Breeze, Breaks Favor Nighthawks

White River Junction — Even an unrelenting wind out of left field at the Maxfield Sports Complex could not sway the surging Upper Valley Nighthawks.

A two-run home run from Binghamton’s Anthony Meduri in the second inning and a two-run single by Fordham’s Matt Tarabek in the fifth was all the offense Upper Valley needed in a 5-2 win over the New Bedford Bay Sox in New England Collegiate Baseball League action on Friday night.

The win was Upper Valley’s fourth straight after a four-game losing streak sunk the Nighthawks (13-10) back to .500 for the first time this summer earlier this week. UV managed eight hits on another productive night for its batsmen.

But the story of the night was the pitchers — UNC-Wilmington’s Brody Lawson, Bryant’s Jack Ipsen and Plymouth State’s David Sampson — who wiggled their way unscathed out of multiple jams to keep New Bedford (13-12) under control. The Bay Sox stranded 11 batters in the loss, their fourth in six contests.

“Overall, we’ve got to do a better job executing,” Szafarski said. “Guys came up with big hits. Bryant (Bowen), Anthony (Meduri) came up with big hits. The small-ball aspect wasn’t great tonight. We did enough on the mound to get out of those jams and got some good timely hits tonight.”

New Bedford loaded the bases twice in the game — once in the second inning with one out on starter Lawson and again in the eighth with no outs on Sampson. Lawson survived with a strikeout and a foul pop. Sampson struck out two and forced a pop-up to left field.

“Earlier this season, we did a good job of putting runs up,” Lawson said. “It kind of fell off a little bit in this last stretch, but that happens in summer ball. ... Definitely seeing them come alive the last four games has really been a boost to the pitching staff. We know we can go out there and give quality innings, we can just throw strikes and let them play behind us.”

Lawson went five innings in his fourth start of the season, striking out five and allowing two runs on six hits and three walks. Ipsen was near-perfect in two innings of relief, striking out two and allowing only one hit. Vanderbilt’s A.J. Franklin followed Sampson and shut things down in the ninth with a strikeout.

Meduri’s first home run of the season put Upper Valley on the board, as he sent an 0-2 pitch just over the right-field fence in the second inning. The shot scored Eric Feliz from second base after the Notre Dame outfielder doubled.

New Bedford cut the deficit in half in the fourth inning on a sacrifice fly by Christian Aybar, scoring Justin Lamazares from third base. The Bay Sox tied the game one inning later, Jacob Yish scoring on an errant throw by Bowen (Southern Mississippi), the Nighthawks’ catcher, who was high and wide to Tarabek at third base.

But Tarabek gave the Nighthawks the lead right back, sending a 3-1 pitch into center field that drove in Austin Wilhite (Georgia Tech) and Greg Hardison (UNC-Greensboro). Bowen added an insurance run in the seventh inning, driving in Tarabek.

“I know we were struggling with it a little bit last week,” Tarabek said. “(Timely hitting) were the key to our losses. We just couldn’t get that big hit when we needed it. I feel like lately our approach has changed a little bit, not trying to do too much. We’re getting the job done.”

Added Szafarski: “Matt (Tarabek) bailed us out with that (one)-out single. That was the turning point in the game to me. It gave us a little bit of breathing room after they scored to tie it up.”

Szafarski said he feels like his team is riding high headed into yet another meeting with the Vermont Mountaineers tonight, 6:30 p.m. at Montpelier’s Recreation Field. Upper Valley holds a 2-0 advantage in the Governor’s Cup series race between the two Green Mountain State teams. A victory would bring the Nighthawks one win away clinching the cup for the second straight season.

“We were laughing about (the Governor’s Cup), actually,” Tarabek said. “We were saying we’re going to dog-pile on the field if we win. … I feel like we’re a lot more confident, across the board.”

Notes: Announced attendance was 412 at Maxfield. Upper Valley is averaging 428 in 12 home games this summer, up from 332 in 22 home games one year ago. … Wilhite, the Nighthawks newcomer from Georgia Tech, continued his hot start with the club by going 1-for-3 with a triple and two walks. Upper Valley leads the NECBL with six triples. … Jordy Allard, the Hartford High graduate, Bridgewater native and Southern New Hampshire pitcher, is scheduled to start against the Mountaineers today. Allard has a 0.79 ERA in eight appearances and two starts, striking out 16 and allowing seven hits and four walks in 11⅓ innings.

Josh Weinreb can be reached at jweinreb@vnews.com or 603-727-3306.