KEENE, N.H. — Shaine Hughes, Sam Dexter and Dan Hetzel all homered and the Sanford Mainers (19-17) were able to survive a late-inning comeback from the Keene Swamp Bats (9-28) to win 6-5 Sunday night at Alumni Field.
The Mainers received another great start from Joey Abraham, as the right-hander hurled six scoreless innings while collecting a season-high nine strikeouts.
Hughes put the Mainers on the board in the third inning with a two-out, three-run shot to give the visitors a 3-0 lead.
Sanford struck for a run in the sixth when Dalton Thomas led the inning off with a double, stole third and scored on a throwing error to make it 4-0. Dexter followed in the seventh with a line-drive blast, making it 5-0 before Hetzel left the yard with his first homer of the year.
Keene, however, plated five runs in the eighth inning, highlighted by a Ryan Karl three-run homer to make the game 6-5. Iannick Remillard was able to toss a scoreless ninth after allowing the home run.
In the game, Thomas extended his NECBL-leading 18-game hitting streak with a single in his first at bat, finishing the night 2-for-5 with a run scored.
With the win, the Mainers have won two straight and sit in third place in the Northern Division. The Mainers are back at Goodall Park tonight to host the second-place Laconia Muskrats. Ben Wessel (3-3, 1.83 ERA) makes the start for the Mainers.
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