Navs Players Step Up in the Clutch, Produce Big Moments

Read Time:6 Minute, 22 Second

LYNN, Mass. — Timely performances were the theme of the week for returning and incoming North Shore Navigators alike during the seventh week of the collegiate season, with players stepping up when the stage was the biggest.

Returning Navs infielder Brendan Jones (Holy Cross) continued his recent hot hitting on a big Saturday for the Crusaders, going 2-for-6 with a double and two RBI over the first two games of a three-game Patriot League sweep against Bucknell. Jones got one hit in each of the Saturday games while walking twice in the second game. He also stole his first base of the season and scored two runs on Sunday. Jones is hitting .304 and has a .944 OPS across 13 games this season, having started in each of his last seven.

Catcher Matt Chatelle (Merrimack) carried over his performance from last week as he was 4-for-9 in two games of the Warriors’ key Northeast Conference series win at Wagner. Chatelle started by going 3-for-5 with one RBI to extend the lead in an eventual 8-3 win. In a 4-3 win the next day, the Stoneham native collected two of the team’s four RBI in game-tying situations on a sacrifice fly and a single. He has recorded a hit in each of the last three games he has started.

Returning Navs with big weeks weren’t limited to the batter’s box, as Brett Dunham (Northeastern) recorded four strikeouts in a two-inning start last Tuesday against Central Connecticut State. It was his first shutout start of the season, helping to set the table for a 10-9 win for the Huskies. Dunham has also worked two innings and fanned at least four batters in back-to-back starts dating back to his outing against Merrimack the previous week.

Dunham’s teammate and fellow North Andover native Ryan Griffin (Northeastern) pitched his second shutout performance of the season, finishing off Monmouth with a scoreless and hitless inning of work in Friday’s first game of a weekend sweep. He didn’t allow a hit, walked just one, and struck out a batter for the third time in as many appearances this spring.

Outfielder Ryan Gerety rounded out a strong week for the Northeastern trio, going 4-for-12 with four RBI and three runs scored across the three Monmouth games. Gerety recorded two hits in only his second career start in Friday’s series-opening win, driving in the Huskies’ first runs of the game as part of a three-RBI performance. The freshman was masterful at putting the ball in play as he finished the final two games of the weekend without striking out once, giving him the fewest strikeouts of any Northeastern hitter to appear in more than five games.

As for other Navs newcomers, Danny MacDougall (Endicott) continued his torrid performance by going 8-for-20 over five games for the top-ranked Division 3 team in the country. MacDougall began the week with a 3-for-5 performance last Monday against Western New England, collecting a double and driving in the first run in an 11-3 Gulls victory. MacDougall extended his hit streak to 10 straight games, while also drawing four walks on the week to raise his season total to 12. The latter mark currently outpaces his strikeout total. He was a threat on the bases as well, stealing eight bases in his last four games to take over the team lead with 13.

Kyle Wolff (Boston College) continued his power surge with two home runs over a four-game stretch that was highlighted by a three-game weekend sweep of ACC rival Georgia Tech. Wolff slugged his first homer of the weekend as part of a two-hit, two-RBI performance on Thursday before also going deep on Saturday. The sophomore first baseman from Andover also doubled and drove in two runs in the latter game. Wolff finished the week with at least one hit in each game he played, as he currently leads the Eagles in batting average at .346 and RBI with 31 this season.

It was another consistent week for freshman outfielder Kyle Jones (Stetson), who finished 5-for-14 against Atlantic Sun Conference opponent Eastern Kentucky on the weekend. Jones’ high point of the week came on Friday, as he finished a 3-for-4 performance with a double, two RBI, and two runs scored. Jones finished the weekend with four total RBI and continued to be a threat on the bases, stealing three on Friday to take the lead in steals for Stetson with 12 this season. Jones held onto his team lead with both a .375 batting average and .508 on-base percentage, while currently riding a six-game hitting streak and 15-game on-base streak after the weekend.

Back on the mound, Anthony Ehly (Seton Hall) started his third game of the season on Thursday, tying his career high with five strikeouts over four innings of work en route to a win over Mercer. It was the sophomore’s third performance in a row where he was able to pitch at least four innings and his fourth such performance of the year.

Another Nav who hit in the clutch was infielder Mason Dobie (Dayton), who closed his week with a walk-off home run in Sunday’s 10th inning to propel the Flyers to the series win over Fordham. Dobie went 3-for-8 over the final two games of the series, collecting a double and his sixth home run of the season on Saturday while driving in two. Dobie paired his power with patience, drawing a pair of walks over the weekend to bring his season total to 16 free passes.

Staying in the Atlantic 10, shortstop Reece Moroney (Rhode Island) turned in a 4-for-12 weekend against Saint Louis to keep his batting average at .300, which is the best among regular Rams hitters. Moroney turned in a series-high of two hits while scoring a run of his own on Saturday. He also took the team lead in another category during the week, stealing three bases to move his season total to four in five attempts.

It was another strong week for Alex Luccini (UMass Lowell) who finished with five hits and two walks, spurred on by his 3-for-6 performance against Fairfield last Tuesday. Luccini slugged a double and stole two bases against the Stags, as he currently leads the River Hawks in steals with seven this year. Luccini’s two additional hits over the weekend brought his season total to 31, the best for any River Hawks player.

Fellow outfielder Brady Dever (Brown) slugged his way through the start of his week, going 5-for-7 across consecutive games against Stonehill and Harvard. Dever opened with a perfect 4-for-4 game last Tuesday, collecting a season-high four RBI and walking twice to pair with a double in the Bears’ 14-5 win over Stonehill. Dever followed this with another double on Saturday, driving in both the first and final runs of Brown’s 4-2 win to begin a doubleheader against Harvard.

The Navigators will return to historic Fraser Field and the NECBL for their 17th summer season in 2024, with first pitch set for Tuesday, June 4. Stay up to date on the latest Navs news — including further updates on current and former players — by visiting nsnavs.com and following the team on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.