By: Shannon Bickert
Mystic won their second straight game, defeating the Waves 8-4. Gabe Natividad (Winthrop) had three singles, an RBI and a stolen base in the win for the Schooners. Mystic moves to 4-1 on the season.
Ocean State attacked right away against Mystic’s starter, Mike Poncini (Georgetown). Thomas Melusky (New Mexico St) led off the game with a standup double, setting up the two-hole hitter Charlie Saul (Bryant) for an RBI single down the third base line. Saul swiped second and moved to third on Max Farrell’s (SSDU) single. Farrell attempted to take second, but the Schooners' backstop, Devin Russell (Maryland) gunned down Farrell. Mystic got out of the top of the frame trailing by one run.
Jack Harley (Stetson), the Schooner’s leadoff hitter, worked a walk and stole second base, but Dylan Causey (Southern Miss) stranded Harley on the basepaths.
The Schooners answered with a three-run second inning. Casey Wensley (Bryant) knocked an infield single to start the frame. Wensley tallied the Schooners second stolen bag of the day, putting himself in scoring position for Russell, who ripped an RBI double in his 2026 Schooners debut. Christian Hamilton (Georgetown) put more traffic on the basepaths, working a one-out walk. Both baserunners moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. Scott Penney (URI), a Mystic returner, drove a sacrifice fly to right field, bringing in Russell to score. Hamilton was sent home on the play and scored on an overthrow to give the Schooners a 3-1 lead.
Kalen Applefield (California Berkeley) tied the game at three all in the third with a two-RBI single.
Ocean State took the lead when Tristian Aasland (UConn) got the ball in the fourth. Saul hit an RBI single to score Jack LaRose (UConn) to put the Waves up 4-3.
Natividad singled up the middle against the Waves' new arm, Brennan Confreda (Florida International), but was stranded on the basepaths by the lefty.
Brady Bouchard (Portal) entered in the fifth and tossed a scoreless frame to keep it a one-run game.
The Schooners pulled away with a four-spot in the fifth inning. Penney bloop singled to left field, and Harley moved Penney into scoring position on a bunt single to open the bottom of the fifth. Jamie Zee (Notre Dame) worked a walk to juice the bases for Mystic with no outs. Cam Righi (UConn) made Confreda pay, ripping a two RBI single down the right field line for the lead. Zee scored on Bryce Detwiler’s (UConn) double play to give Mystic the 6-4 advantage. Elliot Eaton (Princeton) entered after Confreda dealt a walk to Wensley. Natividad took a hack on the second pitch he saw from the new arm, driving Wensley in to score, extending Mystic’s lead to three runs.
Bouchard tossed a second scoreless frame, striking out one in the sixth.
Penney reached for the second time on a walk in the bottom of the sixth but was stranded as Eaton struck out two in the inning.
Ocean State loaded the bases against Ashton Arroyo (Georgetown) in the seventh with one out. Arroyo worked himself in and out of trouble, forcing a double play to end the inning.
The Waves put a runner in scoring position in the eighth but were not able to capitalize. Gabriel Milano (Miami) doubled to the right field fence off Jack Ballou (Lindsey Wilson). A second runner was brought aboard via the walk. Ballou ended his day with a strikeout before Connor Lane (UConn) took over on the bump to record the final out of the inning. Lane did just that, striking out the pinch hitter to end the inning. Lane picked up where he left off in his last outing, completing his sixth straight strike out.
Mystic added one in the eighth inning, giving them late insurance. Natividad reached on a single and stole second base. Natividad moved to third on an overthrow, putting himself in prime scoring position for the Schooners with no outs. Hamilton drove a ball in the air to left, allowing Natividad to score and give Mystic a four-run lead. The Schooners drew back-to-back two-out walks but the Waves got out of trouble, stranding both runners on the basepaths.
Lane closed the game for the Schooners as the Waves went three-up, three-down. Lane has retired every hitter he has faced this summer.
The Schooners head on the road to North Adams to face the Steeplecats on Tuesday, June 9. First pitch is set for 6:30 pm.
