It was a beautiful evening at Cardines Field in Newport, Rhode Island as the Newport Gulls hosted the Ocean State Waves for the third game of the Pell Bridge Series. Leighton Harris (Kentucky) got the start for Newport, while Rhys Bowie took the mound for Ocean State.

Harris came out sharp for Newport with a quick 1-2-3 inning, and Bowie responded in kind, retiring the Gulls in order to keep things quiet in the first.

The Waves threatened in the second inning, but a perfect relay by Randy Seymour and the Gulls defense cut down an Ocean State runner at the plate to keep the game scoreless. Harris followed it up with a strikeout to end the inning, stranding a runner in scoring position.

Cade Brown reached first on a walk, stole second, and advanced to third on a throwing error by Waves catcher Coen Niclai. Brown came home on a wild pitch, capitalizing on small miscues by the Ocean State battery to give the Gulls a 1-0 lead.

Ocean State responded in the top of the third with two runs off a Newport error following a hard-hit ball from Niclai. Despite loading the bases with no outs, Harris limited the damage, allowing just two runs to keep the game close.

Bowie was dealing for Ocean State, striking out six through three innings while keeping the Gulls hitless and giving the Waves a strong start in this Pell Bridge clash.

Zach Plasschaert  got things going in the fourth for the Waves with a double into the gap, but Harris shut the door on the next few batters to escape unscathed.

Jake Gregor (Louisville) took over on the mound for Newport in the fifth.

Gavin Gregor opened the inning with a double and later scored on a ground-rule double by Ryan Gerety. A throwing error by Newport brought in another run, giving the Waves a 4-1 lead midway through the game.

The Gulls began their comeback in the bottom of the fifth, drawing a few walks to load the bases with no outs. Newest Gull Adam Agresti (St. John’s) delivered a clutch 2-RBI single to tie the game at 4-4.

Ocean State tacked on a run in the top of the sixth, but two baserunning mistakes proved costly, as they were caught on the basepaths, helping Newport limit the damage and stay within one run.

The Gulls kept it tight through the seventh, still trailing 5-4, with the Waves escaping a jam and stranding two Newport runners.

Aidan O’Connell (Vanderbilt) came on strong for the Gulls with some timely strikeouts, keeping the game within reach.

Ryan Novak (Miami) delivered the hit of the game in the eighth, launching a home run over the right field wall to tie it up at 5-5. Novak later made a highlight-reel sliding catch in left field to rob Ocean State of extra bases and preserve the tie.

The hero of the night was Michael Gupton, who ripped a walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth to score Matt Bolton from second, sealing a 6-5 victory for the Gulls and giving them a 2-1 lead in the Pell Bridge Series.

What a game at Cardines Field, as the Gulls clawed back from behind and walked it off in dramatic fashion!

The Gulls return to action at Cardines on July 4th against the Keene Swamp Bats, with first pitch scheduled for 6:35 PM in what promises to be a thrilling showdown against the top team in the league. Prior to the next game at Cardines, The Gulls will play at Danbury tomorrow July 3rd at 6:30PM.