Vermont Drops Home Opener Against Gulls

Published on June 11, 2023 under New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL)
Vermont Mountaineers News Release


Vermont Mountaineers' Brandon Butterworth in action
Vermont Mountaineers' Brandon Butterworth in action
(Vermont Mountaineers, Credit: Cierra Loomis, Digital Media/Photography Director)

MONTPELIER, Vt. - The Vermont Mountaineers dropped their home opener against the Newport Gulls, 8-2, on Sunday night from Montpelier Recreation Field in New England Collegiate Baseball League action.

The Mountaineers fall to 3-2 on the season while the Gulls, who sit in first in the Coastal Division, remain undefeated at 5-0.

After a scoreless first, the Gulls threatened with two outs in the second. However, Vermont starter Andrew D'Alessio (Princeton / Staten Island, N.Y.) got a ground out to himself with runners on the corners to get out of the jam.

The third inning started with a bang. Newport's Anthony Donofrio belted a deep blast to right center field. He went for a triple and the nice relay from Mountaineers center fielder TJ Williams(Notre Dame / Germantown, Md.) sent the perfect relay to Tyler Cox at short. Santino Rosso (Hofstra / Fairport, N.Y) made the tag at third to erase the runner for the first out. The Gulls put two runners on after that with a hit batter and a single. Relief pitcher Jack Sylvia (NJIT / Queensbury, N.Y.) got a foul out to first and a strikeout to strand both runners.

After some more solid defense in the fourth, including a leaping catch by Brandon Butterworth(Western Carolina / Charlotte, N.C.) at short, Vermont took a 1-0 lead in the half. A lead-off walk and a passed ball put Evan Fox (Stony Brook / Ballston Spa, N.Y.) in scoring position with no outs. An infield single by Aaron Whitley (Rochester / Niskayuna, N.Y.) put runners on the corners. Luke Cantwell (Fairleigh Dickinson / Warrington, Pa.) hit a hard grounder through the right side to score Fox.

Newport loaded the bases with no outs with three straight singles in the fifth. A passed ball scored the tying run from third. A walk to Trent Farquhar reloaded the bases, still with no outs. A shallow bloop to right field by Slate Alford plated two runners, giving the Gulls a 3-1 lead. That was all Newport could get as reliever Valentino Taddei (Lehigh / Chantilly, Va.) got a key strikeout and a ground out to strand two runners in scoring position, limiting the damage.

The Gulls put two runners in scoring position again with no outs in the sixth. After a groundout, a line drive down the right field line by Dakota Jordan scored two runners as he doubled. A defensive miscue with two outs allowed the Gulls to extend their lead to 6-1. Two more runs were added in the eighth inning for an 8-1 Newport lead.

Vermont loaded the bases in the eighth, scoring a run on a balk, making it 8-2. Newport's Adam Maher pitched a gem, earning the win for the visitors. He went seven full innings, allowing just one run on four hits while striking out five batters. Sylvia suffered the loss for Vermont, going an 1.2 innings, allowing three runs on three hits.

The Mountaineers return to action tomorrow when they host the Bristol Blues at 6:30 p.m. You can follow all the action on the NECBL Broadcast Network here

Photo credit: Cierra Loomis, Digital Media/Photography Director

For continuing coverage of the Vermont Mountaineers, bookmark thevermontmountaineers.com and follow the Mountaineers on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, and on TikTok.

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Images from this story

Vermont Mountaineers' Brandon Butterworth in action
Vermont Mountaineers' Brandon Butterworth in action
(Cierra Loomis, Digital Media/Photography Director)		   



New England Collegiate Baseball League Stories from June 11, 2023


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