The Martha’s Vineyard Sharks celebrated a 15-13 victory Thursday against the Mystic Schooners, finishing off their inaugural regular season in the New England Collegiate Baseball League with the most wins in the league.
The Sharks outscored their opponents by 74 runs and boasted an 11-game winning streak on the way to a league-high 28 wins, half of which came by way of dramatic come-from-behind fashion.
They begin their playoff run at home on Sunday at 7 p.m.
On Thursday, during their last regular-season game, the team was down 9-5 in the bottom of the seventh against the Schooners when Nander De Sedas, with the bases loaded, smashed a fastball down the right field line that soared high over the foul pole for what appeared to be a game-tying grand slam.
The crowd roared with excitement but the umpires saw it differently. A foul ball was called and De Sedas dropped his helmet in disbelief.
While Sharks fans picked their jaws up off the ground, De Sedas’ teammates rallied him back to the batter’s box, and the Panamanian native ripped a broken-bat double on the next pitch to score two runs.
Then, with the bases juiced once again, Rudy Aguilar lined a double into right center that scored two more Sharks and tied the game up at nine.
In the eighth, the Sharks surrendered the lead on a balk but quickly evened the score once again when Matt Chamberlain crossed home plate on a throwing error.
After tying the game, with a Shark on every base for the third time in two innings, Conner Bock stepped up to the plate and watched two pitches zip by him. Bock whacked the next pitch for a scorching line drive that zoomed over the fence to the delight of the Sharks’ faithful, delivering a grand slam that gave the home team their biggest lead of the night.
With the playoffs fast approaching, Sharks’ Manager Jay Mendez said he’s looking for his team to “stay consistent, keep hitting the ball well, especially with two outs and keep getting guys over the plate when we need to score runs.”
As the top seed in their division, the Sharks will have a bye in the first round of the playoffs. The Newport Gulls and Mystic Schooners square off Saturday to determine who will play the Sharks in a best of three series starting on the Vineyard on Sunday. First pitch is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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