Nighthawks Drive to Danbury to Begin Final Week of Regular Season

By Thaddeus Sawyer

The Upper Valley Nighthawks (22-16-1) have seen two contests rained out in 2026. Both have been games against the Danbury Westerners (20-18).

After a washed out home contest, a rained out double header and coin flip, the Nighthawks will finally make their way down to Danbury, Connecticut for a double header, and with only minimal rain in the forecast to boot.

The pair of contests at Rogers Park could have massive NECBL postseason implications, as the Westerners sit just two games behind the Nighthawks in the NECBL standings. The Nighthawks currently sit in fourth and hold home field advantage, while Danbury is in sixth.

The Nighthawks will begin life without James Love on Monday, as the third baseman and MVP candidate played his last name for the team on Saturday before leaving after Sunday’s NECBL All-Star Game. The Northern Division’s starting designated hitter finished his Nighthawks tenure with a league-leading 46 hits.

Dartmouth College infielder Alejandro Puig, who has slashed .362/.407/.383 in 14 July contests, will get the first crack at replacing Love at the hot corner. Georgia State third baseball Manuel Castro should also provide reinforcement when he joins the team in the coming days.

Still, it will be hard for any player to replace what the NECBL Most Valuable Player candidate brought to the Upper Valley lineup.

For Danbury, the lineup is led by not one but two Donohues, as twin brothers Gavin and Ronan Donohue sit atop the league leaderboard with 35 and 34 RBIs respectively. The pair of Sacred Heart utilitymen are also among the league leaders in home runs, as Gavin Donohue leads the NECBL with nine while Ronan Donohue sits in second with seven.

First baseman Kyle Garbowski, who started for the South Division at the cold corner in the All-Star Game, is also having a strong summer.

The Nighthawks will send their top two remaining starters to the mound, as Trey Sejnoha will start game No. 1 while Eric Santaella will get the nod in game No. 2.

Sejnoha has settled in as Upper Valley’s defacto ace in recent weeks, turning in nine innings of scoreless baseball across two starts dating back to July 13 against the North Adams SteepleCats. The right-hander has posted a 2.67 ERA in 27 innings with 34 strikeouts and was the Nighthawks’ All-Star Fan Vote nominee.

Santaella has not been quite as dominant but has posted a reasonably serviceable 4.29 ERA across seven outings, five starts, and 21 innings. The UNC Asheville right-hander struggled his last time out, surrendering four earned runs in three innings against the Keene SwampBats, but posted a quality start in the outing before that.

With the two pitchers starting Monday, both should be available for the start of the NECBL playoffs on Saturday.

First pitch for game No. 1 in Hat City is scheduled for 4 p.m.  Game No. 2 will begin approximately 30 minutes after the conclusion of game No. 1. Both contests will stream live on NECBL+.

The Nighthawks will be the home team for game No. 1 and the away team for game No. 2.