By: Shannon Bickert

The Mystic Schooners head on the road to battle Upper Valley on Wednesday, July 15. The Schooners are currently second in the NECBL South standings with a 19-11 mark, while the Nighthawks are second in the north with a 17-14-1 record.

Mystic is coming off an extra innings walkoff win over Keene courtesy of Anthony Ruggiero (URI). The Nighthawks have won two straight and are most recently coming off a 3-1 victory over North Shore.

In their last meeting, Upper Valley defeated Mystic by a 5-3 final at the Shipyard. The Nighthawks came from behind thanks to a three-RBI night from Tim Dickinson (St. Joe’s).

James Love (EIU) comes into the night averaging .378 in 28 games played for the Nighthawks. Love ranks fourth in batting average and third in RBI with 22 in the NECBL. Frank Kelly (HPU) leads the team in stolen bases with 16.

The Schooners rank third as a team in stolen bases with 92 across 30 contests. Cam Righi (UConn) leads the Schooners with 17 on the summer.

Mystic’s probable starter is Nick Santivanez (Cal. St. Fullerton). Santivanez has struck out 15 hitters across 13.1 innings pitched this summer. The start will be Santivanez’s third of the season.

First pitch from Maxfield Sports Complex is set for 6:00. Catch the live-game broadcast on ESPN+.