Zach Letson – Broadcaster and Team Publicist
NORWICH, C.T. — After falling in heartbreaking fashion in game one 2-1, Newport (9-8) bounced back with a 3-2 game two victory in Sunday’s seven-inning doubleheader against Mystic (7-8). It was the Gulls’ first-ever trip to Dodd Stadium.
In game one, Newport got a third straight dominant outing from Dominic Perachi. The southpaw’s scoreless streak extended to 16 innings with five more today, sprinkling in six strikeouts. It’s the longest scoreless streak for any pitcher in the entire NECBL this season.
For a second consecutive seven-inning game, the Gulls found themselves in a scoreless affair through seven innings. In the eighth, Sam Kulasingam found the breakthrough moment, scoring the first run for either side all day with an RBI single. But the Schooners rallied with two in the bottom of the inning to walk it off, 2-1.
In game two, it was another masterful start from a Gulls starting pitcher, this time Logan McGuire. The Georgia Tech product put together his best start in a Newport uniform, notching 10 strikeouts and allowing only two runs in five innings pitched.
The Gulls backed him up with some immediate offense. After Trent Farquhar connected on his first hit of another multi-hit performance, Noah Martinez drove in a pair with a double that rolled to the left field wall. As the de facto home team for game two in Norwich, Newport took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first.
The Gulls added another in the third. Jared Wegner picked up his first hit with Newport this summer, and came around to score on a bloop RBI single from Josh Kuroda-Grauer.
It was all the offense Newport needed. McGuire departed after the fifth, and Garret Simpson put the finishing touches for the Gulls out of the bullpen. The Wright State righty threw two scoreless innings to end the game and help the Gulls snap a four-game road losing streak.
The win moves Newport back into a tie for first in the Coastal Division with Martha’s Vineyard (9-8). One team will take sole possession tomorrow night when the two teams face off at Cardines Field at 6:35 pm.