Baseball / South Division - Newport Sweeps Upper Valley, Danbury and Bristol Cruise to Victories

South Division - Newport Sweeps Upper Valley, Danbury and Bristol Cruise to Victories

Date:  Source: New England Collegiate Baseball League

Upper Valley Nighthawks vs. Newport Gulls (Game One)

Final Score/9: Newport 9, Upper Valley 8

Newport, RI – Upper Valley Nighthawks defeated the Newport Gulls in game one of the scheduled doubleheader on Monday afternoon by a score of 9-8. In a back-and-forth game, the Gulls scored five runs in the final three innings to complete the comeback and secure at least one win today.

In the top of the first, Newport got on the board. Matthew Bolton (Binghamton) reached base, stole second, and then scored on an error after Cade Brown (Georgia) singled. Upper Valley tied the game at 1-1 in the bottom of the second off the bat of Cameron Boardman (Hartford), who grounded out to second, but in the process, scored Ryan Preisano (Wake Forest) from third. 

Newport struck again in the top of the third due to an RBI triple from AJ Evasco (Kansas St) and a wild pitch that allowed Brown to score. Upper Valley was not phased as they answered back with three runs in the bottom half of the inning. One came from a Nick Shuhet (Rider) RBI single, one from a sacrifice fly by Anthony Greco (William & Mary), and the third from a bases-loaded walk to Boardman.

The Nighthawks added on another run in the fourth, and once again, it was Shuhet who ripped another RBI single to extend Upper Valley’s lead to 5-3. Newport would rally back, with Evasco tallying RBI hits in the top of the fifth and seventh to tie the game up at 5-5, sending it to extras. In the top of the eighth, Newport seemingly put this game away with Bolton crushing a three-run home run, but Upper Valley battled right back and wouldn’t go away.

In the same frame, Shuhet came in clutch with an RBI double that scored Anthony Brotz (Marist College). The Nighthawks capitalized on a wild pitch, scoring Blauser from third. Shuhet would also come across the plate in the inning, and we headed to the ninth tied 8-8. With Brown being the ghost runner at second base, it was Randy Seymour (Michigan St) who batted him home to give Newport the lead, which they held onto to win 9-8.

CJ Bott (UCLA) gets the win for Newport with his shutout inning of relief, while Michael Bradshaw (Merrimack College) gets the loss for Upper Valley, allowing just one hit and the inherited run to score.

Box Score

 

Newport Gulls vs. Upper Valley Nighthawks (Game Two)

Final Score/7: Newport 6, Upper Valley 1

Newport, RI –  The Newport Gulls completed the doubleheader sweep over the Upper Valley Nighthawks Monday night, taking game two by a score of 6-1. The Gulls rode a four-run fifth inning to their 15th win of the season.

Newport opened up the scoring in the bottom of the first, with Matthew Bolton (Binghamton) continuing his great day with a lead-off home run, giving the Gulls a 1-0 lead. The Nighthawks responded in the top of the second when Ryan Preisano (Wake Forest) belted his third home run of the season. This proved to be Upper Valley’s only run of the night, as the offense could only manage four hits.

In the bottom of the fourth, Cade Brown (Georgia) joined the home run party for Newport as he hit his second home run of the season and put the Gulls back on top 2-1. In the fifth, Newport poured on four runs to blow the game open. With the bases loaded, Colby Wallace (East Carolina) doubled to score two runs. Brown and Randy Seymour (Michigan St) both tallied RBI outs to push the lead to 6-1, and that would be the final.

John Downing (Seton Hall) got the win for Newport due to his 2.1 innings of perfect baseball, allowing no hits, walks, or baserunners. Nick Tamburro (Monmouth) got the loss for Upper Valley, allowing five runs in four innings of work. The Gulls will travel to Martha’s Vineyard to face the Sharks Tuesday night, while the Nighthawks will host the Vermont Mountaineers Tuesday evening.

Box Score

 

Danbury Westerners vs. Valley Blue Sox

Final Score: Danbury 13, Valley 4

Holyoke, MA – The Danbury Westerners defeated the Valley Blue Sox in an offensive onslaught Monday night, securing 14 hits and picking up the win, 13-4.

The first inning saw each team score a run, as Danbury’s Peter Link (Sacred Heart) scored Jack Lutte (Denison) on an RBI double, and Valley’s Nicholas Spaventa (Penn) brought home Mike Lucarelli (Penn St) on a sacrifice fly. The second inning was all Westerners, as three errors helped plate six runs for the visiting team. Lutte and Teddy Cashman (Lafayette) had RBI hits in the inning, while Kyle Garbowski (Quinnipiac) came home on a Link groundout and Gavin Donohue (Sacred Heart) scored on an error to put Danbury in front, 7-1

The Westerners weren’t done there, as Lutte knocked a two-RBI single in the third before Garrett Larsen (Yale) scored on a steal of home. Leading 10-1, Danbury added another run in the fourth on an error that scored Garbowski.

Valley managed a run in the seventh and two runs in the eighth, but the Westerners’ early offensive firepower was too much to handle and put the game out of reach. 

To cap off the night, Gabriel Tirado (UConn) blasted a two-run home run in the top of the ninth. Tirado’s shot meant that every Westerner's starter recorded at least one hit, with Lutte leading the way with four. 

Danbury only used three pitchers in the victory, but they got the job done as reliever Nick Murphy (CCSU) earned the win while Jack Levine (UMass) was issued the loss.

The Westerners win their third in a row to improve to 8-9, and host the North Shore Navigators tomorrow at 6:30 pm in a battle of red-hot teams. Valley drops to 10-9, as the Blue Sox travel to take on the Sanford Mainers tomorrow night at 6:30 pm.

Box Score

 

Bristol Blues vs. Martha’s Vineyard Sharks

Final Score: Bristol 8, Martha’s Vineyard 1

Bristol, CT – The Bristol Blues defeated the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks 8-1 Monday night behind a nine-strikeout performance. The Blues improve to 14-8 on the season. 

The Blues were the first to get on the scoreboard in the bottom of the first with a Joe Tiroly (Virginia) RBI single. The Blues then added a Thomas Ahlers (Keene State) run to cap off the first inning. 

The Sharks responded in the top of the third inning with a William Lybrook (Harvard) single to center field to bring home Jackson Miller (Mississippi). 

Bristol then added four more runs in the bottom of the fourth when Nate Lincoln (Marist) drove in a run with a single, who then came around to score following an error by the second baseman. Later in the inning, Joey DeMucci (Penn State) scored on a ground out, and CJ Egrie (Holy Cross) came home on a single to the outfield. 

The Blues continued their offensive onslaught, capping off the night in the bottom of the seventh, adding two more runs with a Jack Hopko (Rhode Island) single to center field, making the lead 8-1. The score would remain for the next one and a half innings as the Bristol pitching and defense were able to hold firm, keeping the Sharks from closing the gap. 

The Blues pitcher JT Landwehr (Portland) was credited with the win while his counterpart William Wallace (Pomona-Pitzer) was issued a loss on the season. 

The Bristol Blues are back in action Tuesday night as they head to Rhode Island to face the Ocean State Waves. The Sharks return to action as they sail home to host the Newport Gulls Tuesday night.

Read Box Score Here

 

The New England Collegiate Baseball League is a wooden bat college summer league that fields teams in all six New England states. Partially funded by Major League Baseball, the New England League started play in 1994 and has sent over 230 alumni to the Major Leagues with nearly 30 alumni taken in the first round of the MLB Draft. For continuing coverage of the NECBL, visit NECBL.com and follow the league on Twitter, Instagram and on Facebook.