O'Brien, Reese Go Deep as Bats Down Danbury
KEENE, N.H. – After their nine-run drubbing of the Mystic Schooners the night before, the Keene SwampBats found a tougher challenge as the Danbury Westerners came to town, a team Keene had not faced since opening night. After a busy first three innings in which Keene found a four run advantage, Danbury clawed back to tie the game at five, but Keene pulled ahead again and would hold on by a thread, taking the win 7-6.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
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1 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 2 |
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3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | x | 7 | 9 | 6 |
by Andrew Hillsman
KEENE, N.H. – After their nine-run drubbing of the Mystic Schooners the night before, the Keene SwampBats found a tougher challenge as the Danbury Westerners came to town, a team Keene had not faced since opening night. After a busy first three innings in which Keene found a four run advantage, Danbury clawed back to tie the game at five, but Keene pulled ahead again and would hold on by a thread, taking the win 7-6.
Righthander Kyle Peters (UConn) made his seventh start of the summer for the Bats, and attacked the zone, racking up five strikeouts in the first two innings, while only giving up one solo homer. The top of the fourth would spell a bit of trouble for Peters, as LHP Marcello Mastroianni (Duke) made his first relief appearance since the end of June to get the final out in the frame after a three run shot from the Westerners. Peters finished the day totaling two hits allowed, four runs (three of which were earned), two walks, and a season-high eight strikeouts.
The Bats hit into two untimely double plays in the fourth and fifth, hurting their momentum and allowing Danbury to inch its way back to tie the game in the sixth inning off a solo shot from the Westerners' shortstop Gavin Donohue (Sacred Heart). RHP John Malone (Samford) battled back near the start of his relief appearance to record the last out in the sixth, and force a scoreless seventh with a double play.
DH Ty Mainolfi (Boston College) was swapped for Ripken Reese (Kent State) in the home half of the seventh, and on the very first pitch he saw of the night, Reese sent a two-run homer over the wall in center, marking his seventh long shot this summer, and his second in as many nights.
After the eighth went quietly for both sides, flamethrower Nate Bassett (Virginia) took the ball for Keene sent the first batter he faced packing on strikes, but ran into some trouble caused by fielding errors. The Westerners managed their way around the bags for a single run, but stranded the tying run on second as the game ended. Bassett picked up his first save of the summer in his third appearance.
The SwampBats win their third straight game, and become the first team in 2025 to reach 25 wins, moving to 25-11 this season. Keene will travel to Lynn, MA on Saturday to face the North Shore Navigators (14-19) in the Bats' last game before the All-Star break. First pitch is scheduled for 5:05 PM at Fraser Field, and the game will be streamed live on NECBL+.