Newport Gulls One Win Away from Sixth NECBL Title
August 12, 2013 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
Newport Gulls News Release
NEWPORT, R.I. - Catcher Ethan Ferreira went 3-for-3 with his first home run of the postseason and starter Brett Graves tossed seven shutout innings as the Newport Gulls jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the New England Collegiate Baseball League Championship Series with a 6-0 victory over the Keene Swamp Bats in Game 1 at Cardines Field on Sunday, August 11.
The Gulls have won 12 straight games dating back to July 30 of the regular season and are now just one victory away from capturing back-to-back NECBL titles and the sixth title in franchise history. Newport has a chance to sweep the series with a win in Game Two on the road at Alumni Field in Keene, N.H. on Monday, August 12. First pitch 6:30 P.M. The Gulls will start right-hander Sean Hartnett in Game Two, while Keene will counter with right-hander Brian Hunter. With a Game Two victory, the Swamp Bats can avoid elimination and force a decisive Game Three at Cardines Field on Tuesday, August 13.
Graves, who improved to 2-0 this postseason with the victory, tossed seven stellar innings, giving up just four hits and one walk while striking out 10. The junior right-hander from Missouri was in complete control of the Swamp Bats offense, scattering two hits over the first seven innings before running into trouble, allowing back-to-back hits to start the eighth inning. Graves, who had thrown 99 pitches (65 for strikes) was lifted for right-handed reliever Joe Iorio, who struck out shortstop Dylan Moore and designated hitter Zach Lucas before Newport Mike Coombs summoned southpaw Kyle McGrath, to record the final out of the eighth by striking out second baseman Matt Ford. McGrath worked around a pair of hits to pitch a scoreless ninth inning, preserving the shutout victory for the Gulls.
Keene starter Nicholas Kozlowski took the loss giving up five runs on nine hits with two walks and five strikeouts over five innings. Newport jumped on Kozlowski early in the second inning when designated hitter Brett Winger worked a one out walk and Ferreira and centerfielder Cody Jones followed with back-to-back singles to load the bases. Second baseman Shea Donlin delivered a bases loaded RBI single and Ferreira scored from third base on a wild pitch to give the Gulls a 2-0 lead.
Third baseman Adrian English, the Gulls offensive catalyst, going 3-for-5 in the victory, led off the fifth inning with a single and came around to score on left fielder Ben Roberts RBI single. The Gulls extended their lead to 4-0 when Roberts crossed the plate on right fielder Timmy Robinson's RBI double later in the inning. Ferreira accounted for Newport's final two runs in the decisive victory with a solo homer to right in the sixth inning, his first home run of the summer, and scoring on a bases loaded groundout by English in the eighth inning.
Since moving to Newport in 2001, the Gulls have captured the New England Collegiate Baseball League championship, the Fay Vincent Sr. Cup, an NECBL-record five times, and in 2012 were named the No. 1 summer collegiate team in the country by Perfect Game USA in Perfect Game's Top 50 final rankings, capping a record-breaking season by Newport and marking the first time ever that an NECBL franchise has been ranked No. 1 nationally.
The Gulls, which attract more than 50,000 fans annually to historic Cardines Field in Newport, recruit players from the top college baseball programs in the country, and to date have sent six alumni to Major League Baseball teams, and over 150 players to professional baseball teams ranging from Independent leagues to Triple-A.
New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from August 12, 2013
- Keene Takes Care Of Business At Home, Defeats Newport 5-1 - Keene Swamp Bats
- Newport Gulls One Win Away from Sixth NECBL Title - Newport Gulls
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