The Blues fell to the Gulls 10-7 Friday night at Cardines Field. With the loss, Bristol is now second place in the South Division and one game behind Newport. 

The Blues and the Gulls came into the game tied for first place in the South Division, both with records of 19-10. The Blues took down the Gulls 6-2 Tuesday night at Muzzy Field to get within a game and a half of first place. The Gulls dropped a game to the Valley Blue Sox 6-5 on Wednesday, and the Blues picked up a 6-2 win over the Blue Sox on Thursday to even the standings.   

Newport got out to an early lead and never looked back, Randy Seymour (Michigan State) blasted a three-run homer in the bottom of the first to give the Gulls an early lead. The Blues answered back in the top of the second with a home run of their own thanks to Trevor Hansen (Manhattan) to make it a 3-2 game. 

Matthew Bolton (Binghamton University) singled with runners on second and third to drive in two more runs in the bottom of the second to make it 5-2 Gulls. The Blues cut into the lead to make it 5-3 in the top of the third, but once again Newport answered back in the bottom half scoring two more to make it 7-3 after three innings. 

Noah McMahon (Wofford) had a very uncharacteristic outing. McMahon came into the game with a 1.50 ERA on the season and had gone five innings or more in his last four starts and hadn't given up more than two runs in any of them. However, Newport was able to knock him out of the game early and McMahon only went two innings and gave up five earned runs, five hits and three walks.  

Dean Oneill (Middle Tennessee State) doubled in the top of the fifth to get the Blues within two and make it a 7-5 game. But Caden Connoly, (Michigan University) came on in relief and threw three scoreless innings and shutdown the Bristol offense. The Gulls padded their lead scoring a run in the sixth, seventh and eighth innings to make it 10-5. The Blues scored two runs in the top of the ninth, but it proved to be too little too late and the Gulls came away with a 10-7 win to reclaim first place in the South Division. 

Bristol’s pitching dug too deep of a hole to come out of in order to mount a comeback. Every time the Blues cut into the lead and got it close Newport answered back and kept pushing the lead back up. 

The Blues return back home to Muzzy Field Saturday night for a matchup with the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks first pitch is set for 6:35 p.m.  

Written by Ryan McKenna 

Photo Courtesy of Bristol Blues Instagram Page (@bristol_blues)