KEENE, N.H. – (MyKeeneNow) The Keene SwampBats defeated the Mystic Schooners 12-5 on Sunday afternoon in Connecticut.

The SwampBats got on the board quickly with two outs in the top of the first. Bryce Molinaro (Penn State) doubled down the right field line, and Brett House (Mississippi State) followed with a two-run homerun over the fence in center field. Mystic got a run back on a ground ball single in the bottom of the first inning to make it 2-1. The Schooners had the bases loaded with the top of the order up against SwampBats starter Stephen Bangs (Franklin Pierce) in the bottom of the second inning, but only managed one run on a double play to tie it at two. Bangs struck out two while allowing four runs (three earned) over three plus innings.

Mystic scored two more runs on a bases-loaded walk and another double play in the fourth to take a 4-2 lead. The Bats got closer in the fifth inning when Penn State’s Joe Jaconski ripped an RBI double off the center field wall. The Schooners responded with an RBI single of their own in the bottom half to go up 5-3. In the top of the sixth with a runner on first and one out, Ripken Reese (Kent State) drilled a two-run home run into the trees and right field to tie the game at five. Maryland’s Alex Calarco followed in kind for the second pair of back-to-back home runs in as many days, putting Keene in front 6-5.

The SwampBats broke the game open in the eighth inning, scoring a total of four runs on five hits. First Calarco drove in Reese with a single, and then Alex Alicea (Louisville) drove in two more runs with a base hit to right. Alicea eventually scored on a fielder’s choice to make the score 10-5. Jake Koonin (Princeton) capped off the scoring with a two-run home run to left field in the top of the ninth. The SwampBats had a total of 14 hits in the game, including eight extra-base hits.

Out of the bullpen, Louisville’s Jared Lessman pitched four innings of one-run ball, striking out four and walking just one to earn the win. Jaden Varner (Kent State) got the final six outs without allowing a baserunner.

Keene (3-1) is off on Monday before hosting Ocean State at 6:35 on Tuesday.