By Caden Charpentier – Media Operations Coordinator

Another see-saw affair in Cardines Field for the Newport Gulls (2-1) ended in the team’s first walk-off win since July 29, 2019, beating the Valley Blue Sox (2-2) 5-4 in 10 innings. 

This time around in the second contest at Cardines Field, third baseman Luke Beckstein was the hero for Newport. His sharp ground ball on the right side of the infield found the grass in the outfield and allowed Colton Ledbetter to jog to the plate, and score the game-winning run. The Gulls have now won the series opener against the Blue Sox in four out of the last five seasons. 

It was the pitching for the second straight game that showed up when it mattered the most for the Gulls. Bryant University product, Collin Lowe pitched five innings, allowing just four hits, and striking out an astounding seven batters. After keeping the Blue Sox scoreless for three consecutive innings, Kevin Seitter took the mound and picked up right where Lowe left off. The Quinnipiac Bobcat used his four-pitch combination, giving up just two hits and one earned run along with five strikeouts in three innings of work. 

In his Gulls debut Logan McGuire was dialed in. He finished the game off on the bump for Newport, adding three more strikeouts to bring the Gulls’ total to a 15. McGuire worked through two clean innings, in both the ninth and the tenth. With a runner implemented at second base to begin the top of the 10th inning, Mcguire was able to keep the Blue Sox off the board and allow the Gulls an opportunity to win the game in the bottom of the inning, earning the win

Joshua Kuroda-Grauer, Ledbetter, and Slate Alford led the Newport offense, combining for five of the eight Gulls’ hits on the night. Ledbetter’s double in the bottom of the first inning got things going for Newport, giving the Gulls an early 2-0 advantage at the end of one. Kuroda-Grauer had his first multi-hit game in a Gulls’ uniform, with a double in the first, and a single in the bottom of the seventh inning. Alford’s double off the wall in the fifth inning gave Newport the lead back after falling behind 3-2. 

In the nine spot of the Newport lineup, Harvard outfielder Ben Rounds lined a missile over the head of the shortstop to tie the game at three in the fourth inning. It is now back-to-back games for Rounds that he has collected a single, and an RBI. 

Cardines Field and the Newport Gulls gifted the fans another thriller that ended in a Gulls’ win. Newport wins its second straight game on its home field and now sits atop the Coastal Division along with the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks. Next on tap for Newport is another rivalry contest against the Ocean State Waves at Old Mountain Field at 6:30 pm tomorrow night. The Gulls seek to collect even more momentum before their battle with the Sharks at 6:35 pm at Cardines Field for Salve Regina University Community Night.

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