Bats Fall to Gulls at Home, 3-1

KEENE, N.H. – The Keene SwampBats managed just three singles offensively as they fell to the Newport Gulls 3-1 at Alumni Field to begin a four-game homestand over three days on Tuesday night.

The Bats (8-5-1) scored their only run of the game in the fourth when Chris Polemeni (Connecticut) was hit by a pitch, moved to second on a ground out, and scored after catcher Richard Tejeda's throw on a stolen base attempt went into left field because third baseman Colby Wallace lost it in the sun.  That trimmed what had been a 3-0 deficit to two, but they could not score again.  Keene had four baserunners after that but never had multiple on at the same time.  In the fifth, Charlie Meglio (Rutgers) poked a single into right center to bring the tying run to the plate, but Micah Kendrick (Louisiana) grounded into a 6-4-3 double play.  An inning later, Jackson Smith (Cincinnati) was hit by a pitch for another one out baserunner, but Polemeni struck out and Smith was caught stealing for another double play to end the inning.  The tying run also came up in each of the final two innings, with Kendrick poking a single into right with two down in the eighth and Polemeni working a one out walk in the ninth, but the Bats still could not score.  Avery Smith (Penn State) bounced to second on the second pitch of the at bat to end the eighth and Parker Rhodes picked up a save when Jackson Marshall (Connecticut) stung a ball to second but Caeden Cloud could not handle it as it bounded to Gus Gandy who was on second base for an unconventional double play.

The loss spoiled a strong effort from Keene's three arms on the mound, who allowed just one earned run and struck out seven.  Noah Berry (Samford) allowed four hits and three runs (one earned) over his four inning start before Rocco Calise (Eckerd) and Andrew Lepine (UCF) fired five scoreless innings of relief with five strikeouts to keep their team very much in the game despite a lack of offense.

Will Allen (1-1) got the win for Newport (8-7-1), pitching three innings of middle relief and allowing just one unearned run while striking out three.  Rhodes whiffed three over his three-inning save.

The Gulls did not manage much offense themselves, but took a 2-0 lead in the second on a failed pickoff in a first-and-third situation that allowed Peter Mershon to score.  A groundout by Ryan Jaros advanced Cloud to third for the second out, and Cloud then scored on an infield single to short by Tejeda to make it 2-0.  Brandon Larson homered to center in the fourth to tack on another, and that proved to be enough for the visitors' three arms against what continues to be an all-or-nothing SwampBats offense, who has now been limited to four hits or fewer five times in 14 games.

Keene hosts Martha's Vineyard (11-4) tomorrow night at 6:35 p.m. (NECBL+) in a rematch of the 2025 NECBL championship series before playing two at Alumni against North Shore Thursday.