The Navigators thwarted a ninth-inning surge from the middle of the Westerners’ lineup to earn a 3-2 victory at Fraser Field.
After starting the season 3-16, North Shore (7-18) has won four of their last six games, and their pitching staff has allowed 3.8 runs per game in that span. Danbury (12-15) lost their third game in a row and are now three games under .500 for the first time all season.
Navigators’ designated hitter Max Viera and first baseman Nathan Blasick accounted for all three of their team’s runs. Viera went 1-3 with a triple and a run scored, and Blasick went 2-3 with a double, an RBI single, a walk, and two runs scored. Ty Dooley had a 2-4 night at the plate with an RBI single in the eighth.
Dooley was also part of a middle infield that shut down many of Danbury’s scoring opportunities through the first eight innings. He and Jonathan Luders turned three double plays and recorded flashy individual putouts to keep the Westerners scoreless until the ninth.
Westerners’ left fielder Jett Lovett had a 3-4 night at the plate with an RBI and a run scored, and Joey Skarad went 1-2 with a single and two walks. Korey Morton also recorded an infield hit and scored on a Jett Lovett single in the ninth.
Westerners’ starter Kyle Roche cruised through his first three innings of work, but the Navigators’ lineup suddenly awakened and scratched across two runs in the fourth. Navigators’ designated hitter Max Viera jumpstarted the offense with a leadoff triple into the right-center gap, and first baseman Nathan Blasick placed an RBI single in front of the left fielder to make it a 1-0 ballgame. A sacrifice bunt and a base hit to center put runners on the corners with one down, and Navigators’ right fielder Jake McElroy hit a slow roller to second that scored Blasick and gave his ballclub a two-run lead.
The Navigators’ bats went quiet for another three innings, but they plated an insurance run on an eighth-inning RBI from Ty Dooley. Nathan Blasick kicked off the frame with a walk, and he stole second to put himself into scoring position. With this runner on second and one down, Dooley hit a bleeder that clipped the pitcher’s leg and squeezed through the middle infield. This allowed Blasick to score and give North Shore a 3-0 lead.
Skarad followed Lovett’s single with his second walk of the game, and both moved into scoring position via the passed ball. Navigators’ relief pitcher Peyton Heisner induced a weak ground ball to short from the next batter, but Lovett touched home to pull the Westerners within one. North Shore’s shortstop did not have a play at first, but his baseball acumen persuaded him to throw out Skarad as he sprinted towards third base. Danbury still had the tying run on base, but it was no longer in scoring position. Heisner would retire the next batter on a blooper to short, so he earned his first save of the season and gifted his ballclub the victory.
Navigators’ starter Luke Marshall (1-2) undoubtedly avenged last season’s loss to the Westerners. In Danbury’s title-clinching victory, Marshall surrendered seven runs in 3.0 innings and walked four batters. On Friday night, the Fairfield University product earned the win by hurling six shutout innings, conceding three hits, walking two, and striking out six.
Kyle Roche (2-1) lost for the first time all summer, but he turned in another fine outing for his ballclub. Roche surrendered two runs in 6.0 innings pitched, but he was only charged with an earned run in his final line. The tall right-hander only allowed four hits, walked one, and fanned five.
The Westerners will return to Rogers Park on Saturday night and face off against the Bristol Blues. Danbury is 0-3 against Bristol this season and has lost by a combined five runs in those contests, so they will look to change their luck and position themselves as playoff contenders. Aeden Finateri (0-0, 3.42 ERA) will be tasked to shut down the Blues’ lineup, and his first pitch will be thrown at 6:30 PM ET.