On to the NECBL Championship! Bats Sweep Mainers, Win 8-0 in Game 2

SANFORD, Maine – The best team in the North continues to prove their worth in the postseason, as the SwampBats (4-0) stayed undefeated in the playoffs after sweeping the Sanford Mainers (2-3) in in the Northern Division finals, cruising to an 8-0 rout at Goodall Park.

Evan Chaffee (St John's) had his return to Goodall Park after not allowing a hit in his last outing on Stanford's mound. He did not disappoint in round two, throwing up 6 shutout innings while only allowing 2 hits. One of the two hits was an infield single, while the other was on a pitch that was below the batter's knees, but was still lined into left field. In those 6 innings, Chaffee struck out four batters while only allowing two walks. All four strikeouts came from each of his last four innings (3rd-6th).

After a scoreless first inning, the Bats threatened early in the second. Ryan Jaros (Rutgers) led off with a walk, followed by a single from Marshall Lipsey (Florida Atlantic). After they both advanced from a wild pitch, Nick Romano (Florida Atlantic) knocked in the game's first run with a groundout. 

In the fifth inning, the SwampBats started to fly away with the score. After back-to-back leadoff walks, Ty Mainolfi (Boston) ripped one through the infield to bring in Zach Thompson (Gardner-Webb). The Mainers went on to bring in their best pitcher all season from the bullpen, and to greet him was Ripken Reese (Kent St), who swung at the first pitch he saw from him and drilled it down the right field line for an RBI double to make it 3-0. The SwampBats continued to take advantage of defensive miscues after Jaros lined into an error into center field, scoring another run and keeping the inning alive for Keene to score one more to make it 5-0. 

Kian Vorster (Louisville) came in for relief in the 7th inning, and after walking his first two batters, he got out of the jam by tallying a strikeout and an unassisted putout. Vorster went on to pitch the 8th as well, and delivered another scoreless frame with two additional strikeouts.

As the Bats were already out to a 6-0 lead, Michael O'Brien (Little Rock) put the nail in the coffin with a two-run blast in the ninth inning, making the score 8-0. Then Marcello Mastroianni (Duke) added the final touch in the bottom of the ninth, closing out the ballgame without breaking the shutout.

The SwampBats are heading to the NECBL championship for the first time since 2019. They will now host the Southern Division champion on Thursday, August 7th, in another best-of-three series to decide the winner of the 2025 Vincent Fay Cup. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:35 at Alumni Field and will be streamed on ESPN+.