Salve Regina Slides Past Baseball, 6-1

NEWPORT, R.I. – Suffolk baseball's offense never got going, which led the Rams to fall to Salve Regina, 6-1, at Brother Michael Reynolds Field Wednesday afternoon.

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 1 | Salve Regina 6
RECORDS: Suffolk (6-5) | Salve Regina (8-1-1) 

HOW IT HAPPENED
Suffolk had a chance to break through in the top of the third as the first two Rams batters reached base. First Shane Lake wore a pitch before Timothy McCarthy singled to put a pair of runners on with no outs. The next three blue-and-gold hitters went down in order to keep things scoreless.  

The same can't be said the home half of the inning. It was déjà vu as a hit by pitch and single allowed the first two Seahawks to get on. Unlike the Rams Dylan Ketch was able to keep the offense going as the catcher belted a single to bring in the first run of the day. Steven Rossi retired the next three Salve Regina batters to keep the damage at one.  

The hosts had a chance to push things even further in the bottom of the fourth. Again, with two runners on and two outs Matt D'Amato flew out to left field, which sent both Seahawks home. Tim Brigham laid out and hung onto the ball in left to clinch the final out of the frame and keep it a 1-0 game.  

In the bottom of the fifth the distance did double. Ketch once again brought in the run as his second hit of the afternoon, a single, plated Jared Beniers, who led off with a double, to push Salve Regina ahead by two.   

Suffolk got a run back in the sixth stanza. With one out, Rich Gilbride and Blase Cormier each drew a base on balls to bring up Brigham. The Rams' fifth-year lined out to right to tack on the second out of the inning, but Christian Seariac was good with two's as the graduate student looped a single to left field to plate Gilbride. Seariac's single RBI pulled the blue-and-gold back within one, 2-1.     

Salve Regina reestablished its multi-run margin in the home half of the inning. Beniers worked a two-out, bases loaded walk to push the Seahawks lead back to two, 3-1.  

Things stretched even further as the hosts added one more in the seventh to put the Rams in a 4-1 deficit. After Sean O'Malley singled he was replaced on the bags by Kyle Platt. Platt was out at second on a fielder's choice that allowed Anthony Cieszko to take first. A wild pitch and a stolen base later Cieszko found himself on third to easily stride home when Tyler Cannone barreled a double that made it a three-run gap.

The Rams were unable to make up any ground in the eighth and Tyler Petrosino's first collegiate at bat, a pinch hit for Platt, was a stand-up, two RBI double that pushed the Seahawks cushion to 6-1.  

Salve Regina brought A Roman in to deal and preserve the win. The relief hurler retired Suffolk's side to seal the setback fate for the Rams.  

PITCHERS PICTURE

• Both teams used six different arms. Overall 12 pitchers took the hill over the nine innings. 
• Rossi, who started for Suffolk, registered a one-run, four-hit, one-walk, two-strikeout effort over 3.0 innings. 
• Nosky faced four batters in 0.2 innings with one hit and one walk allowed to go with one punchout. 
• Casey Sullivan (1 R, 2 H), CJ Barrett (1 R, 1 H, 2 BB, 1 K) and Rich Giandrea (1 R, 2 H, 1 B) each let up on run in their relief effort.  
• Sullivan was credited with the setback. 
• Caleb Piwnicki allowed two runs on three hits and one walk in 1.0 inning. 
• Salve Regina's starter Zach Lopez earned the victory behind 3.0 innings of scoreless work with just three hits allowed and a pair of punchouts. 
• Walker Sharp tossed 2.0 frames of scoreless, hitless relief with two Ks. 
• Brayden Clark (1 R, 1 H, 2 BB, 1 K), Chris Beach (1 BB, 1 K), Holden Ferrari (1 H, 2 K) and Andre Roman (1 K) all saw 1.0 inning for the Seahawks.  

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Cormier went 2-for-3, while Seariac produced a 2-for-4 effort to account for four of Suffolk's five hits. 
• Seariac brought in the Rams' lone run that was scored by Gilbride. 
• Cormier, Gilbride and Lake all recorded one walk.  

NOTEWORTHY

• Nosky matched a personal-best one strikeout. 
• Seariac's two hits tie a Suffolk-best for the graduate student. 

POST-GAME PIC
  

SUFFOLK'S SCHEDULE
The Rams are set for a home-and-home series with Endicott this weekend. Saturday's showdown April 17 will take place at East Boston Memorial Park and count towards the CCC ledger, while the matchup Sunday, April 18 in Beverly, Massachusetts will be a non-league double feature. Both twinbills have a 12 p.m. start.