Martha’s Vineyard Sharks vs. Newport Gulls 

NECBL SOUTHERN DIVISION CHAMPIONSHIP GAME THREE 

Final Score: Martha’s Vineyard 6, Newport 3

Newport, RI- The Gulls hosted the Sharks for a winner-takes-all game three matchup to determine who moves on to play the Keene SwampBats in the 2025 NECBL Fay Vincent Sr Cup. The home team Gulls were able to get on the board first, when Matt Bolton (Binghamton) scored on a passed ball to put Newport up 1-0 in the bottom of the first. 

In the bottom third, Max Kaufer (South Carolina) would kick off his monster performance with a solo home run to tie the game at one apiece. The Sharks would continue to pour it on in the top of the fifth when Brayden Martin (Maryland) drove in Max Kaufer (South Carolina) on a single to give the Sharks the lead at 2-1. Carter Bentley (Northeastern) followed up when he scored on a wild pitch to give Martha’s Vineyard another run and a 3-1 lead. 

The very next inning, Max Kaufer (South Carolina) took advantage of sloppy play by Newport when he scored  on a wild pitch, increasing the Sharks’ lead to 4-1. This would lead into the seventh, when Brady Krzciok (Central Michigan) drove in Will Hampton (Vanderbilt) on a single, and Blake Binderup (Texas A&M) drove in Krzciok on a groundout to further increase the lead to 6-1.

Newport would not go down silently. In the bottom of the eighth, the Gulls proceeded to load up bases, and Dre Lewis (Manhattan) walked in Mike Gupton (Memphis) to make the score 6-2. Kyle Branch (Oklahoma) then hit a sac fly, driving in Colby Wallace (East Carolina), cutting the Vineyard lead in half, making it 6-3. Zachery Broderick (Merrimack) then came into the game for relief, earning a strike out for the final out and sending the game into the ninth. 

After Martha’s Vineyard was unable to add any insurance runs in the top of the inning, the Gulls managed to load up the bases. Broderick would continue to channel his clutch gene, earning a strikeout, and sending the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks to the 2025 NECBL Championship Series (Fay Vincent Sr Cup). 

The 2025 Fay Vincent Sr Cup will commence tomorrow, August 7th. Game one will take place at the higher seed Keene SwampBats’ Alumni Field in Keene, NH, and game two at the Shark Tank in Oak Bluffs, MA on Friday, August 8th. If necessary, the series will head back to Keene for game three on Saturday, August 9th.

You can view the box score here.