Blue Sox lose 9-2 in final meeting with Gulls
By Mary Merensky
HOLYOKE – The Valley Blue Sox (11-15-1) were blown out 9-2 at home against the Newport Gulls (17-11-1) in their fifth and final matchup of the summer. Valley was able to tie Newport on Opening Day, but has gone on to lose the remaining four games of the series.
The Gulls' pitching staff had a great day on the mound, limiting Valley to only 3 hits throughout the entire game. However, it was a completely different story for the Blue Sox bullpen as they gave up 17 hits and 8 earned runs.
Newport’s first run came in the opening frame when Brandon Larson (USC) singled to right field with two men on base, giving Tristan Salinas (Rutgers) plenty of time to make it home. Ryan Novak (Miami U) then got a base hit of his own, loading the bases for Cade Brown (UCF), who hit an RBI single to put the Gulls up 2-0.
Once again, with the bases loaded for Newport, Mason Ligenza (Pittsburgh) added another single that scored two runs, creating a substantial deficit for the Blue Sox before they even had an opportunity to step up to the plate.
Despite going down early, the Blue Sox responded quickly in the bottom of the frame as Nick Spaventa (UPenn) doubled to right-center with Jacob Dilley (UNC-Greensboro) on first. Due to an error by the Gulls’ right fielder, the runners advanced, allowing Dilley to get Valley on the board.
The Blue Sox did not go on to score another run until the ninth inning, when Trevor Harmon (San Francisco) scored on a Zaid Diaz (Troy) groundout. On the other hand, the Gulls continued to stack up more runs as the game progressed, making what was already a 4-1 lead an even steeper hill for the Blue Sox to climb.
Newport’s fifth tally came in the third inning from a fielder’s choice play that allowed Novak to score. Two more runs were scored in the sixth, with Caeden Cloud (Kentucky) grounding out to the shortstop and Salinas scoring on a Blue Sox error, extending the gap to 7-1.
By the time the eighth inning rolled around, it was clear that Valley was not going to be able to catch up in time. This fact was only solidified when the Gulls brought another two runs home off an RBI double from Braxton Tramel (East Carolina) and a Lingenza RBI single.
Luckily for Valley, they have an off day tomorrow that will help them regroup before they head over to Martha’s Vineyard to take on the Sharks on Tuesday, July 14. The game is set to begin at 7:05 p.m. and can be streamed on ESPN+.