Meglio, Enis Help Bats Extend Winning Streak with Victory over Westerners

DANBURY, Conn. - Griffin Enis (Dallas Baptist) and Charlie Meglio (Rutgers) each swatted towering two-run homers to left in support of Jack Davis (UNC-Asheville) and Eamon McDermott (Dartmouth), who combined to whiff 11 over seven innings of two-run ball, as the Keene SwampBats extended their winning ways with a 7-6 victory over the Danbury Westerners on Thursday night at Rogers Park.

Keene (13-7-1) never trailed in the game, cracking the scoreboard first when Enis lifted off in the second with two outs, cashing in on a leadoff single by Dylan Fitzsimmons (St. John's).  Ryan Martin got one run back for Danbury (8-13), but the Westerners overall did not have many answers for Davis, who struck out six and allowed just one run and two hits over four innings.

The Bats extended their lead in the middle innings, going up 4-1 in the fifth when Enis was plunked to begin the frame before Antonio Cordeiro (St. John's) greeted reliver Michael Delph with a double to put two runners in scoring position with nobody out.  Both scored when Ronan Donohue could not handle Collin Anderson's (Duke) grounder, which hopped past him and into shallow left field.

The home team again prevented the Bats from getting a shutdown inning, making it 4-2 when Donohue attoned for the error with an RBI single to left and then putting the tying runs in scoring position after a balk, but McDermott got out of it by whiffing Peter Link and getting Jack Lutte to hit a routine fly ball to left.  Two batters into the top half of the next inning, the Bats quickly hit back, as Fitzsimmons worked a seven-pitch walk and Meglio then smashed a no-doubt blast to left for his first long ball of the season and a 6-2 lead.

McDermott got stronger as his outing went along, including striking out the side in order in the seventh.  Parker Lind (Kent State) then tossed a 1-2-3 eighth that included two more strikeouts and Anderson roped an RBI double in the ninth that made it 7-2.

After Martin struck out to begin Danbury's final frame, things got far too interesting for the Bats from there, as a single, failed pickoff attempt, and a walk had runners on the corners with one down.  Kyle Garbowski then hit a grounder to second that resulted in a fielder's choice and made it 7-3, but left Keene with just one more out to get.  That proved somewhat problematic, as Aidan Stern's base hit to center put two on and a two-run double by Donahue then made it 7-5 and brought the tying run to the plate in what has never been known to be a pitcher's park.  Link walked on five pitches to put the tying run on first, and both then advanced on a wild pitch as the stunning uprising continued, but it ended just as fast when Lutte hit a grounder up the middle that did plate a sixth run but, electing not to throw to first with clearly no play, Anderson fired home as the ambitious Westerners got Link thrown out by several feet at the plate to end the game.

McDermott (2-0) allowed two hits and one run over his three relief innings to pick up the win, walking one and striking out five.

Chase DePalma (0-1) started for Danbury and took the loss, allowing two hits and three runs (two earned) over four innings.  He struck out three.

The Bats, who swept the Westerners in the season series, saw their three arms combine to whiff 14 on the night.

Meglio and Enis each went 1-for-3, combining for four RBI and three runs.

Keene is back at it tomorrow (Friday, July 3) when they welcome Sanford to Alumni Field for their annual Independence Eve celebration in a matchup of the current top two teams in the Northern Division standings.  First pitch is at 6:35 p.m. and the game can be streamed on NECBL+ through the HomeTeam Network.