Gulls Take Down Blue Sox in Comeback Fashion

The Newport Gulls experienced a sense of deja vu on Wednesday Night, when they had another comeback win against the Valley Blue Sox at home by a score of 12-9, in a night when the bats were on fire for both teams.

The game immediately started with a bang when Valley scored 2 runs to start the first two innings of play.



But Newport quickly answered back in the bottom of the third inning when 
Maddox Haley (Gonzaga) managed to belt a two-run home run into right-center field.



They then scored two more runs in the third inning when a Haley single drove home 
Devan Zirwas (Coastal Carolina), which was followed up in the next at bat when 
Mason Ligenza (Pittsburgh) hit a single to left field that scored 
Tristan Salinas (Rutgers).

While the Blue Sox were able to score another run in the Top of the 4th, the bottom of the inning became a Newport offensive rally.



With the bases loaded, Salinas hit a single that managed to score 
Ernie Echevarria (Penn).



At the next at bat, 
Maddox Haley drove another run home in the form of 
Gus Gandy (Samford).



Immediately after that, Ligenza's batter eye was top notch, earning a walk that scored Zirwas.

It looked like the game would be all Newport, but the 5th inning proved that to be untrue.



 Valley managed to drive home 5 runs, putting them up 8-7.



Things stayed like that up until the 8th, when Valley scored another run, putting the Blue Sox up 2 going into the bottom of the inning.



 However, in a sense of deja vu, 
Maddox Haley managed to come in clutch yet again, hitting a definitive home run out to left that scored himself and Salinas on the first pitch of his at bat.



 But the runs even continued to come in, when Gandy hit a high fly ball out to left, the ball just barely hitting the branches of the tree that goes over the fence of Cardinnes.



After a discussion by the umpires, they agreed that it was enough to count as a home run that drove home both Ligenza and 
Adam Broski (Michigan State), the 5 runs enough to give the Newport a three-run lead.

However, Gulls fans still held their breath, their hopes resting on 
John Mass (Florida Atlantic), a native of Portsmouth, RI.



After getting out the first two batters via fly outs, Mass struggled as he walked the next two batters, with the tying run coming to the plate.



But after a conversation with Broski and pitching coach Kevin Smith, Mass recorded a 5-pitch strikeout to end the game, securing his first win of the season.

Together, the Gulls and Blue Sox recorded 27 hits, two less than they recorded the last time they played.



Newport now improves to 16-9-1, putting them half a game behind Martha's Vineyard for the Southern Division lead.



They will head to Mystic on Thursday before returning home Friday to host the Ocean State Waves. Valley, meanwhile, falls to 9-13-1, and will be on the road once more tomorrow as they take on North Adams.



 These two teams will meet for the final time this season on Sunday at MacKenzie Stadium in Holyoke, MA.