By: Shannon Bickert
The Schooners dropped their second straight game, falling by an 8-4 final to the Gulls. Mystic moves to 8-4 on the summer.
In the first start of his collegiate career, Ashton Arroyo (Georgetown) tossed an efficient first inning. After hitting the leadoff batter, Arroyo tossed a strikeout and forced a double play.
Will Taylor (Trinity) followed with a three-up, three-down frame for the Gulls.
Arroyo struck out the side in the bottom of the second frame.
After sitting down the first eighth batters he faced, Taylor walked Christian Butera (Brown), representing the Schooners first baserunner of the game. Taylor forced a groundout to strand Butera at first.
The Gulls broke open the scoring in the bottom of the third courtesy of a three-run blast. Cole Johnson (Austin Peay) wore a pitch and Mason Ligenza (UPitt) reached on an error, setting up Caeden Cloud (Kentucky) for a three-run shot.
Bryce Detwiler (UConn) broke up the no-hitter, opening the top of the fourth frame with a base hit to center field. Cam Righi (UConn) swapped places with Detwiler on first on a fielder’s choice and swiped his team-leading eighth bag of the season. Taylor stranded Righi in scoring position, dealing back-to-back strikeouts.
The Gulls doubled their lead in the fourth inning.Braden Leed (PSU) took the bump Mystic. Ryan Novak (Miami U) led off the frame with a hard-hit single through the right side and Peter Mershon (MSU) took his spot on the basepaths on a fielder's choice. Braxton Tramel (ECU) was issued a free pass and Johnson wore his second pitch of the day to load the bases for Newport. Broski ripped an RBI single that trickled into right field to give Newport a 4-0 lead. Tramel came in to score on Ligenza’s sacrifice fly. Gandy dunked an RBI single into center field, giving the Gulls a six-run advantage.
The Schooners rallied in the fifth inning, scoring four in the frame. Anthony Belisario (Portal) worked a walk and stole second in the fifth frame. Justin Best (Manhattan) reached on a drop third strike and Belisario took third, putting runners on the corners for Mystic, ending Taylor’s day. Parker Jennings (OSU) took the rubber for the Gulls. Butera loaded the bases with his second walk of the night. Scott Penney (URI) got the Schooners on the board with an RBI walk. Detwiler worked his own RBI walk, making it a 6-2 ballgame. The back-to-back walks ended Jennings day, as the Gulls turned to Jake Kennedy (OSU). Penney scored on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Righi. Righi and Butera combined for a double steal of second and home, making it a two-run game.
Robert Ogg (Rollins) took the ball in the fifth for Mystic. Maddox Haley (Gonzaga) led off the inning with a single down the left field line and Novak followed with a four-pitch walk. Ogg’s day ended after a strikeout, as the Schooners turned to MJ Bollinger (UConn) to get them out of the jam. Bollinger escaped the inning, not allowing the inherited runs to score.
Belisario knocked a two-out single to left-center field in the sixth and Best followed with a walk. Broski, the backstop, ended the frame, gunning down Best attempting to steal second.
Bollinger dealt a 1-2-3 bottom of the sixth inning.
Penney hit a base knock up the middle but the Schooners were unable to capitalize in the seventh.
Novak was dealt a two-out walk and Mershon followed with a base-hit up the middle, but Bollinger worked himself out of the jam with a strikeout.
In the eighth inning, Mystic’s Calvin Gregory (VCU) took the bump. Johnson led off the inning with a double to the centerfield fence. Broski moved Johnson to third on a sacrifice bunt. Ligenza was issued a walk and Gandy followed with an RBI single. A sacrifice fly gave Newport the 8-4 lead.
Best dropped a single to center in the ninth but Kennedy shut down any late rally, sealing the win.
The Schooners host North Adams at the Coast Guard Academy on Thursday, June 18. First pitch is set for 4 p.m.
