OAK BLUFFS, MA. - The Gulls were grounded vs. Martha's Vineyard following an impressive week at home. Newport's offense has put up impressive numbers up to this point, but also holds another distinction that Newport wants to start eliminating - a league-high three shutout losses.

It was a wet and windy trip to the island on Saturday afternoon, and the sluggish weather was signs of a struggle to come. Starter A.J. Pino was able to face the minimum in the first for the Sharks after Cade Brown (Georgia) was thrown out trying to get into scoring position with two outs.

Tristan Bristow (Vanderbilt) struggled to reach his normal velocity as the raw island weather took his heater down a few ticks. Martha's Vineyard put the ball in play and, for the first time this season, exposed a once-flawless Gulls defense. A leadoff single and a throwing error from Randy Seymour (Michigan State) put a runner in scoring position to kick off the bottom of the first. A groundout and a ball behind catcher Dre Lewis (Manhattan) gave the Vineyard a lead they never let go of.

Lewis was able to bounce back at the plate, following a day off, and got Newport's first hit with two away in the second, but an Adrian Areizaga (MiamiFL) groundout thwarted the two-out rally. In the bottom of the inning, Bristow was able to punch out Max Kaufer before a sinking double by Carson Hepworth. A few batters later saw two runners in scoring position for the Sharks, with Jamal George on second and Hepwoth on third. Kyle Cincinnati stepped up and sent a groundball up the middle. Areizaga, playing at second, made an initial backhand stop before losing the ball and kicking it 50 feet to his right past Seymour. Both runners scored on the miscue, and Newport found themselves down three.

Pino went six up and six down vs. Newport in innings three and four, while a third-inning inning shot by Jackson Miller and a slew of fourth-inning knocks for the Sharks saw the home team take a commanding 6-0 lead. 

The fifth inning was the first time Newport put multiple runners on after two walks to start the half-inning vs. reliever Brent Mulligan. A shallow base hit by Areizaga was taken away after Dre Lewis could not advance to second, getting caught between the basepaths and being forced out by center fielder Jackson Miller. Kyle Cincinnati cut down another Gull trying to swipe a bag; this time, Areizaga, the victim, and a flyout by A.J. Evasco (Kansas State) quickly stopped Newport's momentum.

Jake Gregor (Louisville) and Marcel Kulik (Virginia Tech) did an excellent job of quieting the Sharks bats in the later innings. The two combined for five relief innings, and only 10 Sharks came to the dish in innings five through seven. Newport could not find green grass at the plate, and many deep fly balls were blocked by the gusty Vineyard wind, which kept the baseballs in the ballpark.

Kulik faced trouble in the bottom of the eighth, loading the bases with nobody out. Lewis and Kulik were able to tag out Jackson Miller trying to score on a wild pitch but could not do so vs. Ethan Puig, who took advantage of a wild pitch. Kulik ended the inning with back-to-back punchouts, but Newport headed into the final inning down 7-0.

Josh Castellani (Clemson), Petey Craska (North Alabama), and Dre Lewis all hit hard baseballs but went down in order as each piece found the leather of the Vineyard defense. Newport drops to 5-4 on the season, with all losses coming on the road. Vineyard snapped a four-game losing streak vs. Newport as they look to turn their season around.

The road woes must fade for Newport as they take the trip to South County on Sunday, June 15th, for the second matchup vs. the Ocean State Waves. Newport won round one of the Pell Bridge Series, 7-5, on Wednesday, June 11th at Cardines Field. First pitch from Old Mountain Field is scheduled for 4:30 p.m.