NEWPORT - It was the fourth meeting of the 2018 NECBL season between the Bay Sox and Newport Gulls on Wednesday night at Cardines Field, and this time, the two squads were looking to avoid mother nature’s wrath.

Game one at Cardines was suspended due to a god delay, but there was no fog this time around, just a lot of fireworks. The teams exploded for 14 runs combined, and the Bay Sox came out victorious, winning it 8-6.

Chris Cabe scratched Tyler Arruda (UMass Boston) from his start and gave the ball instead to the southpaw from Wake Forest, Jared Shuster. He would be opposed by Gulls starter Russell Smith.

New Bedford got on the board early, which coming into action knew they’d have to. Newport possesses the highest team batting averages in the NECBL at .313. Jack Winkler (U of San Francisco) would put up the first hit of the game on a base hit to left field, then Andrew Rapoza (Barry U) would follow that by ripping a double and setting up first and third with just one away. Then, Ryan Markey (St. Johns) lifted a sac fly into left that gave the Sox a 1-0 lead.

The second inning was even more eventful than the first, and it would only increase from here. Sam Henrie (SNHU) would reach to kick off the inning on an overthrow by second baseman Dillon Plew. Following that, Rafe Chaumette (Trinity) would lay down a bunt single and that set up Thomas Seidl (Harvard) who worked a walk on just four pitches. Christian Aybar (New England) hit a grounder to the shortstop Gonzalez who released the ball well too high and it sailed over the head of the first baseman and both Henrie and Chaumette would score. Logan Allen struck out for out number one, and Jack Winkler would lift a sac fly into right that allowed Seidl to cross the plate.

Smith would walk Ryan Markey on just five pitches, and then Gulls skipper Mike Coombs had seen enough of his starter. He would turn to RHP Jeremiah Burke, who got Buddy Hayward to go down swinging that finally ended the second frame with New Bedford in front, 5-0.

However, the Gulls would respond in the third, pushing two across and cutting the lead down to three runs on an error by Markey that would allow Plew to reach, then a walk surrendered to Gonzalez, and then the number nine hitter, Liam O’Reagan would rip a double off the wall in right-center that put up the Gulls first hit and first two runs.

Newport would stay persistent after another shutdown inning from Burke, and right fielder Stevie Mangrum would launch the first pitch of the fourth over the fence in left for a no-doubter. The Bay Sox lead was down to two, and the Gulls still weren’t done.

Zach Britton started off the fifth with a double and a passed ball allowed him to advance to third, and Stevie Mangrum would pick up his second RBI of the night, hitting a sac fly to center, and just like that the Bay Sox lead was one at 5-4.

But as according to script, the Bay Sox would respond yet again, Logan Allen would finally get bat on ball and laced a double into left, then Andrew Rapoza’s third hit of the night would score Allen to extend the lead to 6-4. A Markey single and an error in the field by the Gulls would pate Rapoza and now the Sox lead was back to 3 and it allowed them some breathing room.

In the top half of the seventh, Aybar would get on with a two-out single that set up a triple by Logan Allen on one of the most weirdly played balls you’ll ever see. The left fielder O’Reagan fell down but was able to make a perfect throw to the cut-off man, and the relay was in plenty of time and it appeared Aybar, who was trying to score on the play, was out by a good two or three feet at the plate. Umpire Cameron Haney called him safe and that’s when the wheels came off.

Gulls manager Mike Coombs, who is known to be vocal, sprinted from the dugout and got right up in Haney’s grill, and was eventually tossed. It was about a five-minute ordeal, and Coombs finally did exit the ballpark and play resumed.

Apparently, Coombs lit a fire under his team and they would make things interesting in the 8th. A leadoff walk from Mangrum followed by a pinch-hitting Dalton Reed launching a double and missing a home run by a matter of feet would cut down the led once again to three at 8-5. Then an error from jack Winkler would send Reed all the way around to score and make the lead 8-6.

However, that’s as close as the Gulls would get, and that score would wind up going final. The Bay Sox improved to 10-8 and now led the season series vs. the Gulls 3-1