Newport Gulls Shutout North Adams SteepleCats
June 12, 2013 - New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
Newport Gulls News Release
Newport, RI - The Newport Gulls shutout the North Adams SteepleCats 5-0 at Cardines Field on Wednesday, June 12th. Four pitchers, Brett Graves, Brett Lilek, Kyle Wilcox and Sean Hartnett combined to shutout the SteepleCats, allowing just five hits while striking out 12 in the first shutout of the season for the Gulls.
Graves, a sophomore right-handed pitcher from Missouri and returning Gull from last season's NECBL championship team, didn't last long enough to record a victory in his first start of the summer, tossing four and one third scoreless frames, allowing just three hits while walking three and fanning four before exiting.
Lilek, a freshman left-hander from Arizona State, picked up the victory in relief in his first appearance of the season, tossing a pair of scoreless innings, allowing just one hit, issuing one walk and striking out three.
Wilcox, a freshman southpaw from in-state Bryant University and Hartnett, a sophomore right-hander from Washington State, combined to blank the SteepleCats over the final two and two thirds, allowing just one hit while combining to strike out five.
The Gulls, fresh off an exhibition victory over the defending Cape Cod Baseball League champion Wareham Gatemen over the weekend, got their offense going early, plating a run in the second inning on a single from designated hitter Matt Foley and tacking on another run in the fourth inning when former SteepleCat and current Gull second baseman Adrian English lined a sharp single to right field, scoring first baseman Steve Anderson from second base.
A walk by shortstop Trace Tam Sing and a two-out error by North Adams, allowed Newport to push across a run in the fifth inning. An RBI double by outfielder Ben Roberts and a wild pitch allowed the Gulls to add two more insurance runs in the seventh inning and close out the scoring on a 5-0 victory.
North Adams starter Mark Reece took the loss, allowing two runs on three hits while issuing a pair of walks and striking out two. Newport improves to 2-1 overall with the victory, while North Adams suffers just their first loss of the season, falling to 3-1 overall.
Newport will travel to Eastern Division rival Mystic tomorrow and send Michigan State sophomore right-hander Mick VanVossen to the mound at Robert E. Fitch Field for his second start of the season.
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.
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New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from June 12, 2013
- Home Runs Power Blue Sox in 7-6 Victory - Valley Blue Sox
- Newport Gulls Shutout North Adams SteepleCats - Newport Gulls
- Mainers Can t Capitalize on Schooners Defensive Mishaps - Sanford Mainers
- Swamp Bats Suffer Another One Run Loss, Fall To 0-3 - Keene Swamp Bats
- Newport Hands North Adams First Loss in 5-0 Setback - North Adams SteepleCats
- SteepleCats Push Fireworks Back to July 31 - North Adams SteepleCats
- Blue Sox Hit Road Against Swamp Bats - Valley Blue Sox
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