Newport Captures Second Straight Win in 16-4 Blowout Over Danbury

After four games, Newport was waiting for the bats to wake up, That moment came tonight as the Gulls erupted for 16 runs in a win over South Division rival, the Danbury Westerners. The offensive onslaught came with runs scored in 7 frames off of 16 total hits, including three home runs. 

The Gulls got on the board in the second with a two RBI single from Mason Ligenza (Pitt), followed by Ryan Novak’s (Miami OH) first homerun of the 2026 season, doubling the lead to four. 

Caeden Cloud (Kentucky) made his first appearance in a Gulls uniform and did not disappoint. The shortstop stepped in for his second at bat in the fourth and drove a deep fly ball over the left field wall to add to Newport’s lead. The first five runs scored totaled a new season high for the Gulls, and the bats were only just getting started. 

Starting on the mound for Newport was Mason Christopher (Seton Hall). Making his second start of the season, Christopher continued his impressive beginning to the 2026 campaign. The lefty went five innings of no run ball, giving up just three hits and striking out six. Christopher is yet to surrender a run this year, or even give up a walk. 

Back to the batter’s box, Devan Zirwas (Eastern Michigan) singled in the sixth, driving in one as part of his four hit day. With a 7-0 lead after six innings of play, Ryan Novak took advantage of a bases loaded opportunity and mashed his second long ball of the day. The grand slam advanced Newport’s lead to 11, with Danbury yet to answer. 

Danbury finally got the bats going and scored four of its own in the bottom of the 7th. While this was somewhat of a bright spot for the Westerners, Newport only continued to pour it on as Caeden Cloud and Mason Ligenza each added another RBI, and Ryan Jaros (Rutgers) contributed his third of the season. 

Out of the bullpen, Bryce McCain (Austin Peay) and Jake Kennedy (Oklahoma St.) combined for the final four innings of work. They combined for five strikeouts, moving the team total to double digits.

Contributing to this impressive offensive performance is the fact that Newport’s lead-off got aboard in eight out of nine innings. The Gulls were then able to skillfully move runners around the bases, batting .333 with runners in scoring position. 

The 16 runs scored by the Gulls tonight are the most runs scored since exactly one year ago when, on June 9th, 2025, Newport scored 18 against the Valley Blue Sox. Now winners of two straight, Newport aims to move above .500 for the first time this season when they face the Vermont Mountaineers Wednesday night. First pitch from Cardines Field is set for 6:35p, with streaming available on UNBEATEN and NECBL+.

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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