Game Three Tonight in Newport; Gulls Defeat Waves 8-4 in Game Two
August 5, 2015 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
Newport Gulls News Release
WAKEFIELD, R.I. - Do or die situations are where a team really shows how mentally tough it can be and the Newport Gulls found themselves in that situation Tuesday night against the Ocean State Waves. The Gulls were up to the challenge, taking down the Waves 8-4 at Old Mountain Field to force a Game Three Wednesday night in Newport.
As was the case in many of the Pell Bridge Series games in 2015, the game started off as a pitcher's duel between starting pitchers Quinn Brodey and Tony Dibrell. Both pitchers cruised for the first four innings, pitching out of jams and keeping batters off-balance.
Manager Mike Coombs said he loved what he saw from Brodey, adding how confident he is with his left-handed starter on the bump.
"He's a competitor," Coombs said. "He knows how to pitch. He knows how to do this game of baseball. He's going to go far in this game."
Newport got off the schneid first, scoring two runs in the fifth inning on a double by Stephen Sauter to put his team out in front.
Sauter, a late July addition to Newport's 2015 roster only two hits in the regular season were doubles, said the team wanted to get some run support for their starter and he just happened to be the first guy to step up.
"Quinn was throwing great out there, so we wanted to get some runs for him," Sauter said. "Then the rest of the game went really smoothly, so hopefully we can carry that into tomorrow night."
After a run by Ocean State in the bottom half of the inning on a Tim Lynch single, the game slowed back down.
Then the Gulls broke the game open in the top of the seventh inning in unlikely fashion. After Drew Lugbauer struck out to start the inning, eight-straight Newport batters reached base by way of two singles, two walks, two hit batsmen, a fielder's choice and an error to score six runs for the visitors.
Sauter, who had an RBI walk in the frame, said the dugout was engaged the entire inning, keeping Newport up and circling around the bases.
Ocean State tacked on a run in the bottom of the seventh and two more in the ninth inning off reliever Troy DeLeon, but the comeback was too little, too late to end the series in two games.
In the same situation as a year ago, the Gulls and Waves will play Game Three at Cardines Field, an opportunity Newport relishes in.
"We've just got to try to keep everything the same," Sauter said. "It's obviously exciting, but we've just got to play our game and everything will work out for us."
The Gulls will play a win-or-go-home game against the Waves at 6:35 p.m. Wednesday in Newport. Gates open at 5 p.m., and Rob Masse, Tim Scott and Matthew Tonis will be on the on the NECBL Broadcast Network, with extended pregame show coverage starting at 5:55 p.m.
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New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from August 5, 2015
- Mountaineers to Play North Adams in Second Round - Vermont Mountaineers
- Gulls Crash Waves, Move on to Face Mystic Thursday in Newport - Newport Gulls
- Game Three Tonight in Newport; Gulls Defeat Waves 8-4 in Game Two - Newport Gulls
- Mountaineers Advance to Northern Division Finals - Vermont Mountaineers
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