SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. 一 The Ocean State Waves used a six-run rally in the bottom of the eighth inning to defeat the North Shore Navigators, 6-2, in Saturday night’s New England Collegiate Baseball League game at Old Mountain Field.
North Shore fell to 4-12, while Ocean State improved to 7-5.
Center fielder Ethan Wilson (Winthrop) went 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored to lead North Shore, which held a 2-0 lead and allowed only two hits through the first seven frames.
Peabody native and St. John’s Prep product Joe Castrichini (Longwood) threw four hitless innings in his second straight scoreless start, striking out a season-high four batters. Castrichini has now thrown seven shutout, two-hit innings in two starts, upping the North Shore pitching staff’s total of scoreless starts to five on the summer.
Castrichini pitched around back-to-back leadoff walks to retire the side in the first before allowing just one single baserunner across his final three frames, setting the table for his offense to nab the opening run of the ballgame.
North Shore left baserunners aboard in three of its first four at-bats, but broke through for a fifth-inning run after right fielder Sam Parks (Stonehill) was hit by a leadoff pitch, stole second and scored on Wilson’s RBI knock through the right side.
Wilson was also in the middle of the Navigators doubling their lead in the seventh, beating out a one-out infield single to get the rally started. After Nater Wachter (UConn) knocked a pinch-hit single to move Wilson around to third, first baseman Alex Marot’s (Charleston Southern) fielder’s choice RBI made it a 2-0 game.
After Castrichini, the relief trio of Elliott Eaton (Princeton), Zach Kittrell (Alabama) and Swampscott native Pierce Friedman (Maine) all pitched scoreless innings. Kittrell struck out two as he worked around a one-out single by Ocean State center fielder Gavin Greger (Bryant) in the sixth.
Wilson then made his mark on the defensive side, robbing two home runs in a three-batter span at the center-field fence to help Friedman through a 1-2-3 seventh. Friedman has now strung together five consecutive scoreless outings since allowing two unearned runs in the June 3 season opener.
Ocean State sent all nine batters to the plate and scored six runs on three hits while benefitting from a pair of errors in the game-deciding inning.
After loading the bases with nobody out, Greger’s RBI single and a hit batter brought home runs to tie the score, while former Navigator and now-Waves right fielder Ryan Gerety (Northeastern) drew another bases-loaded free pass to give Ocean State its first lead. Catcher Matt Brinker’s (Northeastern) sacrifice fly and a subsequent error added insurance before Gerety swiped third and scored on an errant throw.
Greger went 2-for-4 with an RBI and run scored for Ocean State. Rhys Bowie (Wake Forest) earned the win in relief, striking out two before the Waves offense came alive to take the lead for good. Luc Lavigueur (Maine) pitched a 1-2-3 ninth with two strikeouts to close it.
