NEWPORT. VINEYARD. GAME 3. WEDNESDAY NIGHT

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Newport Gulls

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NEWPORT R.I. - The Newport Gulls took the ferry over to Martha's Vineyard to take on the Sharks in game two of this semi final matchup, looking to punch their spot in the NECBL championship for a third straight year. CJ Bott (UCLA) got the start for the Gulls to try and clinch a spot in the finale and Peter Dubie got the start for the Sharks. 

Martha's Vineyard got out of a Gulls two out rally in the 1st inning and got out of a few walks to limit Newport’s damage to none. CJ Bott does the same as he strikes out two Shark batters and retires the side in the bottom of the first inning to start the game for the Gulls. Bott, mainly using his fastball, having these Vineyard hitters trying to catch up to the velocity of Bott. 

The patience of the Gulls batters was on point as in only two innings the Gulls forced 3 walks on Vineyard to put a little pressure on the Sharks pitching staff and defense. The walk and stolen base by Kyle Branch (Oklahoma) did not mean much as Vineyard worked out of a little jame in the second and got off the field with no damage from Newport. 

Bott with a few mistakes in the second inning letting the first Vineyard batter get on and then a balk to advance that runner 90 feet and to get in scoring position. 

Max Kaufer took advantage of a few Newport mistakes and capitalized in a huge way and hit a 3 run homerun into deep left field to take the first lead of the game in a win or go home for the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks. Bott got out of the inning with a strikeout but the Sharks got the last of him and came to play to try and keep their season alive. 

Matthew Bolton (Binghamton) got the Gulls first hit of the night with an infield single in the top of the third to try and get some momentum for Newport. The Gulls didn't take any time to respond to the Vineyard home run as Michael Gupton (Memphis) hit a double right down the left field line and brought in Bolton for the Gulls first run of the game and gave Newport some momentum. 

Colby Wallace (East Carolina) wanted to get into the action in the third inning and so he blasted a 2 run home run to deep left field to score Gupton and tie the game at three and responded right back to the Vineyard home run with the first three batters. Wallace hits his second home run of the playoffs and this one came at a great time to strengthen the momentum for Newport. 

Newport responded in the third inning with four straight hits and three runs and made this game a whole new one in the third inning. The Gulls kept putting pressure on this Shark defense as Andreaus Lewis (Manhattan) hit an infield single on a fielder's choice and Kyle Branch (Oklahoma) reached on an error by the Vineyard shortstop. 

This offensive burst from Newport in the third inning came off of the first relief pitcher Ryan Ashford and the Gulls took advantage and tied the game up on 3 hits with 3 batters. This Newport offense has been hot all throughout the playoffs and is eager to get back to the championship. 

Brayden Martin was successful with the slow rolling infield single in the third inning as he beat out the dribbler down the first base line. Landon Scilley got on with a line drive single to left field and advanced Martin to second base. The Sharks loaded the bases up in the bottom of the third as they looked to regain the lead. 

Gio Colasante hit a single up the middle and it scored the runner that was on third but after a great throw from Michael Gupton in centerfield cut down the second Shark runner trying to score at home. Bott got Newport out of the inning with a ground ball to Randy Seymour (Michigan State) who flipped it to Branch to get the final out of the third inning. 

Matt Bolton on base for the second straight inning, and he continued his on base streak to another game. The patience by the Newport batters and the power by the top of the lineup kept the Gulls in this game in the 4th inning. 

Colby McNeely got out of the 4th inning after a pair of walks and kept the lead for Vineyard. 

CJ Bott (UCLA) got through the bottom of the 4th inning unscathed with a 1,2,3 inning and sent some momentum off the mound and to the bats as the Gulls tried to take the lead for the first time in the 5th inning and at the halfway point of the game. 

The Gulls continued to put pressure on the Vineyard pitchers as their patience at the plate was strong and got runners on base each inning. Matt Ossenfort (Michigan) advanced both of the runners on base to scoring position with a ground out to the Vineyard third basemen. 

Rohan Lettow came in relief for the Sharks and got Ryan Novak (Miami) to fly out and strand two runners in scoring position in the top of the fifth inning. 

A double from Brady Krzciok gave Vineyard another run on the board to extend their lead to a pair in the bottom of the 5th inning. CJ Bott got his seventh strikeout of the night to get out of the 5th inning and kept Newport still in the game headed to the back half of the game. 

Matt Bolton (Binghamton) got on base for the third time of the night as he crushed a double in the top of the 6th inning to get Newport going and get momentum to get back in this game. Gupton gets on after Bolton with a HBP to get two more guys on base in a crucial 6th inning. Colby Wallace (East Carolina) got on base in the 6th inning due to a pitch clock violation that gave him the walk and loaded the bases for the Gulls. Adam Agresti (St Johns) hit a sac fly to bring home Bolton and cut the Vineyard lead to one in the 6th inning. 

Lettow escapes the jam for the Sharks and strand two runners in scoring position but Newport cuts the deficit in half and only is down one run going into the bottom of the 6th inning. 

Casen Murphy (Louisville) takes over on the mound in the 6th inning for Newport. 

Brayden Martin gets on base again to bring in another run for the Sharks to extend the lead a little bit for the Vineyard. Murphy walks in another run for the Sharks in the 6th inning. 

Blake Julius (Oklahoma St) relieved Murphy in the 6th inning. Another Newport walk brought in another run for the Sharks. Brady Krzoik brought in 2 runs for the Sharks and extended the lead to 6 runs. Four runs scored on two doubles from Will Hampton and the Sharks just kept on piling on runs and extending their lead by 11 runs in the 6th inning. 

Julius gets out of the 6th inning but this game is all Sharks through six innings as Vineyard has a commanding 11 run lead. 

Matt Ossenfort (Michigan) gets on base for the first time for his first hit of the playoffs as the Gulls keep getting guys on base. Ryan Novak (Miami) hits a double off the right field wall which gives the Gulls two runners in scoring position. Bolton got an RBI ground out to bring home Ossenfort to add another run for Newport. Michael Gupton beats out an infield single and brings home Novak to chip away at the Vineyard lead. 

Vineyard still held a mammoth lead in the 7th inning but the Newport offense has not been quiet this game and have gotten runners on each inning so far. 

Zach Taylor (Endicott) takes over the mound for the Gulls in the bottom of the 7th inning to try and shut down the Vineyard offense. Taylor gets out of the 7th inning with no damage from the Sharks and gives a bit of momentum back to the Newport bats. 

Another inning and another Gulls runner on base with a double, this one by Adam Agresti (St Johns) who sent one down the left field line for a ground rule double. 

Vineyard got out of the 8th inning and still was up 9 runs with only three more outs to get before forcing a game three in Newport. 

The Sharks just put the extra insurance runs in the bottom of the 8th and they came to play in this game two semi final matchup.

The Newport Gulls had a runner on base every inning and the bats were not silenced at all tonight. Ryan Novak (Miami) smacked another double down the right field line in the 9th inning which gave the Gulls another two runners in scoring position. Colby Wallace (East Carolina) gave Newport another run in the 9th inning on a sac fly to center field. 

The Martha’s Vineyard Sharks forced a game three tomorrow night at Cardines Field in Newport for a winner take all and go to the NECBL championship to face the Keene Swampbats. It was all Sharks tonight in Oak Bluffs as Newport held this Vineyard team through five innings but then the Gulls pitching fell apart and Vineyard took advantage of it and scored 11 runs in one inning. 

It all comes down to this. Two teams, one goal, and a winner take all matchup in Newport, RI for a spot in the championship on the line. First pitch at 6:35 pm and broadcasted on ESPN+. 

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The Newport Gulls, members of the 13-team New England Collegiate Baseball League (NECBL), are a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, founded as the Rhode Island Gulls in 1998 in Cranston, R.I., before moving to Newport in 2001. In addition to recruiting, fielding, and developing a team of the nation's top collegiate baseball athletes and attracting 50,000 fans annually to Cardines Field, the predominantly volunteer organization strives to benefit the community via summer camps, reading programs, fundraisers, scholarships, and charitable donations – totaling over $1 million since 2001. The Gulls are eight-time champions of the NECBL – the winningest franchise in league history – and were ranked as the overall No. 1 summer collegiate baseball team in the country by Perfect Game USA in 2012.

For more information about the Newport Gulls, visit facebook.com/newportgulls, follow the Gulls on Twitter @NewportGulls or visit www.newportgulls.com.