Newport Drops Second Straight in 5-2 Loss to Vineyard

The Gulls hosted the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks for their second meeting this season on a beautiful Friday at Cardine’s Field. The floodgates opened early for the Sharks as some costly errors in the top of the first resulted in a 3-0 lead for the visitors. This lead was compounded in the top of the second, as a double from Carter Bentley drove in the fourth run, leaving the Gulls down 4-0 with 7 innings to play. The Gulls found their footing though with a pair of doubles, first with a deep fly ball to center field from Devan Zirwas (Eastern Michigan), followed up by an adjacent drive to right centerfield by Tristan Salinas (Rutgers University), getting the Gulls on the board. Things quieted down in the fourth, with back to back scoreless frames. In the top of the fifth, the Gulls looked to righty Jake Kennedy (Oklahoma St.) who was able to retire the side in four batters. The bottom of the fifth saw the Gulls close the score gap, as Braxton Tramel (East Carolina University) successfully rounded the bases, courtesy of a Devan Zirwas single to right field. 

Despite Newport's efforts to claw back into the game, the Sharks' pitching staff proved difficult to solve. Starter Serigne Sarre worked six strong innings, striking out seven. The Gulls continued to battle at the plate, but were unable to find the timely hit needed to complete the comeback. Newport's bullpen kept the game within reach, however, Martha's Vineyard added an insurance run in the top of the eighth on an RBI single from Jackson Taylor, extending the lead to 5-2. Ben Waterman shut the door over the final three innings, striking out five and earning the save as the Sharks handed the Gulls a 5-2 defeat. 

The Gulls will look to get back into the win column tonight, June 13th, as they head to Samford to face the Mainers. First pitch is slated for 6:35 tonight.

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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