(MyKeeneNow) The Ocean State Waves came back from 4-0 down to beat the SwampBats 6-5 on Tuesday night in Rhode Island.


Under an overcast sky and facing Keene High School graduate Pete Haas, the SwampBats jumped out to an early lead. All-star Ripken Reese (Kent State) was hit by a pitch to begin the second inning, and then Sam Biller (Connecticut) singled sharply into right. Penn State’s Bryce Molinaro singled to center to score the game-opening run, and then Brett House (Mississippi State) hit a sacrifice fly. With two on and two out, JD Jones (Rutgers) hit a flyball to right that was muffed by the Ocean State right fielder, scoring another run. All-star Joe Jaconski (Penn State) capped off the rally with a base hit to right-center, making it 4-0 Keene. The SwampBats had all-star Jake Koonin (Princeton) on third and Biller on second in the top of the third but failed to score. The Waves set the table with a double and a walk in the bottom of the third and then halved the deficit with a two-run double down the right-field line. Three batters later, an infield single made it 4-3. With two outs in the fourth, the Waves’ slugged a two-run home run that snuck over the wall in center, putting Ocean State ahead 5-4. SwampBats starter Ryan Van Buren (Maryland) struck out two over four innings. 


The Waves turned a beautiful double play to end the top of the fifth and keep the momentum in their favor, as Kent State’s Nick Guides pitched a scoreless bottom half. Keene tied the game in the top of the sixth when Jaconski drove in Indiana’s Andrew Wiggins with a base hit to right. JD Jones dashed home on a ball in the dirt with two outs but the catcher dove to the plate just before him to maintain the tie. This proved a turning point in the contest. All-star fan vote candidate Ben Shenosky (Penn State) relieved Guidas with two outs and the bases loaded in the sixth and induced a fielder’s choice to escape the jam. Ocean State led off the bottom of the seventh with a short home run to right field, taking the lead. With a runner on first two batters later, Jaconski turned an unassisted double play. The SwampBats began the eighth with two singles, but Biller was thrown out at third on a great play by the shortstop. Wiggins walked to put runners on first and second, but the rally ended there. Shenosky worked around a leadoff double in the eighth to keep it 6-5 headed to the ninth. Jaconski lined a pitch deep to left-center leading off the ninth, but the Waves’ center fielder tracked it down. That was as close as the SwampBats would come in the ninth.


Keene (19-12) will be home on Wednesday for First Responder & Military Appreciation night sponsored by Service Credit Union and Monadnock Ford.