Fifth-place Brewers’ four-game winning streak ends with lopsided 13-4 home field loss to Ivy Rangers

Bolton rebounds with 13-11 comeback win over Cubs in Mansfield

By Jim Stewart

The Bolton Brewers' 2026 regular season is drawing to a close and the ball club garnered mixed results during their second-to-last week of play.

On Monday night at Taylor Fields, the Ivy Rangers used a six-run sixth inning to trounce Bolton 13-4 in a battle to determine seeding in the upcoming NDBL playoffs. The win vaulted the hard-hitting Rangers into second place and improved their record to an impressive 15-5-0. The loss to Ivy snapped the Brewers' four-game winning streak.

The home side actually led Monday night's contest 4-3 heading to the top of the third.

However, the visitors stole a page out of the Brewers' playbook with a six-run inning amid a fourteen-hit attack featuring including two home runs versus a trio of Bolton pitchers: Carson Burns, Jaineel Purohit, and Mike Blackwood.

Veteran clean-up batter Kirby Smith and three-spot hitter Josh Wilkins went yard for Ivy.

Ryan Boyle, lurking in the two-spot, did most of the damage at Taylor Fields—driving in five runs as part of a four-knock night which included two doubles.

Bolton Player-Coach Mike Wallace credited Ivy for their strong hitting, but also observed that the Brewers didn't help themselves.

“We kicked the ball around. We made 4-5 errors. Carson battled through it. Giving a good team like Ivy extra chances is not doing yourself any favors.

Justin Manabanan hit a home run and two doubles for Bolton as part of his four-hit performance.

The recent addition to the Brewers' lineup drove in three of the home side's four runs before the game was three innings old.

Manabanan's debut with the Brewers has been impressive. In twenty at-bats, he's collected ten hits (.500 BA) including three doubles and two home runs, earned two walks, and scored seven runs.

His on-base-percentage is a sparkling .654.

Coach Wallace marveled at Manabanan's offensive prowess: “We wish we had him out for more of the season. He was in Spain for his honeymoon and has just got back.  Justin's a welcome addition.”

Following Manabanan's big night at the plate and the home field loss to the Rangers, the Brewers traveled to Mansfield on Wednesday night to take on the Cubs (2-17-1). With a playoff spot clinched, but the fifth seed up for grabs, the Brewers sought to replicate a recent result versus the eleventh-place club.

Bolton defeated Mansfield 13-3 on June 29—an emphatic home field victory that started a torrid stretch during which the Brewers won six of seven games.

Bolton managed to score 13 runs again versus Mansfield on Wednesday, but the plucky Cubs put up much resistance before succumbing 13-11.

The Cubs opened up a 4-0 first inning lead against Brewers' starter Matteo Stothers and scored at least one run in each of their first four innings against the right-hander to generate a 10-6 lead heading into the top of the fifth.

However, the Brewers picked up their ace pitcher and scored seven runs at the top of the fifth to secure a lead they did not give back in the back-and-forth contest.

Bolton reliever Victor Moguel threw two innings of effective relief to quell another uprising by the home side and preserve the W for Stothers. The skillful veteran earned the save by striking out one Cub, walking none, scattering two hits, and allowing one earned run while securing six key outs for the playoff-bound Brewers.

Bolton lead-off hitter Brett Chater drove in four runs, scored three runs, and collected three hits including a home run in the second inning to pace his team's offence.

Two-spot hitter Ben Sterritt contributed two hits including a double, two RBI, and two runs to the Brewers' 13-hit attack. John Hutchinson and Amin Juarez also had two-hit nights and Josh Hickey scored three runs for the visitors.

Alex Attenborough had a 5-RBI night for the Cubs. Three-spot hitter Justin Fenn—a repatriated NCAA ballplayer who played his college ball at Houghton University in New York—had two hits, drove in two, and scored two for Mansfield.

Coach Wallace credited the top of Mansfield's order for their production and praised his closer for picking up struggling starter Matteo Stothers.

“Matteo was having trouble locating his off-speed pitches so we really struggled to get their top of the order hitters out—they seemed to be on-base for the first four innings. When Victor came in, he got the first two guys for the first time in the game. The changeup was working for him. He induced a number of ground balls. Victor's a crafty pitcher.”

In addition to Moguel's timely heroics on the bump, Coach Wallace pointed to some pleasing aspects of his club's offence that made the difference versus Mansfield: “It was a team win. Guys focused on their at-bats. Nobody extended the strike zone. We hit some big singles and drew some walks. Amin hit a bases-loaded triple that set off our big seven-run inning.”