Romano powers SwampBats to eighth straight win in grand fashion
MONTPELIER, Vt. - They don’t ask how - they ask how many. That adage certainly applies to the 2025 Keene SwampBats. The Bats pulled off a memorable comeback for the second consecutive night against the Vermont Mountaineers on Sunday night, to take home the win 4-1.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
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0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 0 |
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0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 9 | 2 |
MONTPELIER, Vt. - They don't ask how - they ask how many. That adage certainly applies to the 2025 Keene SwampBats. The Bats pulled off a memorable comeback for the second consecutive night against the Vermont Mountaineers on Sunday night, to take home the win 4-1.
RHP David Rodriguez (St. John's) got the start in Sunday's game, and he was effective, going three innings while walking one and fanning five, only allowing a lone earned run. The Bats' offense struggled mightily in the early and middle stages of the contest, and were actually getting no-hit through seven full innings.
The Mountaineers jumped on the board for their lone run of the game in the second, after DH Joey Pagano (St. Joseph's) ripped a leadoff double and was brought in by an RBI single from Vermont catcher Brendan Buecker (Monmouth).
After that second inning, the game went on without much fanfare, and Keene was held off the hit column thanks to solid outings from starter Eddie Albert (Dartmouth) and reliever Bryce Gluckman (Stetson). Then, everything changed in the eighth.
DH Ty Mainolfi (Dayton) and SS Andrew Bell (Duke) both struck out to start the inning, but leadoff hitter and LF Michael O'Brien (Little Rock) notched the first hit of the day for Keene. O'Brien nabs second, and RF Jack Herring (East Carolina) reaches first on balls, bringing up CF Marshall Lipsey (FAU), who also reaches via the walk. So, with the bases loaded and two away, 3B Nick Romano (FAU) comes to the dish and crushes a no-doubt 384 foot home run to right field, to put Keene up 4-1.
For a second night in a row, the SwampBats completed a late-stage dramatic comeback, and this time held on to their lead thanks to the efforts of RHP Jake Hooker (Xavier), who was credited with the save.
The Bats move to 8-1 on the season, and have an off day Monday, before hosting the same Mountaineers at Alumni Field on Tuesday. First pitch between the Bats and Mountaineers is set for 6:35 PM, and the game will be streamed live on ESPN+.