KEENE, N.H. — University of Notre Dame outfielder Jack Zyska had a game-high three hits and five RBIs, including a pair of two-run home runs, to lead the Upper Valley Nighthawks to a 14-8 win over the Keene Swamp Bats in their New England Collegiate Baseball League opener at Alumni Field on Thursday night.
Upper Valley managed 11 hits and three homers at Keene’s bandbox park but also committed four errors in the victory. Keene committed three errors in the loss.
David Marcano (NJIT) also hit a home run for the Nighthawks and finished the game 2-for-4. Greg Hardison (UNC-Greensboro) was 2-for-6 with a run scored and two strikeouts.
Nighthawks starting pitcher Paxton Thompson (Bradley) went four innings, giving up one run on three hits and two walks with five strikeouts. Devin Beckley (Citadel) pitched the next 1⅔ and was pulled from a rough sixth inning for Upper Valley. Relief pitchers Andrew DeRoche (Trinity), Skylar Pichardo (Marist) and Aaron Haase (Wichita State) shut the door to secure the win.
Upper Valley lead, 8-1, headed into the bottom of the sixth inning, thanks to Zyska’s two multi-run bombs, a solo home run from Marcano, an RBI single by Brian Moore (Lipscomb) and a pair of runs scored by Marcano and Hardison on Swamp Bat errors. But Keene’s offense came alive in the sixth, jumping on Beckley with six runs on four hits and two errors to help the hosts cut the deficit to one run, 8-7.
But the Nighthawks responded, scoring in each of the final five innings to pull away. In the ninth, Davis Mikell (Castleton) added key insurance runs with a two-run double, and Avery George (Lamar) hit an RBI single. Haase struck out four — including one on a dropped third strike by Cossetti — in the bottom of the ninth to finalize the victory.
The Nighthawks (1-0) travel to Montpelier to face the Vermont Mountaineers on Friday.
DERRY, N.H. — The Hanover duo of Aidan Biglow and Evan Yang fell to Pinkrton’s Seb Tonini and John Marineau, 6-3, 3-6, 10-7, in the semifinals of the NHIAA doubles tournament at Pinkerton Academy.
The loss capped the season for the Marauders, who reached the NHIAA Division I team final for the first time in program history.