Nighthawks Snap Losing Streak Against SteepleCats With Road Win
A pair of Dartmouth standouts helped the Nighthawks dominate the SteepleCats and win their fifth contest in six games.
By Thaddeus Sawyer
With Dartmouth College sitting just a ten minute drive away from the Maxfield Sports Complex, it is not surprising that the Nighthawks roster is infused with a taste of the Big Green’s roster almost every summer.
That Ivy League talent was on full display on Monday night, as starter Trey Sejnoha pitched five scoreless innings and infielder Alejandro Puig drove in three runs as the Nighthawks (16-14-1) took down the North Adams SteepleCats (7-24), 9-3.
“It's honestly awesome,” Puig said. “It's amazing camaraderie at Dartmouth. Honestly, it just feels good to be able to carry that into the summer and then go back to school ball and replicate that.”
The designated hitter tied with center fielder Alex Kelsey for a team-high three hits, going 3-for-5 with two run-scoring singles and a double.
After a slow start at the plate this summer, carrying a .278 on-base percentage into July, the shortstop has started the second month of the season hot. Puig now has 10 hits and a .344 on-base percentage in July through 32 plate appearances, just four less than he received in June.
“Recently, I've been just trying to simplify things,” Puig said. “Ultimately, I think it's been working out really well.”
Puig’s first hit of the day, a looper into shallow right field in the second inning, scored Tim Dickinson from second base for the Nighthawks’ first run of the day and placed runners on the corners.
First baseman Jonathan Holt followed that up with a liner into right center, with left fielder Kyle Langley scoring from third with ease and giving the Nighthawks a 2-0 lead.
An inning later, Langley notched an RBI of his own on five-pitch, bases loaded walk on a pitch in the dirt, chasing North Adams starter David Johnson from the game. Right fielder Willie Hurt then greeted reliever Niko Christon to the game with an RBI groundout to second base, with the Nighthawks doubling their lead by the end of the third.
Puig continued his standout performance in the fifth with another single into right center, this time driving in a pair of runs.
The SteepleCats looked to be mounting a comeback in the sixth inning after a Sebastian Rhoades home run off of reliever Carver Pleasant that barely cleared the wall in the left field corner. North Adams applied even more pressure when Rhoades provided an RBI single in the seventh to go along with an unearned run off a throwing error from Hurt.
Still, the Nighthawks never took their foot off the gas, scoring three more runs in the late innings. Holt drove a ball back up the middle to push across two runs in the ninth, finishing the day with three RBIs. The St. Joseph's infielder also scored on a passed ball in the eighth.
On the mound, Sejnoha rebounded from a pair of short starts in recent weeks with his longest outing of the summer, qualifying for his first win. The right-hander struck out four and walked just two, abandoning the command issues that have plagued him in recent outings.
“It's me relying on my teammates,” Sejnoha said. “[I] had a couple of bad starts in a row, and the guys picked me up. I knew I was gonna get back on track. Coming out here after an off day, just trying to fill up the zone and compete.”
The 22-year-old lowered his ERA by nearly one run in the outing, going from 4.00 coming into the day to 3.13 by the end of the evening.
Reliever Charlie Jones also continued his breakout summer with another 2 1/3 hitless frames. The High Point University right-hander struck out three batters and allowed just one base runner on a walk.
Jones has now tossed 13 innings across nine appearances without surrendering an earned run, striking out 18.
The Nighthawks are now 2-3 on the season against the SteepleCats but finish with a 2-1 record on the road at Joe Wolfe Field.
Upper Valley will look to start a winning streak on Tuesday back at home as they host the North Shore Navigators (17-14). Though the Nighthawks lost to the Navigators on Saturday, 5-2, and are 1-2 on the year against North Shore, a win on Tuesday would move the Nighthawks into second place in the North Division.
First pitch at the Maxfield Sports Complex is scheduled for 6 p.m. The contest will stream live on NECBL+ and Unbeaten.