NEWS

Billy Butler (URI) went 2-for-4 with two hits and two RBIs including a go-ahead RBI single in the sixth inning en route to a 7-2 home victory for the No. 1 seed Newport Gulls over the No. 6 seed Bristol Blues in game one of the 2023 NECBL Championship Series.

 

#1 Newport Gulls 7 - #6 Bristol Blues 2

 

NEWPORT, R.I. - The Newport Gulls (5-1) came away with a 7-2 victory over the Bristol Blues (4-2) in game one of the Championship Series at Cardines Field on Sunday night.

 

Bristol struck first in the third inning when Billy Sullivan (Southern CT State) reached base on a leadoff hit-by-pitch and Connor Goodman (Maine Orono) hit a single to put runners on first and second with no outs. Griffin Arnone (Northwestern) brought home Sullivan to score the game’s first run. Arnone led the Blues with two hits, two RBIs and a run scored on the night. 

 

Santhosh Gottam (Brown) got the starting nod for Newport, allowing one run and two hits across three innings. Ryan Andrade (URI) entered the game in relief for Gottam, retiring six straight batters with 1-2-3 fourth and fifth innings  including three consecutive strikeouts. He finished with six total strikeouts across four innings out of the bullpen.

 

Newport knotted the game at one in the fourth inning with a leadoff single by Michael Anderson (URI) who later scored following a walk by Kolby Branch (Baylor) and a two-out RBI single by Billy Butler (URI). 

 

Bristol regained the lead with a leadoff solo home run by Griffin Arnone in the sixth, but the Gulls answered with two runs of their own to take a 3-2 lead in the sixth. Slate Alford began a two-out rally with a single, advanced to second on a wild pitch and scored on a Kolby Branch RBI double. Billy Butler continued the rally with an RBI single to bring home Branch.

 

Newport added an insurance run in the seventh inning with a bases-loaded two-out walk by Kolby Branch on a full count which brought home Jacob Burley (Brown). Blues reliever Emmett Tolis (Fairfield) limited the damage to one run after Newport left the bases loaded, keeping the score 4-2 in favor of the Gulls.

 

With the game still in reach for Bristol, Newport extended its lead with a three-run eighth inning to take a commanding 7-2 lead. Niko Brini (UConn) reached base on a leadoff single, advanced to third on a wild pitch and later scored on a Jacob Burley RBI double. Following a pitching substitution for the Blues, Luke Beckstein (Northeastern) hit an RBI single to bring home Burley and Tyler Hare (Georgia Tech) added an RBI single of his own to cap a three-run inning.

 

David Horn (Vanderbilt) picked up a six-out save along with four strikeouts to seal a 7-2 victory, adding to his total of 12 strikeouts across seven scoreless innings throughout the playoffs.

 

Bristol will host game two of the Championship Series at Muzzy Field on Monday night at 6:30 p.m. facing elimination.