The Sharks are advancing to the NECBL championship after pulling off an improbable comeback against the Newport Gulls. The win sends them to the league championship series, where they will face the Keene Swampbats.

The Vineyard dropped the first game of the three-game series on Monday against the Gulls, getting walloped 14-7. Although the Sharks scored first, the Gulls then exploded for 11 unanswered runs.

In Game 2 on Tuesday at the Shark Tank, it was the Vineyard offense that detonated. Capped off by a 10-run sixth inning, the Sharks cruised to a 17-6 victory. The win set the stage for a winner-take-all game three at Cardines Field in Newport, R.I. Coming into the final game, the Gulls were undefeated at home in the postseason, and held a combined 20-5 record at home during regular season play.

The Gulls scored first in the top of the first, but the Sharks battled back, scoring one run in the third, two in the fifth, one in the sixth and two in the seventh. In the blink of an eye, the Sharks held a 6-1 lead.

Anthony Wilkie, the starting pitcher, did not let up another run after the first inning, and Christian Martinez, a late addition to the squad, turned in his best performance of the summer season in the biggest moment. Martinez pitched three innings of middle relief without allowing a hit.

But the Gulls weren’t going away without a fight. The roar of the Cardines crowd ignited a response in the bottom of the eighth, with the Gulls scoring two runs to put the score at 6-3 headed into the final inning.

Laying it all out on the field. Championship series against the Swampbats begins Thursday, August 7.

Jonathan Fleischmann

Laying it all out on the field. Championship series against the Swampbats begins Thursday, August 7.

Jonathan Fleischmann

Sharks relief pitcher Anthony Broderick opened strong, earning two quick outs. But then things got interesting, with a walk, followed by a double, then an intentional walk. Now the bases were juiced for the Gulls, and a walk off grand slam would have ended the season for the Sharks. But Broderick slammed the door shut, blowing a high fastball past Randy Seymour to end the ballgame and secure the win.

Catcher Max Kaufer, who launched a solo home run in the third, cracked a double in the fifth and scored three runs on the day, said after the game that he never allowed the moment to overwhelm him.

“In my mind there is no such thing as a playoff game, there’s no such thing as a big game. Bottom line, every single moment, no matter what, is treated the exact same, whether it’s the second game of the season, or a scrimmage, or a championship game,” he said.

After taking down the heavy favorite in the South Division, the focus quickly turns to the Keene Swampbats, who won the North Division. The Swampbats tied the all time record for wins this summer, going 32-12 in the regular season. They swept both of their playoff rounds.

The Vineyard split the regular season series against the Swampbats. In the first contest in Keene on June 8, the Sharks stranded 17 runners on base in a 2-4 loss. The second clash on July 26 flipped heavily in the home team’s favor. The Sharks clobbered Keene 11-2.

This will be the second time the Vineyard has made it to the NECBL championship series. In 2022, they went 5-0 in the playoffs, taking down Vermont for the organization’s first league championship.

Head Coach Peyton Fuller understands what separates this team from the rest.

“Their resiliency shone in both series," Coach Fuller said. "We haven’t had home-field advantage yet, we won’t have it this series either. But losing Game 1 to Newport and then winning the next two, including Game 3 in their house, is really special."

The hunt for the second championship begins Thursday, August 7 a 6:35 p.m. in Keene, N.H. and televised on ESPN+. Ross Felder will take the mound in Game 1 for the Sharks.

The series shifts to the Vineyard on Friday, August 8, with the first pitch scheduled for 7:05 at the Shark Tank. If game 3 is needed it will take place in Keene, N.H. on Saturday, August 9.