The Newport Gulls completed a sweep of the Sanford Mainers in the New England Collegiate Baseball League Eastern Division Semi-Finals with a 4-0 victory on the road at Goodall Park on Monday, August 5.

Newport, the defending NECBL champions, advance to take on the Mystic Schooners in the NECBL Eastern Division Championship Series, which will begin with Game One at Cardines Field on Wednesday, August 7. First pitch is at 6:35 p.m.

The third-seeded Schooners swept the second-seeded Ocean State Waves to advance to the championship series for the first time in franchise history. The Gulls will send left-hander Mark McCoy to the mound for his first start of the postseason in Game One. Mystic will counter with right-hander Kurt Sowa. The winner of the series will advance to the NECBL Championship Series.

The Gulls jumped out to an early lead over the Mainers in Game Two, plating three runs in the second inning. Left fielder Ben Roberts led off the inning with a single and right fielder Timmy Robinson followed with a walk before designated hitter Steve Anderson lifted a ball down the left field line that just stayed fair for an opposite-field RBI double. First baseman Brett Winger followed with a two-run single to the gap in right centerfield to clear the bases and extend the Gulls lead to 3-0.

Newport had a chance to add to their lead in the fifth inning, but Aaron Casper came on in relief of Mainers starter Evan Hill, who ended up taking the loss for the Mainers, lasting just four and two thirds innings allowing three runs on three hits with four walks and five strikeouts, and got shortstop Trace Tam Sing to pop up with the bases loaded to end the threat.

Centerfielder Cody Jones helped extend the Newport lead to 4-0 in the sixth inning, reaching on a one-out single, stealing second base and coming around to score on an RBI single from second baseman Shea Donlin off Mainers reliever Iannick Remillard.    

The Mainers had a base runner in every inning but the sixth against Newport starter Sean Hartnett, who kept Sanford off the scoreboard, working around four hits and five walks while striking out four over six stellar innings. Hartnett, who picked up the win, gave way to left-handed reliever Kyle McGrath, who did not allow a base runner over two shutout innings. Closer Kyle Wilcox came on to slam the door in the ninth inning working around a leadoff single by Mainers first baseman Nic Wilson, who went 2-for-4 in the loss.   

The Gulls, who posted the best team ERA (2.19) in the NECBL during the regular season allowed just four runs, all of which came in the seventh inning of Game One, in the series sweep of the Mainers.

Newport plated four runs on six hits and did not commit an error. Sanford, whose season comes to an end at the hands of the Gulls in the playoffs for the second consecutive season, managed just five hits and did not commit an error in the loss.