Sanford’s Perfect Road Record Comes to an End in 6-4 Loss at Upper Valley

By Cole Purvis

Director of Broadcasting and Media

HARTFORD, V.T. - A back-and-forth battle went the way of the Upper Valley Nighthawks, who beat the Sanford Mainers 6-4 after falling to the Moose twice previously.

With a couple runners on in the first, Sanford jumped at an opportunity to take an early lead. Designated hitter Steven Kraus singled to right field, driving in Jake Harring to put the Mainers up 1-0. Upper Valley came in just 1-6 when the opponent scored first.

The Mainers put another on the board in the third when Brendan Sencaj singled to right. Harring, who was on base via a walk (one of four on the day), advanced into scoring position and crossed home on Sencaj's knock.

Sanford starter Andrew Middleton was solid in his second start of the summer. The lefty went four innings, giving up three hits and a run, which was unearned.

That run came in Upper Valley's half of the third. A Sanford error put runners on the corners, and allowed Frank Kelly to score Anthony Greco to make it 2-1 Mainers. 

The Nighthawks put up a crooked number to take the lead in the fifth. In another first-and-third situation, Upper Valley centerfielder Willie Hurt took off for second. The throw from catcher Dom Tozzi was airmailed into center, allowing Levi Jones to score. Hurt was eventually driven in by James Love's single, and it was 3-2 Nighthawks.

The Mainers reclaimed their lead in the seventh. With the bases loaded, Sencaj hit a ball up the middle that was tailor-made for a double play. The Nighthawks went to second for the first out, but skipped the throw to first in the dirt, allowing both Brooke Perez and Brian Connolly to cross the plate to give the Moose a 4-3 advantage.

Sanford reliever TJ Curley got into some trouble in the seventh, loading the bases with just one out. Ben Griffith took over for him out of the bullpen, and things went from bad to worse. Upper Valley catcher AJ DeMastrie smashed a ball to straightaway center, which got down and bounced along the fence. By the time Sanford got the ball in, the bases had cleared. The three-RBI double from DeMastrie gave the Nighthawks a 6-4 lead.

Fast-forward to the ninth, the Mainers put up a good fight and got two players on base, but Upper Valley pitcher Julian Rondon pitched his way out of the slight jam to secure the 6-4 win.

Sanford's perfect road record is no longer intact. However, it was a scheduled off-day for some of the Mainers' top sluggers, such as Troy Carpenter, Nater Wachter, and Nick Zampieron. Carpenter and Wachter each pinch-hit late in the game, but only had one at-bat.

The bullpen was knocked around, but it didn't help that the Moose tallied four errors.

"I think it was a combination of the two; the two decided to piggyback on each other. I think it started with the defense,,,and then later it turned into pitchers getting barreled up a little bit," said manager Nic Lops.

The Mainers can rebound tomorrow at home against Vermont. First pitch against the Mountaineers is at 6:30.