White River Junction
Three weeks ago, the Nighthawks were ranked last with the worst record in the NECBL, reeling from a string of injuries and defections that left Nighthawks general manager Noah Crane scrambling for answers. The losses piled up and, for many of the Nighthawks players and coaches, there was no end in sight.
That same Upper Valley team, powered by some key reinforcements and a new sense of pride, knocked out three Northern Division rivals, the Winnipesaukee Muskrats, the Keene Swamp Bats and the Vermont Mountaineers, in a span of 24 hours on Wednesday by defeating Winnipesaukee, 6-4, in an afternoon matinee and Keene, 5-0 on Bill Maier’s two-hitter, in the nightcap at Maxfield Sports Complex.
It caps off one of the most unlikely turnarounds in NECBL history.
“You can’t predict what happens in this league,” said Upper Valley manager Nick Cenatiempo, who spent most of Wednesday walking around Maxfield with a smile on his face. “It’s very important when you get hot. We got hot. … It’s a matter of the group of kids we got, it’s a matter of if they’re going to play hard and if we’re going to win. They want to win. That’s why they’re here. They’re grinding it out.”
No. 4 Upper Valley (21-25) will take on the No. 1 Sanford Mainers (26-17) at 6:30 tonight at Goodall Park for game one of their best-of-three first-round playoff series. Game two will be at Maxfield at 6:30 on Friday night.
Austin Embler was the hero of play-in game two against the Swamp Bats with a three-run double in the in the bottom of the fifth inning to break the game wide open. Keene defeated the Mountaineers, 3-1, at Montpelier’s Recreation Field early Wednesday afternoon to advance to Wednesday night’s game at Maxfield.
“I was just trying to get a pop-fly into the outfield,” Embler said. “Just get a sac fly. But he threw one right down the middle and took it the other way.”
“After every game, coach just tells us to keep on grinding, keep on pushing for a playoff spot. Do it for Noah,” he added. “We got the job done. We just kept on pushing through. Now we’re here.”
Charlie Concannon led things off with a solo home run in the bottom of the second inning. Joey Denison added an RBI double to the fifth-inning rally.
But the story of game two was Maier, Upper Valley’s ace, who gave up only two hits and recorded five strikeouts for the complete-game victory.
“It’s been crazy,” Maier said. “Doubleheader with the make-up game yesterday, doubleheader today. I’m just happy we were able to pull through and make the playoffs.”
Houston Mabray and Avery Fliger did most of the work on the mound in game one, allowing 10 hits and three runs in five innings. Brian Lau finished the final two innings for the save.
But the Nighthawks had clutch performances from two unlikely sources to allow Upper Valley to punch its ticket to game two. Walker Grisanti hit his first home run in a Nighthawks uniform off Winnipesaukee outfielder Grant Meylan, who made an appearance on the mound for the Muskrats.
Eric Leitch, a late addition to the Nighthawks from Plymouth State University, made the clutch double play with no outs and the Muskrats threatening in the top of the seventh, effectively shutting the door on Winnipesaukee’s chances at a comeback.
“They got on early in the inning, and we obviously knew they were going to bunt,” Leitch said. “I got to it, my momentum took me to second base and I just turned two. … I’ve never played second, I’ve never made that throw. It’s baseball, you’ve got to make that throw either way.”
Grisanti had a good feeling that his hit would end up over the fence in the fourth inning, his first home run of the summer. The Vanderbilt product, batting .207, rounded the bases and walked slowly back to the dugout, letting out a big smile as he was greeted by his teammates.
“I’m just happy we broke out the lead a little bit. We played relaxed, a little bit more relaxed,” Grisanti said.
Upper Valley never relinquished the lead after scoring two runs in the bottom of the third to take a 2-1 lead. Joey Denison added to it in the fourth with a sacrifice fly that drove in Al Molina and, along with Grisanti’s homer, built a 6-1 lead. Lau allowed two hits and a walk in two innings and contributed two doubles at the plate.
The Nighthawks don’t have time to celebrate and certainly don’t have time to take a step back for some perspective. Sanford, which hasn’t played since Sunday’s 8-7 loss at home to Ocean State, is well rested heading into its postseason series with Upper Valley. But the Nighthawks enter tonight’s game with momentum and confidence, having earned a spot in the postseason by passing the test against their regional rivals.
Now, Upper Valley is playing with house money. The Hawks will wait and see how far it takes them.
Notes: Embler was pulled from the first play-in game with a tight hip, something that’s been bothering him off and on, though it didn’t affect him in the second game. “I stretched it out a lot,” he said. Trent Leimkuehler was taken out of game two, replaced by Leitch as the designated hitter. … Upper Valley is 2-3 vs. the Mainers this season and 2-1 at Sanford’s Goodall Park. The latest was a late-game collapse on July 27, a 4-3 loss. Molina leads all batters vs. Sanford with seven hits, three runs and four RBIs in five games played, including a .350 batting average. Nighthawks pitchers have a combined 5.06 ERA vs. Sanford.
Josh Weinreb can be reached at jweinreb@vnews.com or 603-727-3306.