Sophomore Josh Desai (Shrewsbury, Mass.) allowed one run over 8 1/3 innings pitched as the Suffolk University Baseball team extended their winning streak to 10 games with a 6-1 victory over the Eastern Connecticut State University Warriors on Monday afternoon.
The Warriors entered the game as the 19th ranked team nationally in this week's American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) poll had no answer for the big southpaw as he moves to a 2-0 record on the season, while Suffolk improves to 10-1 to start 2013.
Junior Devan Jones (Roslindale, Mass.) connected on his second home run of the season, a two-run bomb in the fourth inning as he scored three runs on the afternoon to lead Suffolk offensively.
The Rams jumped out early as they scored a pair of runs in the first. Jones led the game off with a hit by pitch before advancing on a sacrifice bunt by junior Mac Jacobson (Norfolk, Mass.). An infield single off the bat of junior Jake Cintolo (Wrentham, Mass.) put runners on the corners for Suffolk with one out. Both runners would advance later in the inning on a wild pitch as Jones came across home to score the first run of the ballgame. Senior Mike Cunningham (Syosset, N.Y.) would then single down the left field line to plate Cintolo as Suffolk took a 2-0 lead after one.
Senior Chris Stanley (Placentia, Calif.) would give Suffolk some insurance in the third as he belted a hanging slider on an 0-2 count with two outs to plate Jones, who once again led the inning off with a hit by pitch. Stanley picked up his team leading 18th RBI of the season to give the Rams the 3-0 edge.
In the fifth, Jones would hit the first pitch he saw over the left field scoreboard for a two-run homer to help build the Suffolk lead to 5-0.
Desai would cruise through most of the game as he only allowed five singles through his first six innings of work.
Sophomore Kyle Hart (Guilford, Conn.) would get the Warriors' lone extra base hit of the day as he doubled to right to lead off the seventh. Hart would come around later to score in the inning on an RBI groundout by junior Adam Roderick (West Hartford, Conn.).
Suffolk would give themselves a cushion in the bottom of the eighth as Stanley came around to score his second run of the game. The Rams would take advantage of three walks and an infield error with two outs to make it a 6-1 score.
Hart would collect his second hit of the day in the ninth with one out chasing Desai from the game. Junior Frank Tierney (Hyde Park, Mass.) would record the final outs of the game on a 1-6-3 comebacker to the mound, one of two Suffolk double plays turned in the contest.
Hart and senior Drew Accomando (Monroe, Conn.) each recorded two hits on the day for Eastern.
Junior Greg Porter (Mystic, Conn.) suffered the loss on the hill as he allowed five runs on seven hits through five innings of work while striking out five.
The loss moves Eastern Connecticut State to 9-4 on the season.
Cintolo was 2-for-4 on the day for Suffolk as he was the lone Rams' player to collect multiple hits in the contest.
The win is the fourth for Suffolk in as many contests this season against opponents from the Little East Conference (LEC).
Suffolk will be back in action on Wednesday afternoon as they travel to Salem State University for a non-conference matchup with the Vikings. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30pm.