The Martha’s Vineyard Sharks swept the SwampBats 7-3 and 2-1 in a pair of seven inning games.

In game one, Martha’s Vineyard batted first as the provisional road team for a rescheduled game. The Sharks hit three singles in a row to start the game and plate one run. A fielder’s choice doubled the lead as the SwampBats recorded their first out. Pitcher Ben Shenosky (Penn State) settled in after that, retiring seven of the next eight batters through the third. Bryce Molinaro (Penn State) led off the bottom of the third with a single through the left side. As JD Jones (Rutgers) got ready for a 3-2 pitch, Molinaro took off from first. Jones laced a base hit to right-center, and Molinaro chugged all the way around third to dive home safely on the single. Joe Jaconski (Penn State) scored Jones with a monster double to the wall in left-center, and then came home on a David Mendez (Vanderbilt) single up the middle which gave the SwampBats a 3-2 lead. The Sharks tied it with a solo home run in the top of the fourth, but Shenosky got the next three outs quickly, finishing his four-strikeout outing by picking off a runner at first base.

The SwampBats had singles from Jaconski and Jake Koonin (Princeton) in the fifth but both were left stranded on base. Jared Leesman (Louisville) faced only seven batters through two innings in an excellent relief outing, giving the SwampBats another opportunity to take the lead in the sixth. Nick Romano (Florida Atlantic) singled and Molinaro doubled halfway up the wall. Still, the SwampBats could not take the lead. They were punished in the top of the seventh. The Sharks loaded the bases without a hit, and then took the lead on a two-run single. They added on with an RBI double and a sacrifice fly, and by the time the SwampBats got out of the inning they were trailing by four. Koonin made a bid for his 12th home run in the bottom half but it was caught at the wall for the final out

In game two, Jones, who caught both games, opened the scoring for the SwampBats in the top of the third, launching a home run up into the trees in left field. Josh Gunther (Wake Forest) retired the first nine batters he faced on two groundouts, five flyouts, and two strikeouts. After singles from Romano and Molinaro put runners on the corners in the fourth, Jake Milan (Florida Atlantic), who made his debut in the first game, hit a deep flyball to right field. The Sharks’ right fielder leaped up above the wall for a spectacular home run robbery. Vineyard tied the game with a walk, a couple of wild pitches, and a ground ball in the bottom of the fourth. A two-out single from Sam Biller (Connecticut) went to waste in the top of the fifth, but Gunther worked around a leadoff double in the bottom half. The right-hander finished with one run allowed, two hits, and six strikeouts through five fantastic innings.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Sharks leadoff hitter hit a single to left. He stole second and advanced to third on a groundout. With the infield in, the next batter hit a chopper to second for an out without the run scoring. After a walk and a pitching change, a ground ball single to left gave the Vineyard the lead. Keene got two runners on base with one out in the seventh, but the Sharks held on in front of their home crowd.

The SwampBats are still in playoff position at 21-15 and they visit Valley on Tuesday. The next home game is McClure’s Broken Bat Night on Friday. After the game, there will be a spectacular postgame fireworks show from Atlas Fireworks.