Vermont Mountaineers win
second consecutive NECBL Championship
MONTPELIER, VT -- The Vermont Mountaineers rode a brilliant
complete game one-hit shutout by Mike Gaggioli to sweep the
Newport Gulls and capture the franchise’s second consecutive
NECBL Championship.
The Vermont Mountaineers earned the second title in team
history in a 3-0 victory over the Southern Division Champion
Gulls. 3432 fans at Recreation Field in Montpelier witnessed
the the Mountaineers sweep the series and win the Fay
Vincent Cup.
Gaggioli was brilliant from the start, not allowing a base
runner until the fifth when he struck out Drew Poulk
swinging. Poulk made it to first base when the third strike
got by Mountaineers catcher Chad Durakis.
Newport starter Austin Hubbard matched Gaggioli pitch for
pitch, not allowing a hit until the fourth inning when Matt
Prokopowicz broke an 0-10 slump with a two-out base hit.
Neither team broke through until fhe sixth, when A.J.
Pollock hit a one-out double down the left field line. After
a Mike Sheridan flyout, Prokopowicz came to the plate with
two away. He hit what appeared to be an inning-ending ground
ball to Newport second baseman Brad French, but French
booted it into shallow center field, allowing Pollock to
score and put the Mountaineers on the board, 1-0.
That would be all Gaggioli needed. Gaggioli took a no-hit
bid into the seventh inning, and got the first two outs,
until a 3-1 pitch to Gulls first baseman Ryan Wiegand was
blooped into shallow right center field and landed in front
of Pollock for a single. That was the only hit Gaggioli
allowed.
Vermont put up a pair of insurance runs in the eighth, as
Curt Smith doubled with one out to deep right center field
to knock Hubbard out of the game. Pollock worked a walk off
Newport reliever Jeremy Johnson, and Sheridan grounded into
a fielder’s choice that erased Pollock at second. With
runners on the corners, Matt Prokopowicz swung at a high
fastball and missed, as it sailed back to the screen. Since
Prokopowicz didn’t make contact, the ball was still in play,
allowing Smith to score and Sheridan to advance to third.
Later in the at-bat, Prokopowicz singled through the right
side to score Sheridan and conclude the scoring at 3-0.
Mike Gaggioli trotted out for his ninth inning of work, with
111 pitches already under his belt. He induced a popup to
second from Michael Burgher, followed by a flyout to center
off the bat of Gabriel Saade. with the crowd on its feet,
Gaggioli struck out Brandon May to win the second
Championship in Vermont Mountaineers history.
Gaggioli allowed just two base runners on no walks and a
hit. He struck out 12 batters, and at least one in every
inning except the sixth.
It was the first time a team had won the NECBL title in
their home ballpark since Keene won at Alumni Field in 2003.
Gaggioli improved to 2-0 on the playoffs, while Hubbard was
the tough luck loser, falling to 1-1.
The Vermont Mountaineers organization would like to thank
all the fans for their support throughout this thrilling
2007 Championship season and look forward to seeing a
similar turnout in 2008.
