(MyKeeneNow) The Keene SwampBats scored seven runs after the sixth inning and beat the defending champion Newport Gulls 9-3 on Thursday night.

The first two batters of the game walked, but Jared Leesman (Louisville) impressively worked out of the jam by retiring the next three batters, including the league-leader in batting average Dixon Williams. In the bottom of the second, All-star Ripken Reese (Kent State) drilled a fastball into the trees in left field to give the SwampBats a 1-0 lead. It was the seventh home run of the season for the SwampBats’ home run derby contestant. With a runner on first and two outs in the top of the third, Williams hit one to the barn in right field to make it 2-1 Newport. The SwampBats put runners on first and third with one out on a single by all-star Joe Jaconski (Penn State), a hit-by-pitch from Princeton’s all-star Jake Koonin, and a stolen base by Jaconski, but a 5-4-3 double play ended the threat. Leesman retired 15 of the final 17 batters he faced and was greeted with enthusiastic handshakes when he entered the dugout after the top of the fifth. The southpaw only allowed four baserunners and struck out three.

Wake Forest’s Austin Hawke singled and eventually reached third in the bottom of the fifth, but was stranded 90 feet away. The Gulls increased their lead with a solo home run in the sixth, but the SwampBats responded in the bottom half. All-star Alex Calarco and Reese each drew walks, and then Sam Biller (Connecticut) hit a one-hopper to shortstop. The shortstop flipped to second for one out, but, trying to account for Biller’s speed, rushed the throw to first, which got away allowing Calarco to score and make it 3-2. Joe Carrea (Connecticut) pitched through the seventh and earned the win.

Jaconski led off with a broken-bat single in the bottom of the seventh. Koonin walked with one out, and then Calarco hit a high flyball to center field. The center fielder lost it in the lights, and it fell in for an RBI double. Two batters later, Biller was hit by a pitch to load the bases in a tie game. With the crowd of 1,875 chanting “Let’s Go SwampBats”, Bryce Molinaro (Penn State) gave the home team the lead with an infield hit past the charging third baseman. Andrew Wiggins (Indiana), Hawke, and Jaconski drew consecutive bases-loaded walks to make it 7-3. In the eighth, Koonin scored on a passed ball and Wiggins drew another bases-loaded walk, one of four free passes he earned, to make it a 9-3 laugher. Wake Forest’s Josh Gunther pitched the last two innings without allowing a hit.

Keene (20-12) will visit Upper Valley on Friday and return home on Saturday for Bikers and Baseball night against North Adams.