Waves Fall in Low-Contact Matchup Against Mystic

The Ocean State Waves had a strong pitching performance for the first five innings but ultimately Mystic took a 9-6 win. 

Entering the matchup, the Waves held a 1-5 record with their only win of the season coming from a 9-6 victory on Wednesday over the Bristol Blues.  

Hickman dominated on the mound for the Waves, getting his second start of the season where he pitched four innings, recorded nine strikeouts and allowed just one hit and zero earned runs. 

In the top of the first, Hickman had himself a 1-2-3 inning, striking out all three batters.

After two outs, Mystic pitcher Mike Poncini walked Farrell who was able to steal second base but Mystic was able to close out the inning without allowing the Waves to get a run on the board

In the top of the second, two Mystic batters were able to get on bases with just two outs but Hickman stood strong on the mound adding another two strikeouts to his stats to prevent Mystic from scoring.

Hickman added five more strikeouts in the third and fourth to bring his total to nine.

In the top of the fifth, Brennan Confreda replaced Hickman on the mound who was able to close out the inning to prevent Mystic from getting on the board.

Mystic also made a pitching change bringing in Tro Fellings who struck out two Waves batters but walked Adonis Medina. Tommy Meluskey was next at bat who earned himself a walk after Fellings caught a pitching clock violation. Mystic prevented the Waves from getting on the boards to send the game into the top of the sixth.

The Schooners gained a 3-0 lead after Anthony Ruggiero scored and Anthony Belisario singled to bring in two batters.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Waves looked to gain momentum after Max Farrell earned himself a walk but got out at second. Gray Eubanks reached first and later stole second to put the Waves in a scoring position.

Mystic made a pitching change with two outs in the bottom of the sixth bringing in Chris Hernandez on the mound. 

Justin Hackett capitalized on the pitching change earning himself a double to bring Gray Eubanks in to score. In an attempt to steal third, Hackett got picked out at second base to close out the inning.

In the top of the seventh, Hudson Barton replaced Confreda on the mound who remained strong but let in one run. 

The Waves looked to bounce back but were unable to put up any runs. 

A pitching change for the Waves brought in Andrew Jacobs who struck out his first batter. Mystic was able to capitalize on the pitching change, bringing in another run with an RBI from Anthony Belisario.

Mystic added another two runs to the board to bring the score to 7-1. 

In the bottom of the eighth, the Waves looked to get runs on the scoreboard but were unable to generate any scoring chances.

In the top of the ninth, Jacobs found himself in a tough situation when Mystic loaded the bases and got another run on the board after he walked a batter. 

Mystic was able to put up another two runs on the board to give the Schooners a 10-1 lead heading into the bottom of the ninth.

The Waves made another pitching change bringing in Jack Smith on the mound to close out the inning.

After two outs, Justin Hackett doubled to left field but Mystic pitcher Brady Bouchard closed out the inning to secure a 10-1 win for Mystic. 

Up next, the Waves will take the five hour bus ride to Vermont to face off against the Vermont Mountaineers in a double header. First pitch is scheduled for 1 p.m.