NEWS & MEDIA

BRISTOL, CT. - The Newport Gulls entered their final weekend of the NECBL regular season tied atop the Southern Division with the Bristol Blues. A road match at Muzzy Field on Saturday, July 27th, paired with a bout in Wakefield, R.I., on Sunday, was poised to test the Gulls, who were a combined 0-4 between the two ballfields.

 

First, a test vs. the Bristol Blue with the winner taking sole possession of the South. Bristol starter Vincent Spizzoucco pounded the zone in the first, getting Matt Bolton (Binghamton) to fly out to left and Michael Gupton (Memphis) to strike out swinging. Colby Wallace's (East Carolina) two-out infield single would do no harm as Adam Agresti (St. John's), getting his fourth-straight start, grounded out to Alex Irizarry at third to end the inning.

 

Riding high off three-straight wins following the all-star break, the Gulls' pitching was rolling, but the ball was put into C.J. Bott's (UCLA) hand. In Bott's two starts this summer, he totaled 4.1 innings, allowing 12 hits and nine runs to score. It was going to take something the Gulls have not seen out of Bott to stay with the Blues, and boy did the sunshine kid deliver.

 

In the bottom of the first, Bott only needed 11 pitches to face the minimum, sandwiching a lineout with two groundouts, the last being stopped by the hurler with his bare hand to retire Gianno Merlonghi.

 

Last time out at Muzzy Field against the Bristol Blues on Tuesday, July 8th, the Gulls were no-hit through eight innings, scoring one run and getting two hits in the ninth to avoid the no-hitter bid. On Saturday night, not only did Newport match the run total from the July 8th contest, but it also surpassed the hit total in only two innings. 

 

Randy Seymour (Michigan State) led off with a base hit, and would stand still after a Kyle Branch (Oklahoma) strikeout and Matt Ossenfort (Michigan) flyout. Josh Castellani (Clemson) would reach with two outs after being plunked by Spizzoucco, and Ryan "Hit dog" Novak (MiamiOH) came through with a single back where it came from, scoring Seymour and giving the Gulls a 1-0 lead, before Bolton would ground out to end the half inning.

Two runners reached – via a single and a walk – on Bott's watch after a leadoff groundout back to the starter, but on queue was the Gulls' middle infield. A sharp grounder off Scott Gell's bat found Seymour's glove at short. Randy would tap two himself and go to Ossenfort at first for the double play. The second inning would not be the only time the Gulls would grab a pair at once defensively.

After hitting his second batter in as many innings, Spizzoucco settled in, getting weak contact from the meat of the Gulls' order, sitting down Wallace, Agresti, and Seymour. In the bottom of the third, Bott induced a first pitch groundout, before spoiling a 0-2 advantage, beaming JT Landwehr with one away. The next two hitters, leadoff man Danny Infante and Nich Francuzenko, would ground out, Infante to Branch at second and Francuzenko to a diving Colby Wallace, who made yet another web gem play at the hot corner.

 

The one-run deficit did not phase Spizzoucco as he got two quick outs to start the fourth, a groundout from Kyle Branch and deep flyout from Matt Ossenfort, a ball that reached the warning track remaining in the expansive Muzzy Field confines. Castellani singled with two outs, reaching base for a second consecutive plate appearance after sitting the last eight days for Newport. The Clemson Tiger would "mistakenly" steal second in one of the most bizarre plays ever. Castellani was stop-and-go after mistaking a 3-2 count with a 2-2 count with two outs, but a bad throw from Scott Gell got Castellani in scoring position. Fortunately for Bristol, Ryan Novak would ground out to second to leave the runner stranded.

 

Gianno Merlonghi kicked off the home half of the fourth with a double into right-center field. He would advance to third on a groundout by Dean O'Neill to Ossenfort down the first base line, but a hard grounder to Wallce at third by Thomas Ahlers held Merlonghi 90 feet away with two outs. Mika Peterson rolled a grounder to the right side, and although stopped by Ossenfort, his flip was dropped by Bott going to cover the bag, and the error by the starting pitcher gave the Blues their first run. Bott would get a first-pitch grounder to Seymour, who threw to first to retire Gell and get out of the frame in a knotted ballgame.

 

With one out, Michael Gupton singled in the fifth, but it was Bristol this time turning two after Colby Wallace bounced one to Landwehr at short, who ignited a 6-4-3 double play, which would end Spizzouco's day after five innings of solid work. Bott witnessed Spizzoucco's efficiency and said, "Watch this." Seven pitches, three outs for Bott, as C.J. had far surpassed his season-high in innings, going five strong, needing only 50 pitches to get there.

 

Recent Bristol addition, Jordan Paradis, relieved his fellow southpaw and immediately retired Agresti and Seymour. Paradis got Kyle Branch to weakly ground a ball to the left side, but the throw went awry, as Branch turned an infield single to a runner in scoring position. The first pitch to the next hitter, Matt Ossenfort, went to the backstop, and in the blink of an eye, Branch stood on third. Ossenfort would get his first hit immediately after, ripping one to right field and scoring Branch, retaking the lead for Newport in the sixth, 2-1. Castellani grounded out to end the frame, but Newport was back on top.

 

Bott went out for a sixth inning and showed early signs of fading after a leadoff single from Francuzenko and missing a few pitches early in the at-bat to the all-star Gianno Merlonghi. However, Bott got the help from this defense once again, as a hot shot to the left side was wrapped in leather by Seymour, who shoveled to Branch, and then the transition to Ossenfort turned into another double play for the Gulls' defense and cleared the bases. Bott's day started with a groundout and would finish with the same outcome after Dean O'Neill bounced one to Wallace, and the throw over to first ended the inning.

 

Paradis struck out Novak to kick off the 7th, before Matt Bolton reached on an infield single, extending his on-base streak to 29 consecutive games. Bolton's day on the paths would not last long after Gupton grounded into a fielder's choice, and the inning would end following a Colby Wallace flyout to Ahlers in center field. After six innings of one-run ball that showed flashes of prime Orel Hershiser, Bott handed the ball to Tristan Bristow (Vanderbilt). 

Bristow missed his first six offerings, walking Francuzenko in the process. Through six and a third, Bristol had yet to strike out; that trend would change dramatically. Following a mound visit from Kevin Smith, Bristow buckled and froze hitter after hitter. Bristow punched out the side after the free pass and looked confident on the hill.

 

Agresti reached for the first time after being the third Gull hit in Saturday's game. Seymour would pop up, and that is the last Newport would see from Paradis. Pedro Leon, Bristol's first righty of the day, replaced Paradis, and he would see Agresti successfully steal second on the first pitch he threw to Kyle Branch. A walk to Branch, which included a wild pitch, put runners at the corners with one out as the Gulls looked for much-needed insurance. Leon found success in a loopy curveball that was unhittable. Leon struck out Ossenfort and Castellani to keep the game at 2-1 in favor of Newport.

Bristow followed up three consecutive 7th inning strikeouts with two more as he was initially cruising through the 8th. Francuzenko proved to be a tough out again, working the count full and drawing a two-out walk for Gianno Merlonghi. Bristow got up early against Merlonghi, but the right fielder would not go away easily, battling pitch after pitch. The count would fill up again, and on the tenth pitch, Merlonghi mashed a ball into left-center field, a double deep enough to score the runner from first and tie the ballgame up at two. Bristow stopped the bleeding after getting O'Neill to ground out and keep the ballgame tied going into the ninth.

 

In the top of the ninth, Ryan Novak did what he does best: walk. He was given a free pass after five pitches from Leon, who Carson Renner would replace after the at-bat. Renner walked Bolton to put two runners on, with no one out, with Gupton at the plate. For a second time, Gupton grounded into a potential double play ball, but his wheels were too much for the middle infielders, who were only able to cut down Bolton at second. The Gulls had runners at the corners for Colby Wallace, who quickly saw Gupton steal second early in the at-bat to get rid of the double play chance. Wallace tattooed a fastball into right but directly at Merlonghi, unable to score Novak from third. For another inning, Newport looked like they were going to strand crucial runners in scoring position. Agresti dug in and chopped a ball to the left side. Miscommunication between Irizarry at third and Landwehr at short gave Agresti ample time to beat out a throw and score Novak from third. Not only was Agresti's hit potentially game-winning, but he also became the 9th and final Gull in the batting lineup to register a hit. Seymour would fly out to strand runners on the corner, but the Gulls headed into the bottom of the ninth up 3-2.

 

Aidan O'Connell (Vanderbilt) looked to add on to an impressive week after dealing in four innings vs.Vermont on Tuesday, July 22nd. He had the ninth, but his first batter, Thomas Ahlers, walked on a full count, reigniting life into the quiet Muzzy Field crowd. As tension rose, so did O'Connell. He would punch out three straight and cap off a phenomenal day on the hill for Gulls' arms, holding Bristol to only two runs on three hits.

 

The Gulls' 3-2 victory over Ocean State has given Newport sole possession of first place in the Southern Division for the first time since July 14th. Bristow got the win, O'Connell the save, but none would be possible without the fantastic effort by C.J. Bott.

 

With five games in four days, the Gulls control their destiny in the South and will take on the Ocean State Waves at Old Mountain Field at 4:30 p.m. Sunday's game is an opportunity for Newport to extend a four-game winning streak and knock the Waves out of playoff contention. 

 

The NECBL playoffs kick off at the end of next week, with Newport vying for a third-straight NECBL title.