The Sanford Mainers began their 2024 Northeast Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) season on Tuesday night with a 2-0 shutout win on the road over the Vermont Mountaineers at Montpelier Recreation Field in Montpelier, Vermont.
Connor Ball (University of Alabama) put in a solid effort on the mound to help Sanford to the opening night win, and the Mainers got all they needed on the offensive side of things by scoring both of their runs in the fifth inning. Devan Kodali (Vanderbilt) led off and reached on an error, and was sacrificed to second base by Nathan Barksdale (Austin Peay). With two outs, Kodali stole third and would score on a triple to leftfield by Matt Miceli (Stony Brook). Miceli would score on a passed ball to cap off the scoring.
Ball (1-0) went 6.0 innings to get the win allowing no runs on three hits with no walks and four strikeouts. Chris Gallagher (Wright State) followed with 2.0 scoreless innings out of the bullpen, and Aidan Colagrande (Fairfield University) picked up the save and helped preserve the shutout by pitching the ninth inning. Jared Davis (Florida Southwestern State), Corbin Lanowitz (NC-Asheville), Kodali, Barksdale, and Miceli had the hits for Sanford. Christopher Ellison (Cornell) took the loss in relief for Vermont. The Mainers are back in action Wednesday night on the road as they visit the Valley Blue Sox in Holyoke, Massachusetts. The home opener is Thursday night at Goodall Park against the Mystic Schooners.
