Schooners Rally Past Gulls, 12-2
Published on July 7, 2014 under New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
Newport Gulls News Release
NEWPORT, R.I.-Entering Monday's game on a two-game losing streak, the Newport Gulls were looking to snap the slide with a good game against the Mystic Schooners at home. Even though 2,573 fans came to Cardines Field on Monday, missed offensive opportunities plagued the Gulls, who lost their third straight contest, 12-2.
For the second straight game, the Gulls struck first courtesy of shortstop and leadoff hitter. Similar to his start on Sunday at Laconia, Edman launched a solo home run to left field off Schooners starter Pat Egan, giving the Gulls a 1-0 lead out of the gate.
Edman continued to power the Gulls offense in the top of the second. With two runners on, Edman laced a double to left, which drove home Tanner Donnels to give the Gulls a 2-0 lead over the Schooners. His RBI double continued a string of two games in which Edman had two or more RBIs.
After helping Vanderbilt win the 2014 College World Series, John Kilichowski made his Newport Gulls debut on Monday against the Schooners. The southpaw went five innings, allowing four runs on four hits, while striking out seven batters. In the second and third innings, Kilichowski struck out four consecutive batters.
However, the Schooners rallied against Kilichowski in the top of the third. Despite striking out the first two batters, Kilichowski issued a walk to Toby Handley, while Zachary Weigel reached on an error by Reed Gamache at second base.
Ulitmately, Stephen Laurino lifted a two-run double high off the right field wall to knot the score up at two. In the following at-bat, Dan Hoy lined a single to left. However, an errant throw by Nick Zammarelli enabled Laurino to score the go-ahead run, propelling the Schooners to a 3-2 lead.
The Schooners scored another run in the top of the fifth. With Handley and Weigel on base, Laurino drove in his third run of the game by grounding into a fielder's choice. A solid series of defensive plays by Kilichowski and Gamache prevented Laurino's line drive from being a single. Despite the effort, Handley scored from third, extending the Schooners lead to 4-2.
Coming into the game for the Gulls in the sixth was Mark McCoy. Despite walking two batters, McCoy was able to efficiently work his way out of the jam in the sixth. However, McCoy ran into trouble in the seventh. With the bases loaded, Hoy lined a two-run single to left. In the next at-bat, Brad Zunica blasted a three-run home run over the right field wall. Even though McCoy was able to retire the next three batters, the Schooners expanded their lead to a commanding 9-2 advantage.
With new pitcher Layne Bruner on the hill for the eighth, the Schooners took advantage of the opportunity to score two more runs in the inning. An RBI single by Zunica and a bases-loaded walk to Boyd extended the Schooners lead to 11-2, which is the biggest run differential against the Gulls at home during the 2014 season. In the top of the ninth, Bruner struggled to regain his command, walking two more batters until he allowed an RBI single that was combined with a throwing error by Ryan Tufts. Despite getting a fly out to end the inning, the Gulls trailed the Schooners by 10 runs, which was their largest deficit of the season.
The Schooners bullpen did an effective job holding the Gulls lineup after six solid innings from Egan. Nick Brass and Josh Pape combined to shutout the Gulls for three innings, combining for three strikeouts. It was Pape who got Ben Roberts to ground into a double play to secure the 12-2 victory for the Schooners.
Monday's loss now extends Newport's losing streak to three games, which is their longest since the 2013 season. With their record standing at 16-8, the Gulls now fall to 2 =C21/2 games behind the Plymouth Pilgrims, who defeated the New Bedford Bay Sox on Monday. The Gulls also fall to 3-2 against the Schooners on the season, with the final meeting between the two teams taking place on July 26 at Fitch High School in Groton, Connecticut.
The Gulls have an off day on Tuesday, but then travel to Alumni Field on Wednesday to battle the Keene Swamp Bats in a rematch of the 2013 NECBL Championship game. Jack Patterson (3-1, 2.73 ERA) will get the start for the Gulls. First pitch will commence at 6:30, as Nick Lima and Joe Fitzhenry will bring you the action on the NECBL Broadcast Network. The Gulls return home on Friday to host the Ocean State Waves.
New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from July 7, 2014
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