Gulls Sweep Danbury Double Header, Eclipse 25-Win Mark
July 28, 2015 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
Newport Gulls News Release
NEWPORT, R.I. - On a beautiful night at Rogers Park, the Newport Gulls hoped to put some more ground between themselves and the rest of the pack and inch closer to the number one seed. They did just that, as the Gulls (26-11) swept a double header from the Danbury Westerners 10-1 and 6-0.
With the victory in game one, the Gulls met the 25-win mark for the 15th consecutive season, marking 25 wins or more for each of the team's 15 years in Newport in NECBL competition.
The offense came out ready and raring to go in game one, scoring two first-inning runs on a double by Jeremy Wolf, setting the tone. On the mound, Matt Ruppenthal was dealing. Despite allowing 10 hits, the big righty allowed just one run in six innings while striking out 10 batters.
Ruppenthal said that he was determined to make all of his pitches count and work well, and that's just what he did.
"I went in with the mindset that I was going to throw three pitches for strikes and luckily I was able to," Ruppenthal said.
On the offensive side, Newport was scintillating, putting up runs in each of the first four innings and grabbing a commanding lead. At the forefront of the onslaught was Sean Bouchard, who slammed his first two home runs of the season during game one.
Bouchard, who missed a lot of time due to injury, said, "When I first came back, I wanted to simplify things. I kind of just carried that over into the game... and good things happened."
In game two the explosion continued. Wolf and Jon Littell each homered and Bouchard drove in two more runs to put Newport on top early on. From there, Derik Beauprez dominated Danbury. Over six shutout innings, the right-handed pitcher from Miami kept hitters off-balance, leading to eight strikeouts.
With both starters going six innings, manager Mike Coombs has options moving forward in the regular season's final week, something that's rare this late in a season.
"That's a plus and you've got to love it," Coombs said. "When they go out there and do that, then it makes our staff even healthier."
The Gulls have Tuesday off before hosting the Plymouth Pilgrims Wednesday. Rob Masse and Hunter Julius have the call on the NECBL Broadcast Network, on the air with extended pregame show coverage at 5:55, first pitch at 6:35 p.m. at Cardines Field in Newport.
On Thursday, Newport will play a split-ballpark double header versus the Ocean State Waves. Game one, a makeup of an earlier rainout, takes place at Cardines Field at 2 p.m., while Game Two follows at 6:05 p.m. at Old Mountain Field in Wakefield, R.I. Masse and Tim Scott will have the broadcast call starting at 1:25 p.m.
Friday night at Cardines Field, Newport hosts the Mystic Schooners, currently three games behind Newport for second place in the NECBL South, at 6:35 p.m. On Saturday, Newport finishes its 42-game regular-season schedule with a trip to North Adams, Massachusetts to face the SteepleCats at 6:30 p.m. The Gulls are off Sunday, which is the league-wide makeup date for any remaining rained out contests.
The 2015 NECBL playoffs tentatively begin Monday. Provided the current standings hold, the Gulls, who have won nine of their last 10 games en route to their hottest stretch this summer, would host the Southern Division fourth seed at 6:35 p.m. for Game One of the NECBL Southern Division Quaterfinals at Cardines Field. Game Two would be on the road Tuesday, Aug. 4, followed by a Game Three, if necessary, back in Newport on Wednesday. Please check newportgulls.com or follow the Gulls on Facebook and Twitter for the latest playoff information as the standings and seeding become finalized over the next five days.
For more information about the Newport Gulls, visit facebook.com/newportgulls, follow the Gulls on Twitter @NewportGulls or visit www.newportgulls.com.
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