Mainers, Gulls Set for Fourth Meeting in Championship
August 6, 2024 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
Sanford Mainers News Release
SANFORD, Maine - For the fourth time in NECBL history, the Sanford Mainers and Newport Gulls will meet as the final two teams standing in the NECBL Postseason with the winners taking home the Fay Vincent Sr. Cup.
Sanford clinched its spot in the NECBL Championship Series after completing a semifinal sweep over the Vermont Mountaineers on Monday evening. Both games of that series concluded at Goodall Park following a total of six weather-related delays on Sunday evening prior to the game being suspended.
The Mainers wrapped up the first game with a 7-4 win before coming from behind in the second contest to beat the league's regular season champion 5-3.
Colin Barczi (Vanderbilt) had 3 RBI in the series including both game-winning RBI. The Illinois native leads the league with 8 RBI in the postseason after having 5 in Sanford's sweep of the Keene SwampBats.
Barczi was not alone with his offensive production as Ray Velazquez (Vanderbilt), Evin Sullivan (Binghamton) and Caleb Shpur (UConn) each drove in a pair of runners over the two-game series. Additionally, in three of their first four contests of the postseason, every Mainer in the starting lineup has reached base at least one time.
On the pitching side of things, Sanford's bullpen has been lights out in the postseason. After 4.1 innings of shutout work in the first round, the bullpen allowed 2 earned runs over 11.1 innings against the Mountaineers.
That bullpen performance was punctuated by Jackson Walsh (Wheaton College) throwing three perfect innings after game one resumed at Goodall Park on Monday. Walsh's shutout innings backed Ryan Douglas' (Stonehill) scoreless frame from Sunday evening and set the tone for Daniel McAliney (Binghamton) and Kai Leckszas (Georgetown) combining for 3.1 innings of zeroes in game two.
Sanford's starting pitchers have posted a 3.09 ERA, which stands as 7 earned runs in 20.1 innings, over their four appearances in playoff action. Connor Ball (Alabama) and Tommy Ellisen (UConn) stifled the SwampBats lineup in the first round before Bijan Anvar (Franklin & Marshall) and Clay Robbins (Southern Maine) kept Vermont's league-leading offense to a minimum.
65 minutes before Devan Bade (Binghamton) caught the final out of the semifinals for Sanford, Campbell Holt (Austin Peay) struck out the final Bristol Blue as the Newport Gulls survived a last rally to advance to their second consecutive finals appearance.
Newport, who beat Bristol 7-6 in the second game of the semifinals, had scored 10 or more runs in each of their first three games of the postseason, which included two against the Valley Blue Sox.
The Gulls' star-studded offense has been carrying the load en route to outsourcing opponents 39-25 in the postseason. Andrew Duncan (Florida State) and Dixon Williams (East Carolina) are both hitting over .400 in the postseason with Duncan pacing Newport with a .526 average.
The combo of Duncan and Williams has combined for 13 RBI in the postseason.
The pitching staff of the Gulls watched Kade Shatwell (Oklahoma City) throw eight innings of three-run baseball in the first game of their series with the Blues. That performance came one day after Michal Kovala (Chipola College) went 4.2 innings of one-run baseball in a relief appearance against the Blue Sox.
Newport won its seventh title in organization history last year and looks to become the first organization to go back-to-back since the Blue Sox did in 2017 and 2018. In 2024, the Gulls look for their second championship win against the Mainers.
Newport beat Sanford in the 2014 NECBL Championship at Goodall Park, which was one of the four championships that Mike Coombs, who returned to Newport this season, has won as manager. That came 6 years after the Mainers clinched their second championship in organization history, both of which were clinched against the Gulls at Cardines Field.
Cardines Field will host the first game of the 2024 NECBL Championship Series on Wednesday, August 7. The series shifts to Goodall Park on Thursday before a potential third game would be played in Newport, Rhode Island on Friday.
First pitch of every game is slated for 6:35 p.m. All games will stream exclusively on ESPN+. Game one and a potential third game will also air on 1220AM/104.3 Seacoast Oldies and seacoastoldies.com.
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New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from August 6, 2024
- Mainers, Gulls Battle for the Fay Vincent Sr. Cup Championship - NECBL
- Mainers, Gulls Set for Fourth Meeting in Championship - Sanford Mainers
- Mainers Steer Clear of 'Neers, Advance to NECBL Championship - Sanford Mainers
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