Gulls Secure Sixth Straight in 5-4 Win Over Blues
Newport continues to climb South Division standings as hot streak continues
Momentum was the name of the game as the Newport Gulls faced the Bristol Blues Saturday night, both teams trying to keep their impressive winning streaks alive—Bristol coming off four consecutive wins and Newport on an impressive five win stretch. The Gulls traveled out west to Muzzy Field looking to repeat the walkoff win against Bristol earlier this season, but the Blues weren’t going to make it easy for them. In a nail biting 5-4 win, the Newport Gulls survived, scratching another W in the win column to make it six straight.
Newport struck early. Gus Gandy (Samford) worked his way aboard in the first and moved all the way around the bases after a costly error from the Blues. The lead doubled in the third as Gandy once again scored after an RBI groundout from Brandon Larson (USC).
Jake Lenehan (Holy Cross) got the start for the third time this season and had himself another impressive outing. Lenehan allowed just one run across five innings of work, striking out three with only two walks.
When the Blues finally got on the board to make it 2-1, Newport responded with two more. Mason Ligenza’s (Pittsburgh) single drove in the first run of the fourth and Adam Broski (Michigan St.) delivered with a sacrifice fly, plating one more.
Zane Stahl (Louisville) was first out of the bullpen for Newport, entering to begin the sixth. After three innings of work, Stahl allowed just one run and struck out seven of the thirteen batters faced.
With a 4-2 lead heading into the ninth, Gus Gandy collected his second hit and scored on a passed ball to add some insurance. Mickey McClaskey (Gonzaga) entered to close things out, but not before Bristol scored twice while recording just one out, inching closer to extra innings. With two outs and the tying run on first, McClaskey delivered with a strike out to end the rally and push Newport to six straight.
The win keeps Newport at third in the South Division. The Gulls are off tomorrow but back in action on Monday as they host the Sanford Mainers at Cardines. First pitch is set for 6:35 pm with streaming available on ESPN+.
