Gulls Walk-Off with 6-5 Win over Pilgrims
Stephen Scott scores winning run on Snyder sacrifice fly
The Newport Gulls improved to 6-4 on the 2016 season after defeating the Plymouth Pilgrims 6-5 Monday, winning in walk-off fashion for the second straight home game at Cardines Field.
Stephen Scott (Vanderbilt), who hit the walk-off grand slam in Friday night’s contest, put the Gulls in position to win again with a lead-off triple to deep centerfield to lead off the bottom of the 9th with the scored knotted at five. Gabe Snyder (Wright State) lifted a deep fly to center to score Scott for the game-winning sacrifice fly.
Hunter Schryver (Villanova) improved to 2-0 on the season after closing the door on the Pilgrims in a relief appearance Monday night. Schryver did not allow a hit in 2 1/3 innings while striking out four, including the last three in the top of the ninth.
After two scoreless innings, the Pilgrims opened up the scoring in the third. Ryan Brown did most of the work as he earned a full-count walk. Brown advanced to third – after successfully stealing second – on a throwing error to centerfield by the Gulls. Brown scored when Cameron Hanely sent a long drive down the right field line for an RBI single. Scott threw out Hanley as he attempted to extend his single to a double to help minimize the damage.
Cole Fabio (Bryant) continued to swing a hot bat, lining a single to left field, advancing Chris Chatfield(South Florida) and Connor Kaiser (Vanderbilt); both got on as a result of back-to-back Pilgrims’ errors to position the Gulls for a big inning early on. Friday night’s hero, Scott, singled up the middle with the bases loaded, scoring Kaiser to take the advantage away from the Pilgrims. Chatfield scored during the next sequence as the Gulls took a 2-1 lead on an error by the Pilgrims starting pitcher on a failed pick-off attempt to first.
The Gulls scored three runs to extend their lead to 5-1 in the home half of the fourth inning with a little help from some inconsistent pitching by the Pilgrims. The Gulls earned three walks in the inning to put continuous pressure on the Plymouth pitching staff. A bases-loaded walk to Chatfield drove in a run, and Fabio hustled out an infield single to second as his frozen-rope shot took Chase Bushor off his feet in a diving effort to prevent the ball from going through the infield, scoring Shane Matheny (Washington State). Scott immediately followed Fabio with a fielder’s choice to second to drive in his second RBI of the night, putting the Gulls up 5-1.
The Pilgrims charged back in the fifth and scored three runs on three hits to cut the Gulls lead down to 5-4. Riley Delgado singled to start the offensive charge. After Brown earned his second base on balls, Bushor sent a deep single down the right-field line. The defensive awareness by the Gulls’ Scott froze the runners, preventing a run to score, leaving the bases loaded for Hanley. Goddard recorded his final out of the night when Hanley sent a soft blooper to shortstop. Garrett Barker (UCLA) relieved Goddard to close out the inning, but not before the Pilgrims scored two more on a two-run single by Chris Corbett.
In the sixth inning, Riley Delgado evened the score at 5-5 for the Pilgrims on his second hit of the night, an RBI single, through the middle of the infield as the defense was playing shallow in an attempt to prevent the run from scoring.
Scoring suddenly became a premium as neither team produced a run since the sixth inning. Schryver pitched the final two innings for the Gulls, keeping the Pilgrims off the bases and out of scoring position, included recording three strikeouts in the ninth.
Jackson Goddard (Kansas) started strong on the mound, giving the Gulls four plus innings, allowing four earned runs on six hits with six strikeouts.
The Gulls are back on the road tomorrow with a long trip to Montpelier, Vermont to face the Mountaineers (2-7) with first pitch set for 6:30 p.m. Newport is back in action at Cardines Field for Middletown Appreciation Night on Wednesday, where the Gulls will take on the NECBL’s newest franchise, the Upper Valley Nighthawks. Gates open at 5 p.m., and first pitch is at 6:35 p.m. The first 250 fans will receive Middletown T-shirts, courtesy of the Town of Middletown.
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