March 28, 2009
Box Score
PROVIDENCE, RI - The University of Massachusetts Boston baseball team split a doubleheader with Rhode Island College, winning the first game 11-6, before dropping the second game, 14-4, in the Little East Conference season opener at Anchorman Field on the campus of Rhode Island College in Providence, RI. The Beacons are now 4-12 overall and 1-1 in LEC play, while RIC is 14-4 and 1-1.
UMass Boston scored six times in the top of the fourth inning to break the game open and take a 6-2 lead in game one. Sophomore first baseman Connor Reinfurt (Manchester, NH) reached on a fielder's choice to plate a run with another coming on an error on the same play to tie the score. Sophomore shortstop Anibal Mendez (Lawrence, MA) brought home the go-ahead run with a bunt single and freshman right fielder Ty Buccetti (Wallingford, CT) followed with an RBI single to give UMB a 4-2 lead. Mendez later scored on the back end of a double steal and senior left fielder Ryan Oshima (La Jolla, CA) reached on a fielder's choice to knock in the sixth run of the inning.
Rhode Island College got a run back in the bottom of the inning on a leadoff homer by senior Josh Cardoso (Dartmouth, MA) to cut the deficit to 6-3, but the Beacons tacked on two more runs in the seventh to increase their lead to 8-3. Senior Eric Salvador (Middleboro, MA) smacked a two-out RBI single and sophomore Ryan Walsh (Newton, MA) followed with a double to drive in UMass Boston's eighth run. The Anchormen answered in the bottom of the inning when freshman Jeff Salcedo (Providence, RI) homered to left with one out, before senior Jeff Costa (Pawtucket, RI) later cracked a double to right to score a run. Cardoso later worked a two-out bases loaded walk to pull RIC to within 8-6, but it would be as close as it would come. The Beacons put up three runs in the ninth on a Walsh sacrifice fly, a steal of home by Oshima on the back end of a double steal and an RBI single off the bat of sophomore Dan Noonan (Westport, MA) for an 11-6 lead.
Rhode Island College plated the first two runs of the game in the third inning, thanks to a two-run homer to left by Rossi for a 2-0 margin.
Junior Danny Gomez (East Boston, MA) (1-1) earned his first win of the season for UMass Boston, allowing six runs on nine hits and two walks in six and a third innings of work, while senior reliever Anthony Lauretto (Pembroke, MA) recorded the save with two and a third innings of one-hit relief, including three strikeouts. Sophomore hurler Gary Levesque (East Providence, RI) (2-1) suffered the loss for the Anchormen, giving up seven runs (four earned) on seven hits and two walks to go with six strikeouts.
Rhode Island College took game two in seven innings, due to the 10-run mercy rule, which takes effect in the second game of a LEC twinbill. The Anchormen scored the first seven runs of the game and scored in five of the six innings they hit in. Cardoso began things in the second when Cardoso smacked a one-out double and senior right fielder B.J. Doyon (Douglas, MA) followed with a double of his own to put the home team on the board. Senior second baseman Garrett Grenier (North Smithfield, RI) singled in the second run for a 2-0 margin. Doyon increased the RIC lead to 3-0 in the third with an RBI single. Costa also came through with a run-scoring single in the fourth, which was later followed by a three-run homer off the bat of senior catcher Jordan Amorin (Swansea, MA) give the Anchormen a 7-0 advantage.
Noonan led off the Beacons' fourth by getting hit by a pitch and later came around to score on a wild pitch to put them on the board at 7-1, but the Anchormen scored three times in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single by sophomore designated hitter Mike Giustino (Wappingers Falls, NY), a run-scoring walk by Amorin and a bases loaded hit-by-pitch incurred by Levesque to increase the lead to 10-1. Rhode Island College got four more runs in the sixth, keyed by a three-run double to left field by Costa to give him four hits and five runs batted in on the day and increase his team's lead to 14-1. UMass Boston loaded the bases in the seventh and got a run on a walk by Buccetti and two more on a two-run double to left by freshman center fielder Mark McCormack (Shelton, CT) to make it 14-4, but that would be it for the visitors.
Senior Bobby Fournier (Dartmouth, MA) (2-0) took the victory for RIC, yielding four runs on two hits and five walks, while fanning five in six and a third innings of work. Junior lefty Mike Andriano (Massapequa, NY) (0-2) was saddled with the loss for UMB, giving up seven runs on eight hits and four bases on balls in three and a third innings of action.
UMass Boston will be in action again on Wednesday, April 1 when it travels to Salem, MA to take on Salem State College at 3:00 p.m., while Rhode Island College host Bridgewater State College on Monday, March 30 at 3:30 p.m.
