Sanford Mainers fall 11-6 to Bristol Blues in NECBL divisional round

The Sanford Mainers were defeated 11-6 by the Bristol Blues in Game 2 of the New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL) divisional round on Thursday night in Bristol, Connecticut. Bristol took an early lead, scoring two runs on an error in the first inning and adding four more in the second via RBI singles by Antonio Ducatelli and Cal Chance, sacrifice flies by Evan Menzel and Thomas Zwirecki, and an RBI groundout by Nicholas Francuzenko. The Blues added runs in the fourth and sixth innings, while Sanford rallied with four runs in the sixth and two in the seventh, highlighted by RBI singles from Brian Connolly and Brennan Staubley. Sanford loaded the bases in the ninth but could not score, as James Mulvaney struck out Connolly to end the game.

The loss forces a decisive Game 3 on Friday at Goodall Park in Sanford. The winner will advance to the NECBL championship series. Key performances included Connolly’s three hits for Sanford and Colin Crowley’s three hits (including two doubles) for Bristol. The Mainers are seeking their first championship series appearance since 2016, having previously won titles in 2004 and 2008.