chimpky – Torrington - Utah

Head Coach – North All-Stars…. Joe Brown – Sanford – Cortland

Head Coach – South All-Stars…. Mike Coombs – Newport - Lakeland

The Home Run Derby and Skill Contestants will be announced soon…….

So Stay Tuned!

Congrats to the Navs' All-Stars!

2008-07-14T17:01:00.005-04:00

Congratulations to the following North Shore Navigators for being named to the NECBL North Division All-Star team.

Sean McNaughton
Mike Provencher
Tyler Kuehl
Chris Prescott
Jason Markovitz

Message from Navs broadcaster Brett Franklin about the Navs' new bats

2008-07-14T15:14:00.002-04:00

Some good news from the voice of the Navigators.

"Hey Joe-

Just wanted to let you know about two of our new additions, both of these guys had huge years. Jesse [Bruinsma], who hails from the same school as me (big ups on the [Curry College] Colonels), hit .440 this past spring with 27 RBI and 4 HR.

Frank Pesanello I actually know from Danbury in 2006. In that year he was an All-Star, hitting .280 with 25 RBI and 6 HR. In 2008, he hit .278 for Northeastern with a team leading 51 RBI and 20 HR.

Just thought you should know, big bats for the Navs.

-Brett"

A few announcements

2008-07-14T11:34:00.003-04:00

-The Navs have officially signed two new players:

Jesse Bruinsma, an outfielder from Curry College and Lynnfield, MA, who shined in the Navs' exhibition win over the Dominican Republic All-Stars;

Frank Pesanello, a catcher from Plainville, MA, and Northeastern University. This move became necessary when Jay McConnell left the team due to back problems.

-Makeup dates announced:

The July 13 home game against Torrington has been rescheduled for this Saturday, July 19, at 2:00 PM. Immediately following the Torrington game, the Navs will play their regularly scheduled game against North Adams, tentatively scheduled for 5:30 PM. Following the North Adams game, there will be fireworks and live music.

The July 4 game @ Holyoke, which was canceled due to rain, will be made up on July 30 at 6:30 PM in Holyoke.

-All-Stars:

All-Stars will actually be posted today - I thought we were going to get the list yesterday. My apologies.

See you at the ballpark tonight!

Meet Kyle Geason

2008-07-13T13:47:00.002-04:00

Kyle Geason, the Navs' slick fielding third baseman, is the latest member of the team to chat with us as part of the "Know Your Navs" series.
*

This team has an interesting mixture of personalities, with New Englanders, West Coast guys, Southerners. What’s that clubhouse atmosphere been like for a guy from Minnesota?

It’s been a lot of fun. I haven’t played with guys from New England, Tennessee, California – so it’s good to get a good mix of people, and learn about their culture. It’s been great.

Does the New England summer seem really hot to you?

It’s not really tropical or anything. We get warm summers back home in Minnesota. It’s just the winters that are crazy. I like the weather so far.

What’s something about the University of Minnesota that most people from out of state wouldn’t know?

Hmm… this is a tough one. Our mascot is “Goldy,” the Gopher. I don’t know …

Come on… Graham had three for Trinity College right off the bat.

Really?

Alright, we’ll pass on that one. You redshirted this year, and it seemed to impact you at the start of the year. But you’ve really come on strong as of late. In what ways do you feel that redshirting impacted you, and do you feel like you’re starting to get back into the swing of things?

I’m glad I redshirted. We had a lot of seniors that were in the positions I was looking to play at. Redshirting gave me a year to develop, work in the weight room, and learn more about the school and the program. It was a good experience.

It’s 2 AM in Minneapolis and you’re starving. Where do you go to get your fill?

Taco Bell. I’m a big Taco Bell guy, especially at late night. I love fourthmeal.

Favorite road trip so far this year?

Hmm… I’d say probably either Keene or Vermont. I’ll say Keene because of the huge crowd. But Vermont has a good atmosphere and great fan support.

What’s it been like to travel around New England and see the character of some of the towns in the NECBL?

I’ve really liked it. I didn’t know what It was going to be like out here, so it’s been nice to travel to a bunch of different places, and see more of the area.

Is there a baseball player who you try to model your own style of play after?

I’d say Cal Ripken, Jr. I’m reading a book about him now. He’s just a really calm, respectable guy. He plays hard, comes out every day, and gives 100%. I’ve always liked him.

What’s currently in your CD or MP3 player?

Red Hot Chili Peppers. I always go back to them if I can’t think of anything else. They’re great.

Favorite female celebrity?

I’d say… let’s see. There’s a lot of them. Probably Jessica Alba.

Sounds good to me.

It’s game 3 of the NECBL championship series, and you’re trailing by one run in the ninth inning. The bases are loaded with two outs. Excluding yourself, who do you most trust to be up at the plate in that situation?

I trust everyone on the team. Everyone’s been hitting well, so I trust all these guys. They’re fun guys to be around and they have great character. I think anyone would come through.

What’s been the best thing about playing in Lynn so far?

I’d say probably just the atmosphere around the team. Everyone’s meshed together really well so far. All of these guys are really cool and fun to play with.

If you could go study abroad for one semester anywhere in the world and study anything you want, where would you go and why?

Oh man. Probably the Alps, so I could go snowboarding and see the mountains. Anywhere in Europe really, France and Italy. I’d just want to study the history.

In ten years, if baseball doesn’t work out for you, what do you see yourself doing?

I’d like to stay in touch with baseball, so if I couldn’t play any more, I’d like to coach.

All-Star teams to be announced tomorrow

2008-07-13T02:40:00.002-04:00

The 2008 NECBL All Stars will be announced tomorrow, in advance of next Sunday's All-Star game in Torrington, CT. Who do you think deserves to make the cut from the Navs?

Feel free to share your opinions here, and check back tomorrow to see who made it.

7/13 - Navs vs. Torrington POSTPONED

2008-07-13T00:39:00.003-04:00

The Navs' makeup game that was supposed to be played tomorrow at 12:30 PM has been postponed due to conflicts with previously scheduled events at Fraser. As soon as the game is rescheduled (again), we will have that information posted.

College teammates lead Navs to 7-4 victory over Lowell

2008-07-12T23:51:00.003-04:00

Zander Kean, Navigators Sports Information Department

Point Loma Nazarene University is a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics, a level of competition considered weaker than any division in the NCAA. And in the NECBL, each team is largely made up of players from NCAA Division I and II schools.

But Adam Herter and Tyler Kuehl, the North Shore Navigators’ two PLNU Sea Lions, showed that they can compete with the best Saturday in leading the Navs to a 7-4 victory over the Lowell All-Americans.

With his parents in attendance, Kuehl launched his first NECBL home run – a three-run shot to left in the top of the sixth – and made two stellar defensive plays in the field. And Herter rebounded from a tough outing against Keene with seven solid innings on the mound.

Lowell (8-18) started off strong against Herter with two runs in the top of the first. With Pat McKenna on first and one out, Nicholas Pecora tripled over the head of North Shore (17-9) right fielder Mike Provencher, putting the All-Americans on the board. Kevin Rivers followed with an RBI single that extended his team’s lead to 2-0.

The Navs struggled in the early innings against Lowell starter Mark Gormley. Gormley came into the game with a 3.38 ERA and struck out seven batters in his first three innings of work.

Those strikeouts were due in part to a liberal strike zone called by home plate umpire Mike Noeth. But as Justin Little said after the game, the Navs were able to use the wide zone to their advantage.

“It didn’t really impact us too much, you just know that when you have a strike zone like that, you have to open it up and swing a little bit more,” he said. “We adjusted nicely and it didn’t really hurt us tonight.”

And timely two-out hitting allowed North Shore to break through in the top of the third. After Little doubled to left – his first extra-base hit of the season – and Mike Provencher was hit by a pitch, Sean McNaughton drove in Little with a single to left. McNaughton came into the game with a team-high .380 batting average and 24 RBI.

The Navigators would then take the lead in the following inning. With the bases loaded, John Hill lined a single to right, scoring Kuehl and Kent Graham to give North Shore its first lead of the night at 3-2. And with two on and one out in the fifth, Kuehl deposited a Gormley fastball over the left field wall, opening up a four-run lead. The Navigator second baseman finished 3-5, with three RBI and three runs scored.

“Tyler Kuehl had one of the best games I’ve ever seen anyone have on both the offensive and defensive sides,” Falcon said.

That run support would prove to be more than enough for Herter, who did not allow a run past the first inning. The right-hander faced just one batter over the minimum from the third through the seventh, striking out four against just one walk.

In his last start, Herter gave up seven runs in just 2 2/3 innings against the Keene Swamp Bats. But a relief appearance in which he struck out the side against Danbury allowed Herter to refocus, Falcon said.

“He established the strike zone early, which was really missing last time for him. 7 innings is exactly what I was hoping for out of him. He had a low pitch count, he got ahead of hitters, and he forced them to swing at his pitch, so I was happy to see that.”

The Navigators picked up their hurler in the field, and then some. In the fifth, Kuehl snagged a line drive off the bat of Steve Daniels at the very top of his jump, doubling off the runner at first to end the inning. Then in the sixth, Graham made a backhanded stab on a hot Pecora grounder. And finally, Kuehl tracked down a chopper up the middle, completing the throw to first as his momentum carried him away from the bag.

North Shore came into the game with a league-high .971 fielding percentage as a team, and Falcon knows that type of consistent defense is one of his team’s keys to success.

“We can’t afford to lose games right at the end like we did last week in Danbury, so it was nice to finish this one off and get a win. The defense was a big part of that - it wasn’t just the guys making the big plays behind Adam [Herter], it was all the solid routine plays we made, too.”

The Navs added an insurance run in the seventh, as Graham brought Kuehl home with a sacrifice fly to center.

Lowell tightened the game in the bottom of the ninth against North Shore reliever Mike Adams. With one run already home, runners on the corners and two out, a McKenna single brought in Lowell’s fourth run. As Chris Prescott entered from the Navigator bullpen, Pecora came to the plate representing the tying run. But Prescott struck him out swinging to end the game and record his eighth save of the season.

The win brought the Navs into a temporary tie with Keene for second place in the NECBL Northern Division, pending the Swamp Bats’ result against Vermont. The Navigators have another day off Sunday, and are back at Fraser Field Monday as Mike DiCato gets the start against the Pittsfield Dukes.

Live Updates - Navs @ Lowell, 7/12

2008-07-12T16:58:00.030-04:00

North Shore Navigators (16-9, 3rd place NECBL North) @ Lowell All-Americans (8-17, 6th place NECBL North)

Starting Pitchers

North Shore: Adam Herter (3-1, 3.38 ERA, 24.0 IP, 11K, 5BB)
Lowell: Mark Gormley (2-3, 3.41 ERA, 29.0 IP, 25K, 11BB)

Lineups

NS / Lowell
1. Little CF / Daniels CF
2. Provencher RF / McKenna SS
3. McNaughton LF / Pecora DH
4. Costello DH / Rivers RF
5. Kuehl 2B / Baillargen 3B
6. Belcher SS / Godefroi LF
7. Graham 1B / Colantonio C
8. Hill C / Del Valle 2B
9. Geason 3B / Rouches 1B

Live Updates

7:28 PM: Navs win, Navs win! Prescott gets Pecora swinging to pick up the save. Final score: Navs 7, Lowell 4.

7:25 PM: Lowell's making some noise here with two outs in the bottom of the ninth. Two runs are in, and with runners on first and second, Falcon is going to closer Chris Prescott.

7:15 PM: Kowalski falls victim to the home plate umpire's generous strike zone, going down looking. Lowell's running out of outs, as Adams is on to pitch the ninth.

7:10 PM: Adams loaded the bases with two infield singles and a walk, but got out of the inning without giving up a run. In the top of the ninth, Chris Kowalski is going to get his third at bat of the season, pinch-hitting for Costello.

7:00 PM: The Navs have a new pitcher here in the bottom of the 8th, Mike Adams. Adams makes his second relief appearance of the year and fifth appearance overall. He's 0-2 with a 7.41 ERA. North Shore has also made a defensive change - Ryan McCrann is into the game playing third, while Kyle Geason has moved to short. Belcher leaves the game after going 1-for-4 with a run scored.

6:59 PM: Szymanski mows down the Navs in order in the top of the 8th.

6:56 PM: Herter gives up a single but retires the side without further damage, this time with the help of another fantastic defensive play by Kuehl. Herter is hangin' out in the bullpen right now, so his day is probably done. Ryan Krull was warming up earlier, we'll see if he comes in.

6:43 PM: Kuehl leads off with a single, Belcher moves him to second, Kuehl steals third and scores on a Graham sac fly to center. No action in the Navs' bullpen at this point. Navs 7, Lowell 2

6:38 PM: Herter retires the side in order again, this time with the help of a diving stab by Graham at first. Lefthander Alex Szymanski is in to pitch for Lowell.

6:33 PM: Geason led off the top of the sixth with a double, but didn't advance any further as the Navs strand two runners.

6:22 PM: We've got an early candidate for web gem of the month! With one out, Kuehl nabbed a line drive off the bat of Daniels with an impressive leap and a full extension, doubling the runner off first to end the inning.

6:15 PM: A pair of singles put Provencher on third and Costello on first with one out. Then Kuehl launched his first dinger in a North Shore uniform - a deep drive to left - to give the Navs a four-run lead. Gormley is out and Jason Kosakow is in for Lowell. Navs 6, Lowell 2

6:04 PM: Herter's settling into a groove, as Lowell goes down 1-2-3 in the fourth.

6:00 PM: Geason popped up a bunt which Baillargen caught and threw to second, doubling off Graham. Then Little flew out to end the rally.

5:55 PM: That's more like it! Back-to-back singles from Kuehl and Belcher, Graham gets hit by a pitch and John Hill drives a single to right. Two runs are in, nobody out. Navs 3, Lowell 2

5:51 PM: Herter sets down the All-Americans in order in the third. Fast-moving game, three innings done in just about 45 minutes.

5:42 PM: And the Navs break through with a line drive single off the bat of Sean McNaughton, sending Little around from second. But Gormley gets Costello swinging for the third out - the Lowell starter's 7th strikeout of the game. Lowell 2, Navs 1

5:40 PM: Little blooped a double down the left field line - his first extra base hit of the season - and Provencher was hit by a pitch. 2 on, 2 out for McNaughton...

5:34 PM: Rouches singled through the hole between short and third, but that's it as Herter retires the side.

5:28 PM: Kuehl, Belcher and Graham down in order in the top of the 2nd.

5:23 PM: Pecora tripled over Provencher's head to bring in McKenna, then Rivers singled him in. But Herter retired the next two batters to prevent further damage. Lowell 2, Navs 0

5:17 PM: McKenna lined a single off Herter's leg, Coach Falcon came out to check on his starter, but Herter appears to be fine.

5:12 PM: Little reached third on a pickoff, but didn't make it home as McNaughton flew out to shallow center and Costello struck out to end the inning. Adam Herter - not Mike DiCato - is on the hill and ready to go.

5:04 PM: And we're off, as Justin Little leads off the game with a walk for the Navs.

Comments

2008-07-12T03:00:00.004-04:00

Thank you very much to all of the readers who took the time to leave a comment - positive or negative - about their experience on Dominican Night.

While we are very thankful for the comments from those who greatly enjoyed the evening, we also truly appreciate the suggestions and criticisms of those who could have had a better experience.

I can assure you that the owner and the rest of management read all of your comments and will take your suggestions into consideration in the future.

Thanks again for your support,

Joe Gravellese
Navs SID

*

For those awaiting the Kyle Geason interview - hang tight. I misplaced my tape recorder, which has the Q+A session on it. I'll keep searching for it, and as soon as I find it, I'll post the interview.

Wow

2008-07-11T21:14:00.003-04:00

Sanford's 17-16 win over Torrington last night moves them into sole possession of first place in the NECBL Northern division.

17-16!!!

Torrington scored 6 runs in the last two innings to make it a game, but Sanford hung on.

Newport dropped Keene, 6-2, to put Keene into a tie with the Navs for 2nd place, one game behind Sanford.

Keene hosts Manchester tonight, while Sanford is in Newport.

Navs 'Tower' over Dominican All-stars, 8-4

2008-07-10T21:54:00.001-04:00

Steve DelVecchio, Navigators Sports Information Department

In front of a crowd of nearly 2000 fans at Fraser Field on Thursday night, the North Shore Navigators made the most of a friendly exhibition match against the Dominican All-Star team. Playing in front of perhaps the most energy-filled crowd at Fraser this season, the Navigators used some of their usual crew, along with a few local ballplayers and a pair of the organizations co-general managers, to come up an 8-4 victory.

Getting the start for North Shore was Jason Tower, co-general manager of the Navigators throughout the summer and student athlete during the school year at Eastern Nazarene College. Having never put on a Navigators uniform this season, expectations regarding Tower were reserved heading into this exhibition match. After battling through two extremely difficult jams in the first and second innings, Tower finished off his night by retiring the side in order in the third frame.

“I was a little nervous at first, but I settled down,” Tower said. “It was a lot of fun. It was good to see some guys get to play in different positions than they’re used to. The atmosphere was awesome. I wish it could be like this every night.”

The Navigators would give Tower the run support he deserved in the home half of the third inning, scoring three times. All three runs were batted in by players not currently on the Navigators roster – Jesse Bruinsma of Curry college and Swampscott native Jason Blydell from Dartmouth College. Bruinsma, who will be joining North Shore’s roster in the coming days, started off the scoring attack by plating Ryan McCrann with an RBI single. Blydell followed by knocking in two runs with a triple to right center to give the Navs a 3-0 lead.

Coach Falcon was pleased with the way in which the players not on the Navigators roster were able to contribute tonight and give some of his players some always-welcomed rest.

“I was very happy with them,” Falcon said. “They helped us out a lot, I could not have asked for anything more. They did exactly what I was hoping for - they gave our guys a chance to rest.”

Although they came out on the losing side of the game, the highlight of the game belonged to Dominican All-Star center fielder Leonardo Vilorio. Navigators’ pitcher Chris Kowalski (Boston College) ripped a line drive to the gap in right center field and Vilorio made an amazing diving stab for the out, with his body parallel to the grass.

“Coach Falcon gave me a chance to hit tonight,” Kowalski said after asking about the catch which robbed him of a double. “I hit the ball and I get all excited, and next thing I know the guy made the number one play on Sportscenter there in center field. It was a great experience playing against these guys; playing a team with a different culture. [It was a] great atmosphere. The kid made a great catch so hats off to him. It was a great night all the way around.”

Another unfamiliar name followed Jason Tower to preserve the lead for the Navigators through the sixth inning. Ritchie Piero entered the game in the fourth inning and allowed only one unearned run in three innings of work.

North Shore was able to put the game out of reach in the bottom of the seventh inning, stretching the lead to 8-1 after scoring four runs and capitalizing on the control problems of Dominican All-Star pitcher Jose Pimental. Scoring one of the four runs for North Shore and helping them to victory in the seventh was Matt Judkins (Maine Farmington), another Navigators co-general manager.

After making noise in the top of the ninth inning by scoring three times, Navs pitching was able to close the door on the Dominican All-Star team and enjoy an 8-4 victory.

The Navigators resume NECBL game action on Saturday night when they take on the Lowell All-Americans, in Lowell.

DOMINICAN NIGHT LIVE BLOG

2008-07-10T16:04:00.048-04:00

UPDATE --- Attention webcast listeners - after some early technical glitches, they have the broadcast working. Listen

DOM 0 0 0 / 0 1 0 / 0 0 3 -- 4 8 0
NSR 0 0 3 / 1 0 0 /4 0 -- 8 12 3

9:14 PM: On the backs of a number of temporary roster players, the North Shore Navigators have topped the Dominican All-Stars, 8-4. It was really nice to have a huge (albeit hostile) crowd on hand at Fraser. It was definitely an odd night, but it wound up being a good one, on the field and off. Let's hope the Navs can carry this momentum with them into Saturday night's game at Lowell.

9:03 PM: Former Sox prospect Luis Soto now bats with a runner on first and two out.

9:02 PM: Jarol Gonzalez lines a 2RBI single to make it 8-4.

8:58 PM: The Dominicans aren't going down without a fight - they have a run in and two men on with 2 outs.

8:54 PM: One out from victory.

8:41 PM: The Navigators are now three outs away from going 2-0 in exhibition play.

8:35 PM: Mike Hickey in for his second inning of work for the Navs.

8:34 PM: Pescucco bounds toward home on a wild pitch, but is thrown out.

8:33 PM: Blydell has a chance to add to his impressive night so far, as he bats here with the bases loaded and two out in the bottom of the 7th.

8:30 PM: Provencher hitsw a pinch hit, 2 RBI double - it's 8-1 Navs. The rout is on.

8:26 PM: Pescucco works a bases-loaded walk to bring home another run, 6-1

8:17 PM: Bruinsma trots home on a wild pitch to make it 5-1.

8:06 PM: Through 6 1/2, it's 4-1 Navs.

8:02 PM: The crowd suddenly got massive right before 8 PM. This place is quite full at the moment. We might be pushing 2,000.

8:01 PM: It's official -I am the worst play by play announcer of all time. ALL TIME! I'm glad that's overwith. I had no idea who the pitcher was, who the third baseman was... I don't think I'll be returning to the booth any time soon. Anyway, the score is still 4-1 here as we go into the top of the 7th.

7:33 PM - I'm on my way into the broadcast booth for a guest inning. After 4 1/2, it's 4-1 Navs.

7:31 PM - Jarol Gonzalez hits a hot shot to third that went off the glove of new 3rd baseman Ryan McCran and into left field... Valerio comes in to score the first Dominican run on the E5

7:19 PM - On a Suchowicz base hit, Kowalski lumbers through a stop sign and on to home plate for North Shore's 4th run.

7:16 PM - Chris Kowalski picks up a base hit here in the bottom of the 4th.

7:09 PM - Richie Piarro in to pitch for North Shore.

7:07 PM - Tower's day is done, and he departs with a 3-0 lead. Now pitching for the Navigators is..... another newbie. Standing by for an announcement.

7:04 PM - Hmm... maybe they should sign up Jason Blydell, too. He lines a 2-run triple over the head of the rightfielder, making it 3-0 North Shore.

7:02 PM - Sign this man up! Jesse Bruinsma lines an RBI single to right to put the Navs on top. Bruinsma also displayed an excellent arm on a throw during the first inning. With the Navs looking for another outfielder to add to the roster before the July 15 roster deadline, could Bruinsma be on the radar screen?

6:59 PM - Attention webcast listeners - after some early technical glitches, they have the broadcast working. I will be joining them in the 6th inning.

6:58 PM - Kyle Geason is into the game batting 10th (?!) and playing short. It looks like they are giving the Navs a chance to get an extra bat into the game. He punches a base hit into right to put runners on first and second with one out.

6:54 PM - Tower is getting into a groove - he works a 1-2-3 3rd and it remains scoreless through 2 1/2.

6:47 PM - Kowalski lined one toward the gap in right center, but the CF (Leonardo Vilorio) came on, dove, and made quite literally the greatest catch I have ever seen in person in my entire life. No exaggeration at all.

6:46 PM - There's been a change in the lineup - Kowalski is DHing and batting 6th.

6:42 PM - Tower has worked through two scoreless innings. Really impressive work so far for the Navs' co-GM.

6:32 PM - The Navs go down in order in the first.

6:26 PM - Tower gets Lora to pop out to third to get out of the inning without giving up a run!

6:25 PM - Tower is fooling these guys with off-speed stuff - he's gotten Alvarez and Valdez to pop out for two huge outs.

6:22 PM - Not good so far - the first three Dominican players have reached to load the bases here with nobody out for Julian Alvarez.

6:15 PM - The Navigators have taken the field. Let's see how this goes for our pal Jason Tower.

6:10 PM - National Anthesm are complete, and we're getting ready for baseball. It looks like owner Phil Rosenfield may be giving a speech before the game.

5:56 PM - Old friend and North Shore Spirit legend Yuri Sanchez is the third base coach for the Dominican team.

5:55 PM - Bad news - this camera isn't compatible with my computer and I can't get photos up in real time. I will make a photo mega-post tomorrow afternoon.

5:53 PM - Intros are underway. The Navs are huddling with Coach Falcon down the third base line.

5:49 PM - It looks like Coach Falcon is using tonight as an opportunity to try out a number of potential new additions to the roster, and give some local players a shot. Tonight's lineup is barely recognizable, featuring only four Navs regulars:
RF - Bruinsma
CF - Blydell
LF - Trent
3B - Belcher
1B - Graham
C - Suchowicz
2B - Pescucco
DH - McCrann
SS - Cowen

SP - Tower

5:40 PM - We're done with the first round of live music. The teams are now stretching out and getting ready to be introduced to the crowd.

5:06 PM - Did I mention that the speakers down the first base line are EXTREMELY powerful? Apparently the volume had to be lowered as the music was shaking the windows in the nearby apartment complex. Pretty cool. There are also four female dancers grooving to the music on top of the each dugout. A good sized crowd is working its way into Fraser Field.

5:05 PM - The Navigators are out taking infield practice. Between the three local players added to the roster for tonight's game, and the additions of co-GMs Matt Judkins and Jason Tower, I can barely recognize our own team out there. This is going to be fun.

5:04 PM - I will be joining the dynamic duo of Joe & Zander in the booth during the 4th inning of tonight's game.

4:49 PM - In another change to the usual order, Sports Info staff members Joe Jasinski and Zander Kean will be handling tonight's live radio broadcast from the booth, so be sure to check them out via webcast!

4:29 PM - I've just been informed that fellow staff member and Eastern Nazarene College player Jason Tower will be tonight's starting pitcher for the Navigators. His co-GM, Matt Judkins, will also get some playing time tonight.

4:27 PM - Elsewhere in the NECBL tonight, the Swamp Bats and Mainers are both in action. Keene is hosting Newport, while Sanford travels to Torrington. If both teams fall tonight, the Navigators move into a three-way tie for first place. I will try to get some updates from those games as teh night goes on.

4:04 PM - It's Dominican Night at Fraser Field, and I'm already feeling festive. This place is loaded with banners, great music is pumping out of some massive loudspeakers, the Dominican team is rocking the ball during batting practice, and by all indications, we are going to have a big crowd for tonight's exhibition between the North Shore Navigators and the Dominican touring team. The live music will be getting underway momentarily, and we'll be here to share photos and stories throughout the evening. First pitch is scheduled for 6:05 PM.

Fielding follies allow for Danbury comeback

2008-07-10T03:53:00.003-04:00

Joe Jasinski, Navigators Sports Information Department

After holding the lead for the first eight innings of the ballgame, perhaps the most unlikely of causes led to the Navigators first ninth-inning debacle of the season: defensive blunders.

A three-run ninth-inning comeback by the Danbury, due in part to two ninth-inning errors by North Shore’s middle-infield, earned the Westerners their fifth win of the season, and sent the Navigators home with an 8-7 loss at Rogers Park.

With one out and reliever Chris Kowalski on the hill, Chris Daniels slammed a two-RBI single to right-center field to win the game. Both runs were un-earned. The Navigators allowed four un-earned runs on the night.

“It is a tough field, and one little error makes a difference,” Coach Falcon said. “I mean, it scored four runs for them. But hey, those are the kinds of things that are going to happen.”

The North Shore offense was able to manufacture three runs in the first inning for the second game in a row.

Following back-to-back singles from Mike Provencher and Sean McNaughton, Matt Costello belted his second home run of the season over the left-center field fence.

Despite escaping of a one-out, two-on base jam in the first inning, Navigators starting pitcher Wayde Kitchens was not so lucky in the second. After a sacrifice bunt by Kevin Jackson (Maine) moved Danbury base-runners to second and third base, Joe Witkowski flew out to Provencher, allowing Melvin Castillo to score from third base.

Castillo’s second error of the game prohibited the Westerners from escaping the fourth inning unharmed. Kent Graham was brought home on a Provencher fielder’s choice, which would have been the third out of the inning. After a passed ball permitted Kyle Geason to cross home for the Navigators’ fifth run of the evening, McNaughton cranked a Dennis Accomando offering over the right-field fence.

It was McNaughton’s third home run in the past two games.

Accomando was chased from the game after six innings of work, yielding seven runs, three of which were earned runs, on eight hits. He managed to strike out four batters while walking one.

When the lead appeared safe, Danbury’s offense reemerged.

The Westerners were able to chip away at the six-run North Shore lead with a run in the sixth and seventh innings. The runs were scored on a single by Daniels in the sixth and a sacrifice fly by Witkowski in the seventh, his second run batted in of the night. Daniels had entered the game at left field in the top of the fifth inning.

Three runs were all Kitchens allowed in his six and one-third innings of work. He surrendered eight hits, struck out five and walked one Westerner on the night.

While Kitchens was finished, the same was not true for the Danbury bats.

After inheriting two base-runners from reliever Ryan Krull, Jason Markowitz induced Kevin Jackson to fly out to centerfield, bringing home Michael Olt from third inning. A weak grounder to second base by Witkowski forced Chad Zurcher to make an off-balance throw to first, which Graham could not handle. Mahoney, who had reached second on a double, scored the Westerners’ fifth run on the error by Graham.

Kowalski came in to close the door in the ninth. After Shane Kingsley grounded back to the pitcher leaving two outs remaining, left fielder-turned-second basemen Zach Babbitt singled to start the rally. A pair of errors by Chad Zurcher and Nick Belcher allowed one run to score and put runners on second and third for Chris Daniels’ single.

The Navigators’ loss was not due to a lack of offensive production, but to insufficient coaching, Falcon said.

“We probably got out-coached there at the end,” he said. “They were making some moves when we might have been sitting back just a little too much, maybe tried to over-think some things.”

Sometimes, a loss like this is what a team needs, Falcon said.

“Those are the kinds of things that are going to happen,” he said. “I think this is a humbling loss for us. I said to the guys afterwards, ‘they’ve won five games all year, it’s their home field, they came back to win it. I don’t think we are going to have to worry about them later on, so let’s just shake it off, not worry about it, get on the bus and get out of here.’”

The loss has to be looked at as part of a larger picture, Kitchens said.

“I don’t think there’s anything for us,” he said. “It doesn’t help us, but I don’t think it hurts us. You know, just come out and play another game. That’s why they have forty games in a season.”

Danbury 8, Navs 7

2008-07-10T03:18:00.003-04:00

A three-run ninth inning by Danbury propelled them over North Shore tonight. The Navigator defense committed two errors in the final inning, proving to be fatal as substitute leftfielder Chris Daniels belted a game-winning single off reliever Chris Kowalski. Matt Costello and Sean McNaughton both went yard in the game. A complete game story will be posted momentarily.