Friday night’s championship rematch between the Bristol Blues and the Newport Gulls was a game fitting for champions. 17 combined hits, 12 pitchers, more multi-run innings than scoreless ones, and a 3 ½ run time. In the end, the Gulls pulled off the comeback of the year, going from 8-0 down to win 12-10.
Gulls Starter Drew Blake (Oklahoma St.) made his first appearance after joining the team last week. Unfortunately, he would only make it through 1 and a third, conceding 6 runs. Bristol scored first, three batters into the game. A bloop single to right and a walk put two on with one out for Skye Selinsky who drove home two runs on a single to left. They would make it 4-0 in the 2nd off of accuracy issues from Blake, who walked one and hit two more, both of whom scored on a wild pitch. Another single would drive home two more, leaving the Gulls a half-dozen down. A double from Michael Zarillo off Drew DeLucia (Franklin Pierce) made it 8-0 before the Gulls recorded a sixth out.
DeLucia would post 4 innings of solid pitching in his best performance of the season, only allowing one earned run in the 3rd. Adam Walker (Austin Peay) would replace him with another scoreless outing, going 1.1. Cade Connolly (USC) would match Walker’s performance, with another 1.1 scoreless. In the ninth, the Gulls turned to closer Colby Holcombe (Miss. St.). Holcombe mowed through the blues with two more strikeouts. In total, the bullpen, which had struggled of late, threw 7.2 innings of work giving up 1 earned run.
The Gulls would get on the board in the 2nd inning. Back to Back Doubles from Greg Bozzo (Northeastern) and Luke Orbon (St. John’s) started the inning before Bozzo scored on a wild pitch. Orbon himself would score on an RBI groundout from Niko Brini (Wofford), cutting the deficit to 8-2. In the third, the Gulls would add another, forcing Blues pitcher Kevin Kell from the game after 2 ⅓, after Dixon Williams (ECU) drove in Brody Szako (Austin Peay).
In the 5th, the Gulls would get some more. A single by Andrew Duncan (Florida St.) brought up Tyler Hare (Wofford). Hare, last year’s team leader in Home Runs in 2023, hit his 1st of the year across the street, making this one back into a game at 9-5. Bristol would push one more across on an error in the 6th, extending the lead to 10-5.
Jack Doyle (Northeastern) would not let that score last long, hitting a 2-run home run to make it 10-7 two batters into the 6th. Following a walk by Carmelo Mussachia (Northeastern), Niko Brini delivered again with a wall-ball double. A walk from Andrew Duncan (Florida State) loaded the bases for Tyler Hare, who walked home a run. Then Brody Szako (Austin Peay) happened. A no-doubt grand slam went halfway to Middletown, giving the Gulls their 1st lead of the game at 12-10. After that, the bats would go quiet on both sides with three scoreless innings ending an entertaining evening at Cardines.
With this win, the Gulls improve to 12-6 while the Blues fall to 9-8. The Gulls resume play at 5:05 tomorrow evening at the North Shore Navigators. The Gulls next home game is Monday evening at 6:35 PM vs. the Upper Valley Nighthawks.
Very well reported with a welcomed sense of humor. It was well composed and great to read.