PROVIDENCE – The Suffolk baseball team carried its offensive output from the weekend into its Monday matchup as the Rams produced double figure hits and runs for the third straight game to take down Rhode Island College, 15-9, at Pontarelli Field.
THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 15, Rhode Island 9
RECORDS: Suffolk (16-7) | RIC (12-13)
HOW IT HAPPENDED
Rhode Island got on the board early with, putting one run away in the bottom of the first. It took three innings before Suffolk started going, but when it did it poured in the runs. Seven Rams runners came in to put the visitors ahead, 7-1 after 2.5 frames.
Kevin Higgins started things off with a single to center field before Brady Chant's triple to right evened the playing field. Seth Coiley wore a pitch and Matt Brenner's single to left field set-up Luke Ronchi's shot to left field that was inches from out of the park, but bounced off the left field way to bring in two RBI and put the Rams in front. Suffolk's runs kept coming thanks to a Kevin Belskie single that scored two for the 7-1 tally.
The Anchormen ran another one in in the fourth, but another multiple run fifth and a single score sixth stretch Suffolk's advantage to 10-2.
Ronchi's second double of the day came after Greg Speliotis led off with a walk. Two batters later Curtis Tirone collected the two RBI of the frame, bringing Speliotis and Ronchi on a single to left. An inning later, Speliotis' sac fly brought in Cameron, who reached on a walk, to stretch the distance to 10-2.
RIC made moves in the seventh as three runs came in to trim the margin to five, 10-5. Brenner righted the wrong with a lead-off solo shot off fresh arm Justin Conti. With two down, Belskie kept the inning alive with a walk, was replaced on the bags by Zach Grogan. The pinch runner sniped second and crossed home thanks to a double to center from Tirone to make it a 12-5 Suffolk game.
For the third inning of the day the Anchormen scored one run in the home half of the eighth, but could not make up more ground as Suffolk's score doubled RIC's 12-6 to head into the final frame.
The Rams did more damage to responded to RIC's lone run, scoring three in the ninth. Another new arm came out of the pen for the hosts with Stephen Maybach taking over the mound. With one out and Cameron on first thanks to single, Coiley's put his first hit of the afternoon into play, a double to left, to bring in the base runner. Brenner followed suit with a deep to triple to right center and came in on Ronchi's sac fly to close out the Rams' scoring at 15.
A two-out, three-RBI homer over the left center fence cut the Rams' advantage to 15-9, but the Anchormen would not get any closer as Wyatt Stanley fanned Erik O'Connell to lock up the 15-9 victory.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- Eight different bats combined for Suffolk's 18 total hits.
- Ronchi was nearly perfect at the plate with a 4-for-5 day featuring two doubles. He tallied three RBI, two runs and one sac fly on the afternoon.
- Brenner, who went 3-for-6, blasted a homerun and a triple to finish the non-conference contest with two RBI and three runs scored.
- Tirone has a 3-for-5 outing at the dish, bringing in three runs.
- Cameron (2-4, 1 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB, 1 sac fly) and Chant (2-6, 1 RBI, 1 R, 1 3B) round out the Rams with multiple hit days.
PITCHERS PICTURE
- Ryan Pordes improved to 4-0 on the hill as the junior let up five runs (three earned) on six hits with four strikeouts and three walks in 7.0 innings.
- Stanley worked the final two frames. The senior allowed four runs on six hits in relief effort.
- Four different pitchers took the bump for the Anchromen with Riley Miller falling to 1-2 in the season. The starter gave up nine runs (seven earned) on 10 hits in 4.1 innings, fanning four hitters and walking a pair of batters.
NOTEWORTHY
- Chant added his name to the Suffolk record book again with the junior knocking his 10th triple of the season to displace his previously held record of nine triples in a single season. The centerfielder is now one-two on the Rams' single-season triples list and is second all-time with 20 hits for three bases through his career. Chant has recorded a triple in the past four games, contributing six over the stretch.
- Brenner sent a ball out of the park for the second time this season and sixth time overall.
- With Anthony Del Prete as head coach, Suffolk is undefeated versus the Anchormen. The Rams picked up their fourth straight win over RIC, three of which came with Del Prete on the bench.
- Suffolk scored double figures for the third straight game for the second time this season.
POST-GAME PIC
UP NEXT
Suffolk heads back to the friendly confines of East Boston Memorial Park tomorrow for a 4 p.m. non-conference versus Western New England.