CHAMPS! Gulls Win 2014 NECBL Championship

After taking a 1-0 series lead over the Sanford Mainers with a victory at Cardines Field on Monday, the Newport Gulls were seeking to secure their sixth Fay Vincent Cup at Sanford on Tuesday. In front of 744 fans at Goodall Park, the Newport Gulls won their sixth NECBL Championship, defeating the Sanford Mainers, 8-5, while sweeping them in the Championship Series, 2-0.

The Mainers threatened early against Gulls starter Jack Patterson with two base runners in the first inning. After Sam Balzano reached on an error by third baseman Reed Gamache, Patterson allowed a single to Sam Dexter to put runners on the corners. However, a botched bunt attempt by Caden Bailey enabled Patterson to flip the ball in time to catcher P.J. Jones, nailing the speedy Balzano at the plate for the inning’s first out. Patterson followed up his great defense by striking out Cory Raley and Michael Rescigno to end the inning, maintaining the scoreless deadlock.

In the top of the second, the Gulls threatened early against Mainers starter Richard Vrana. With a leadoff single by Tanner Donnels, a walk issued to Jones, and a long fielder’s choice off the bat of Tyler Green, the Gulls had runners on first and second with Gamache coming up to bat. Vrana struck out Gamache on four pitches, ending the inning while evading a possible jam.

After Patterson retired six straight batters between the first and third innings, the Mainers rallied once again in the bottom of the third. Base hits from Balzano, Dexter, and Bailey loaded the bases, but Patterson was able to strike out Raley and Rescigno to end the inning with score still tied at zero.

With Vrana only allowing two hits heading into the bottom of the fifth, the Gulls were able to get a rally going when Shea Donlin laced a two-out double to left field. After Vrana intentionally walking Tommy Edman to put runners on second, Ben Roberts hit a ground ball straight at Dexter, who tagged the base to end the inning with both shutouts intact.

The Gulls were able to break the scoreless deadlock with eight runs in the top of the sixth. With the bases loaded and two outs, Gamache laced a bases-clearing double to deep left field, bringing home Jose Vizcaino Jr., Jones, and Green to put the Gulls on the board. In the next at-bat, an error by Raley at shortstop allowed Gamache to score from second. With Edman doubling down the left field line, two more runs scored after Roberts reached on an error by first baseman Kendall Patrick. Meanwhile, Blaise Salter continued his consistency at the plate, blasting a two-run home run over the fence in left field to give the Gulls an 8-0 lead.

Back on the mound with a newfound 8-0 lead, Patterson struggled to keep the Mainers bats silenced in the bottom of the sixth. The lefty from Bryant allowed singles to Raley and Rescigno before walking Patrick to load the bases with one out. Eventually, Matt Pagano lined a single up the middle to drive home Raley, putting the Mainers on the board. The Mainers scored two more times on two errors by Gamache at third base, while a two-run single by Dexter drove home two more runs. Eventually, after the Mainers tagged Patterson for five runs, Gulls manager Mike Coombs brought Marc Huberman into the game for his fourth postseason appearance. Huberman struck out Bailey with runners on second and third, keeping the Gulls lead intact at 8-5.

Huberman, who recorded the save in Game Three of the Southern Division Finals after going 3 2/3 innings, struck out the first four batters he faced, including all three batters he faced in the seventh. In the eighth, the southpaw from Southern California retired the side in order again, getting two groundouts and a line out to Edman.

In the bottom of the ninth, Huberman returned to the mound to face the heart of the Mainers order. After walking Dexter and Bailey to lead off the inning, he retired Raley on a fly out to Donnels in right field. A wild pitch from Huberman moved both runners into scoring position. Huberman struck out the next two batters, including Patrick to secure the championship victory for the Gulls.

With the championship victory, the Newport Gulls have now won six Fay Vincent Cups, with titles coming in 2001, 2002, 2005, 2009, 2012, and 2014. The Gulls would like to congratulate all members of their organization: players, coaches, management, staff, sponsors, host families, and volunteers for helping the team win their sixth NECBL Championship, which gives them the most in NECBL history.

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