Sanford Sweeps Doubleheader With Bristol
Mainers dominate to win game one 9-2, come back to take game two 5-3
By Cole Purvis
Director of Broadcasting and Media
SANFORD, Maine - The Sanford Mainers and the Bristol Blues met for the first and only times on Tuesday. Due to a rainout the week before, Sanford's road contest at Bristol was shifted to a doubleheader at Goodall Park. The Mainers won handily in game one by a 9-2 score, and came back to win game two 5-3. Per NECBL rules, each doubleheader game was just seven innings.
Game One: For the second straight game, a Sanford starter who typically has a short leash was able to work deeper into a game. Fredo Mucciarone, who had never thrown more than two innings at a time this summer, went into the fourth. Thanks to two double plays by his defense, the UMass Lowell righty faced the minimum 12 hitters, allowing two hits and no runs.
The offensive star for the Moose was shortstop Albert De La Rosa, who went 3-4 with two RBI and a run. He did all that while hitting leadoff for the first time this season.
The Blues scored two in their half of the sixth inning, but the Mainers held on for a 9-2 victory.
Game Two: The Blues looked early on like a team that regrouped from a loss just fine.
Jack Balcer hit an RBI single in the second to put Bristol up 1-0. Scott Gell and Nick Francuzenko would extend that lead to 3-0 in the third with an RBI apiece.
But the Mainers exploded for a big rally in the fourth. Dom Tozzi's sacrifice fly scored Troy Carpenter. Then, Brendan Sencaj scored on a wild pitch. With two outs, De La Rosa grounded one to second, but the throw was errant, and two more scored. De La Rosa himself would later score on a wild pitch to put Sanford up 5-3.
Andrew Kapica and Sam Young combined to throw the final four innings, holding down the fourth and making sure the Mainers' big fourth inning didn't go to waste.
Sanford sweeps the doubleheader and the regular season series with Bristol. The Mainers are 15-6 overall and sit atop the NECBL North Division after the month of June. They begin the July slate at Vermont Wednesday at 6:30.