Nighthawks Move Into Second Place in North with Win Over Navigators

By Thaddeus Sawyer

In a league where pitchers are on strict pitch limits and with a plethora of arms looking for innings, it is not surprising that a reliever leads the NECBL in wins.

Though wins can be unpredictable for bullpen arms, it may be even less surprising that Joey Young was the one to secure an NECBL-leading fifth win of the season on Tuesday, at least to his coaches and teammates.

“He shows up to the field the same guy,” Upper Valley Nighthawks Manager Chase Allen said. “Soft-spoken, but an absolute competitor on the mound and it’s paying off for him.”

Young, who has yet to surrender an earned run across 13 1/3 innings in seven appearances, spun two perfect innings as the first arm out of the bullpen in Upper Valley’s 3-1 victory over the North Shore Navigators (17-15) on Tuesday.

“Really, what's important is just going out and competing and giving the team a chance to win,” Young said. “Helping our team get in the win column is really what matters to me, so seeing that show up in the stat book means the world to me.”

With the victory, the Nighthawks (17-14-1) passed the Navigators for second place in the North Division standings.

The Navigators scored just once on the evening, an unearned run in the seventh inning off a failed pickoff attempt followed by a wild pitch out of the hand of reliever Jackson Caldwell.

Making his first start of the summer, Virginia Tech left-hander Danny Lazaro tossed four scoreless frames, allowing just one hit on a third inning single off that bat of third baseman Simmi Whitehill. Lazaro struck out four and walked none in what was statistically his best outing of the season.

“I think just my confidence coming into this,” Lazaro said. “It was [my] first time starting in a while. 
Just gave me time to relax and stay focused. I knew when I was going to pitch, I knew I was going to start. I just had a good adjustment from the bullpen to starting.”

Lazaro said that control is the aspect of his game that has improved most this summer.

“My command, just my presence on the mound, I feel a lot more in control than I have been in a while,” Lazaro said. “I'm looking to get better.”

The Nighthawks’ lineup gave Lazaro an early lead in the first inning when reigning NECBL Player of the Week James Love sent a double towards the gap in right center to score shortstop Frank Kelly, who led off the frame with a single.

Left fielder Kyle Langley scored on a wild pitch an inning later after singling up the middle to lead off the second, while Kelly scored a second run in the seventh after a poor throw from center fielder Hunter Kingsbury following an Alex Kelsey single.

Langley led the Nighthawks offense with three hits, as many as the Navigators lineup managed as a unit. Kelly also notched a multi-hit game with a pair of knocks.

The silver lining for the Navigators came in the form of a Hudson Ellis stolen base, as the shortstop’s ninth inning swipe set a North Shore single season record for stolen bases at 25.

Langley, Kelly and catcher Nick Quagliato all produced a stolen base for the Nighthawks.

Brendan Walker locked down his first save of the season with two hitless innings, retiring six of the seven batters he faced.

Now carrying a two-game winning streak after winning six of their last seven contests, the Nighthawks will be back at home Wednesday night to host the Mystic Schooners.

The Nighthawks previously defeated the Schooners on the road on July 2, 5-3.

First pitch at the Maxfield Sports Complex is scheduled for 6 p.m. The contest will stream live on ESPN+.