Jake Ferrell brought the fireworks to opening night at the Shark Tank. With the game tied in the sixth inning, Ferrell’s two-run home run powered the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks to a 6-3 victory over the North Shore Navigators for the first game of the season.
“He threw me a fastball and I was waiting on it,” said the first baseman from Northeastern University. “It’s really nice to have everything come together on the first night.”
Ferrell’s moonshot over the right field fence gave the slugger his third hit of the game. His single in the fourth inning broke a 1-1 tie. The Sharks and Navigators continued to trade runs in consecutive innings.
A pitching duel between Martha’s Vineyard’s Christian Bahlinger and North Shore’s Conor Bawiec began the evening. Bahlinger surrendered only one earned run while striking out six using an array of off-speed pitches. Bawiec answered the challenge with a dominant first three innings before surrendering five hits.
“It’s an honor getting the start for the Sharks organization,” said Bahlinger. “Everyone around town really loves this organization and it was fun getting the chance to come out here and pitch in front of this home crowd.”
Zach Quintal’s double in the fifth inning chased Bawiec out of the game. Several Sharks errors allowed the Navigators to tie the game at 3-3 before Ferrell’s two-run shot took the lead for good.
The Sharks never looked back. A seventh inning RBI single from Dillon Nelson gave the Sharks an insurance run. The team tallied 11 hits in their offensive assault.
Led by Mac Curran, Dalton Rice and Matt Cronin, the Shark’s bullpen threw six strikeouts and gave the Navigators no hope of a comeback. Curran recorded the win while Cronin ended the game with a save.
A scattered, warmly-dressed crowd filled the backstop bleachers to celebrate the Shark’s home opener. Country music from the PA system lifted the mood as the sun never showed up for attendance. Children from local youth sports programs participated in mini competitions between the second and third innings.
Former Shark, Ryan Kelly joined the crowd to celebrate the beginning of a new season. He graduated from Salve Regina University this past spring.
“It’s weird not being able to play,” Kelly said. “I’m excited for [head coach Mike Cassidy], he’s got a great group of guys, a lot of newcomers.”
The team now heads to Worcester to play the Bravehearts this Saturday at 7 p.m., and returns to the Shark Tank on June 6 for a 5:30 p.m. game against the Seacoast Mavericks.
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