NORTH ADAMS, MA. - The Newport Gulls are one of the hottest teams in the NECBL, and this current run has been kickstarted by wins away from Cardines. Not only were the Gulls vying for another road win, but also for revenge from June 18th, after North Adams upset Newport for their first and only home loss up to that point.

Leighton Harris (Kentucky) started the game on June 18th and got the nod again vs. the 'Cats. Michael Gupton (Samford) and Dre Lewis (Manhattan) both struck out in a quick top of the first. In the next half inning, Harris banked on Newport's defense to turn a double play and get out of the first scoreless after giving up two hits.

The Gulls got back-to-back hits to kick off the second inning after a Randy Seymour (Michigan State) single and Will Fosberg (Northeastern) double, saw two Gulls in scoring position. The next hitters did their job with productive outs. Matt Ossenfort (Michigan) rolled a ball to short to score Seymour, and Adrian Areizaga (MiamiFL) hit a sac-fly to right to plate Fosberg.

Up 2-0, Harris began to settle into his outing, seeing four hitters in the bottom of the second. A two-out single by Damien Rodriguez went to waste after a Michael Toth flyout.

Dre Lewis was the first baserunner on in the third, a two-out walk, but Colby Wallace (East Carolina) ended the inning with a lineout to center fielder Eli Gries-Smith. The 'Cats could not do much with JT Thompson on second following a single and fielder's choice, and North Adams stranded another man in scoring position for a second inning in a row.

SteepleCats starter Tristan Helmick went out for his fourth and, ultimately, his last inning of work vs. Newport. Randy Seymour knocked his second single of the day and stole his first bag of the season. Fosberg grounded out and moved Seymour to third, while Matt Ossenfort executed another sacrifice RBI, this time a flyout to right field to give the Gulls a 3-0 advantage. The scoring would continue as the Gulls executed a perfect two-out rally. Areizaga and Ryan Novak (MiamiOH) both walked, and Matt Bolton would knock in Areizaga for Newport's fourth run before Gupton would go down swinging for the third time.

Harris continued to deal, allowing one walk but striking out Damien Rodriguez to finish the day with a scoreless start and put Newport in the driver's seat. Newport went down in order in the 5th, while Etham Lund (Oklahoma State) entered the bottom of the fifth and struck out the side. Lund's fifth was one of the most impressive innings by a Gulls arm all season long.

After a great job of plating runs for Newport, Ossenfort got his first hit of the day off Josh Polumbo with one out in the sixth but would not go anywhere after an Areizaga strikeout and Novak lineout to right. Cuyler Baxter led off the bottom of the sixth with an infield single and tagged over to second on a one-out line out to deep right field. With two outs, Lund walked the next two batters, including a few wild pitches, which scored Baxter and made the score 4-1. Ultimately, Lund punched out pinch hitter Billy Howard to get out of the frame.

The run scored in the 6th inning by SteepleCats' would show for nothing after one pitch in the seventh. Polumbo left a meaty pitch for Matt Bolton to lace 380 feet over the right field fence. If the Bolton homer - his fourth of the season - were a flesh wound, the next two at-bats would prove to be the dagger. After three strikeouts, Gupton ripped a ball into left field, showing off the after-burners, stretching a double into a triple, his first of the season. Lewis would single to right field to make the score 6-1 going into the 7th inning stretch.

Lund got back out for a third inning of work but was removed after two walks to batters eight and nine in the 'Cats lineup. Casen Murphy (Louisville) took over for the 'Poke and immediately shut down North Adams. A strikeout and two batters later, an inning-ending double play kept the 'Cats off the scoreboard and down five.

Fosberg, Ossenfort, and Areizaga did not put up much of a fight vs. reliever Owen Crowe, who was masterful in two innings, facing the minimum in his last inning of work. Murphy continued to deal in the 8th for Newport, giving the Gulls pitching staff their second 1-2-3 inning with at least two strikeouts.

In the top of the ninth, Michael Gupton singled with two outs and stole second, putting pressure on newly-inserted James Morr. A Lewis chopper to Morr ended the rally, and the ball was in the hand of Marcel Kulik (Virginia Tech) to finish the game for the Gulls.

Billy Howard reached on Colby Wallace's second error of the day, and a leadoff man was aboard in the bottom of the ninth. A flyout, walk, groundout, and a second walk loaded the bases for North Adams. Kulik was able to generate a flyout off the bat of Gabe Natividad to end the ballgame and give Newport a 6-1 victory.

The Gulls improve to 12-6 and have won their fifth-straight ballgame and fourth-straight W on the road. The Gulls will hope to stay ahead of the southern division as they welcome North Shore for another cross-division matchup on Friday, June 27th. The first pitch is scheduled for 6:35 p.m. and streaming on ESPN+.