On the backs of some strong pitching and timely hitting, the Martha’s Vineyard Sharks are headed to the championship for the third time since joining the league in 2019.
In Newport Wednesday evening, the Vineyard squad took down the Gulls in the winner-takes-all game three, 6-3.
The Sharks team will travel to Keene, New Hampshire Thursday evening to take on the SwampBats for game one of the 2025 New England Collegiate Baseball League’s Fay Vincent Sr. Cup. Game two will be played on the Vineyard Friday. Should a third game be necessary, the series will head back to New Hampshire on Saturday.
For general manager Russ Curran, earning a spot in the championship is a testament to the hard work the team has put in since the beginning of the summer.
“No one thought we’d be here. We started out 1-5, and now we’re going to the finals,” Curran said. “People need to know who we are.”
On Wednesday, the Sharks were slow getting out of the gate, but they came on strong in the middle innings thanks to a monster performance from catcher Max Kaufer (University of South Carolina, Columbia). Kaufer had two hits on the night including a home run, a walk and three runs scored. His homer would even the score at 1-1 in the third inning. He also scored on a wild pitch in the sixth to put the Sharks ahead at 4-1, which would be all they needed for the night.
The pitching was strong for the Sharks as well, at least up until the late innings. In the eighth, the Gulls put up two runs to get within striking distance at 6-3. And then in the ninth, things were growing tense when the Gulls loaded the bases with a couple walks. But Zach Broderick settled in and earned the save after a strike out to end the game and send the Sharks to the finals.
The Vineyard also had a strong performance from righty middle-inning pitcher Christian Martinez who went three scoreless innings. Despite walking four, he kept the Gulls out of the hit column and struck out five.
On Thursday, the Sharks will go up against the league-leading SwampBats who have swept their way to the championship and went 32-12 on the season. But the Vineyard might have their number — they had a commanding 11-2 win over the SwampBats in the last matchup of the season.
“Keene has some good players, but we have the gritty guys that work every day and fight,” Curran said.