Nighthawks Return Home For Governor's Cup Contest Against Mountaineers

By Thaddeus Sawyer

The Vermont Mountaineers (6-13) and Upper Valley Nighthawks (9-8-1) have taken two very different paths since first meeting earlier this month.

While the Nighthawks’ 13-6 drubbing of their in-state rival on June 17 was the second win in a 6-3 stretch for Upper Valley across their last nine contests, the loss for the Mountaineers was the third loss of a 1-9 slide coming into Sunday.

Records, however, don’t always paint the full picture in baseball. Two of the Nighthawks’ three losses across that nine-game stretch came against the North Adams SteepleCats, who hold a league-worst 4-13 record.

Even looking at Major League Baseball, the New York Yankees came into the weekend with the best record in the American League. The Boston Red Sox were tied for the fewest wins in baseball. The Red Sox are now one win on Sunday away from sweeping the Yankees in a four-game set.

That last scenario is a prime example of a rivalry meeting bringing out the best in a team. The Mountaineers will surely be hoping that Sunday's matchup against the Nighthawks at the Maxfield Sports Complex, the second game in the 2026 Governor’s Cup series, will do the same for them.

The Nighthawks lineup won’t make that easy. Upper Valley has put up 23 runs across their last 27 innings, including five in a late 6-5 loss to the SteepleCats on Friday.

Leading that charge as he has for much of the season has been James Love. After getting the day off for the first time all summer on Thursday, Love returned to the lineup on Friday and smacked his first home run of the season, finishing the day with a pair of hits and three RBIs. The third baseman has reached base safely in 16 of the 17 games he’s played in.

Shortstop Frank Kelly also has an RBI in three of his last four appearances while also sitting second in the NECBL with 12 stolen bases.

Outfielder Levi Jones has also come on at the plate as of late, stringing together a pair of multi-hit performances his last two times out after a slow start to the summer.

Catcher Cam Boardman has hit safely in three straight games since returning from injury, posting a multi-hit performance and driving in a run in Thursday’s 10-6 win over the Ocean State Waves (6-13). 

Fellow catcher Nick Quagliato will also likely be back in the lineup Sunday after missing Friday’s contest to tour Boston College, where he committed earlier this week. 

Looking to slow down the surging Upper Valley lineup is expected to be Luke Deschenes, who, for the second-straight summer, is finding success with the Mountaineers.

The University of Pittsburgh right-hander has posted a 2.57 ERA in three appearances and two starts this summer after working to a 2.70 ERA in 26 2/3 innings for Vermont in 2025.

Trey Sejnoha, who has been one of the Nighthawks’ most successful starters this summer, is expected to get the nod for Upper Valley. The right-hander carries a 1.98 ERA into Sunday’s start through 13 2/3 frames while averaging 13.17 strikeouts per nine innings. The Dartmouth senior’s last outing came on Wednesday out of the bullpen, a scoreless inning in the Nighthawks’ 8-0 shutout over the North Shore Navigators (8-11).

Sejnoha will be working against a Mountaineers lineup that has posted the league’s third worst team on-base percentage at .339.

Center fielder Alex Benevento leads the Mountaineers with a 1.065 OPS, also leading the team with three home runs and seven extra-base hits.

Shortstop Kevin Hager leads the team with a .371 batting average and .476 on-base percentage. The Cornell University infielder didn’t play in Vermont’s first go-around against Upper Valley.

Fellow infielder Brayden Leonard is also having a strong summer, though he went 0-for-4 against the Nighthawks in game No. 1 of the series.

Sunday is also Upper Valley Aquatic Center Night at the Max.

First pitch for the Sunday evening contest is scheduled for 5 p.m. Fans can stream the game live on NECBL+.