Gulls Take Game One Over Sharks
The Newport Gulls defeated the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks 14-7 in game one of the NECBL
semifinals to take a 1-0 lead in the best of three series, the Gulls sit one win away from
returning to the NECBL championship series to defend their title for a third straight season.
Aiden O’Connell (Duke) got the ball for his first start of the season and was incredibly sharp,
going five innings, only allowing two runs - both in the third inning and striking out five.
After a quiet first two innings from both sides, the third inning saw an explosion. With two on and
one out, Landon Scilly ripped a double into the right field greenery to score Brayden Martin, Gio
Colasante added a wall ball single to make Vineyard’s advantage 2-0.
That was the last lead the Sharks had, Newport exploded for 10 runs in the next two innings,
Kyle Branch (Oklahoma) led off the bottom of the third with a four pitch walk and Petey Craska
(North Alabama) battled for 10 pitches before drawing a walk of his own. Matthew Bolton
(Binghamton) hit a slow rolling infield single which resulted in Branch scoring on a throwing
error. After Michael Gupton (Memphis) struck out for the inning’s second out, Newport’s bats
came out from their slumber. Colby Wallace (East Carolina) and Adam Agresti (St. John’s)
ripped base hits and Randy Seymour doubled, in the blink of an eye, the Gulls turned a 2-1
deficit into a 5-2 lead.
While station to station baseball gave Newport their lead, the longball enhanced it. With two
outs, Ryan Novak (Miami (OH) reached base on an error and Bolton - after just barely pulling a
would-be home run foul, smashed a single into right field. Gupton came to the plate with two
men on and annihilated the baseball, sending it over the tree in left field and putting Newport in
complete control. Not to be outdone, Agresti stepped up two batters later and ripped a two run
shot, a homer that traveled over 410 feet. Newport’s second straight five run inning put them in
complete command of the second round’s opening contest.
The two teams stayed off the scoreboard until the sixth, when Gupton gave an encore
performance, ripping his second homer of the night to increase the Gulls lead to 11-2. Gupton
has his second multi home run game in a week on Monday night, following up his three homer
explosion one week ago against Danbury.
The Sharks made things interesting though, plating two in the seventh to bring the game to 11-4
and then propelling themselves back into things in the eighth. Blake Binderup left the yard for
the evening’s fourth dinger, a three run shot which cut Newport’s lead to 11-7.
Logan Olson (Penn St) entered the game and locked things down from there, and the Gulls got
those three runs right back in the bottom of the eighth thanks to a bases loaded walk to Agresti
and an error by Martin which allowed two runs to score.
Newport can clinch the series tomorrow from the Vineyard, first pitch is at 7:05 PM on ESPN+.
