Gulls Drop Game One to Waves 6-5, Game Two Tuesday in Wakefield, R.I.
August 3, 2015 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
Newport Gulls News Release
NEWPORT, R.I. - In the words of Mark Twain, "History does not repeat itself, but it does rhyme." The Newport Gulls showed that Monday, falling to the Ocean State Waves 6-5 at Cardines Field, and trail 1-0 in the first round of the NECBL postseason. It is the second straight year the Gulls have fallen behind Ocean State in the playoffs.
Newport got on the board first, putting up three batters in a row and taking a 1-0 advantage on a Quinn Brodey single in the first.
As would be the case for most of the game, the Waves never went away, responding quickly to each Gulls attack against Newport ace Michael Mertz.
Mertz allowed runs in each the second and third inning, but Newport would tie the game again on singles by Brodey and Liam Sabino.
With his pitch count rising and Newport leading 4-3, Mertz would return to the mound after seven innings and 110 pitches to face the meat of the Waves order in the eighth.
Pitching coach Kevin Long said Mertz told the coaching staff he could keep going and they obliged their ace.
"He said that he had enough in the tank," Long said. "He had pitched well in the innings before that and he said that he had it. He's a seasoned veteran pitcher, he's a competitor and he earned that opportunity."
Mertz would struggle, however, giving up a leadoff walk to Jake Palomaki and inducing a flyout to bring up the power-hitting Tim Lynch.
Lynch, who had not hit a home run since July 14, powered a ball over the wall down the right-field line to give Ocean State the lead. Two batters later, AJ Ramirez hit a round-tripper of his own for a much-needed insurance run.
Newport got a run back in the bottom of the eighth on a first-pitch, leadoff solo home run by Jon Littell, but that's as close as the Gulls would get, as Richard Lovelady retired the final six Gulls batters in order to solidify the win for the visiting Waves.
Just one year ago, Newport was also down in a series to the Waves after losing a home game, and Long believes having three-time NECBL veterans Reed Gamache and Shea Donlin back will help this iteration of the Newport Gulls battle through the adversity.
"Those guys know what it takes to do it," Long said. "The key is you have to be mentally tough and live in the game. You can't let what occurred tonight affect what we're going to have to deal with tomorrow."
Catcher Drew Lugbauer agreed with his coach, and has already moved on to tomorrow's game, knowing full well what a tall order his team has to fill.
"We play for Games Two and Three, so we have to just take it one game at a time," Lugbauer said.
The Gulls hope to stave off elimination for at least a day as Game Two will be at 6:05 p.m. at Old Mountain Field. Rob Masse and Tim Scott will be on the call for both games on the NECBL Broadcast Network with the extended pregame show starting at 5:30 p.m.
If the Gulls win and force Game Three, it would be held back at Cardines Field in Newport on Wednesday night at 6:35 p.m. The winner of the series will go to face either the Mystic Schooners or the New Bedford Bay Sox in the NECBL Championship Series on Thursday night.
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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New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from August 3, 2015
- Waves roll past Gulls in Game One, 6-5 - Ocean State Waves
- Gulls Drop Game One to Waves 6-5, Game Two Tuesday in Wakefield, R.I. - Newport Gulls
- Copeland Named to NECBL Weekly Honor Roll - Vermont Mountaineers
- Mountaineers Wallop Laconia in Playoff Opener - Vermont Mountaineers
- NECBL Weekly Roundup - NECBL
- Iannotti, Ruppenthal Are Final Weekly Winners of 2015 - NECBL
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