EAST BOSTON – Jonny Gilbride went 4-for-4 with all extra bases hits including two homers to anchor Suffolk baseball to a 9-2 victory against Curry in game one of a Commonwealth Coast Conference doubleheader Saturday at East Boston Memorial Park.
THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 9 | Curry 2
RECORDS: Suffolk (20-13, 7-5 CCC) | Curry (5-26, 0-10 CCC)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Suffolk jumped out to a four-run advantage in the first inning. A two-run no-doubter by Gilbride got the scoring started. The senior brought in Garret Roberts, who led off with a walk. An error allowed Alex Sorenti-Burns to reach safely and one out later Sam Armbruster plated Sorenti-Burns with a triple to right field. A loud out by Max Martin to right let Armbruster come in for the 4-0 early edge.
The Rams added another run in third. Armbruster barreled his second triple of the day and came in thanks to Cole Hilliard's double to left center to lengthen the lead to 5-0.
The blue-and-gold continued to stretch the distance further in the fourth. Gilbride knocked a one-out double to right center, advanced 90 feet thanks to Sorenti-Burns' ground out to the pitcher and strutted in on Max Iorio's base hit to center. Gilbride's second run of the day made it a 6-0 game.
Curry threatened in the six as it filled the bags. The Colonels would be stranded there as Harry Painter sat Aidan Finnegan down swinging to hold the six-run cushion in the Rams favor.
Gregory Kaufmann came in to take over for Painter on the mound and the Colonels took advantage of the reliever to eliminate the shutouts. The Runs were behind two Curry hits and pair of Suffolk errors.
A Rams response came in the home half of the inning. Colin Flynn doubled to left field and scored on Roberts' single to right field. Gilbride stayed hot and knocked his second ball over the left field fence on the afternoon to turn it into a 9-2 Suffolk score.
Brett Bucklin came in to shove in the ninth and got the two first outs quickly with a pair of Ks. Curry managed to get a pair of base runners on a single and walk, but the Rams defense turned a 43 ground out to wrap up the opening-game victory.
PITCHERS PICTURE
- Harry Painter threw 7.0 scoreless innings with four hits and four walks allowed and eight strikeouts.
- Kaufmann (2 R, 1 ER, 2 H) and Bucklin (1 H, 1 BB, 2 K) each shoved 1.0 inning of relief.
- Coleman Dyer took the loss after letting up six runs, four earned, on nine hits and two walks in 4.0 innings of work.
- Marshall Ingram allowed three runs on five hits and two walks and had a pair of punchouts in 4.0 innings of relief.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- Gilbride's 4-for-4 effort featured one double, one triple and two bombs. He brought in four runs and scored three himself.
- Roberts registered a 2-for-4 effort with two runs and one RBI.
- Armbruster supplied two hits, both triples, two runs and one RBI.
- Cole Hilliard added two hits, with one double, and one RBI.
- Flynn logged two hits, including one double, and one run.
NOTEWORTHY
- Suffolk secured its 20th win of the season. It is the Rams first 20-win season since 2022.
- The Rams moved to 32-6-1 all-time against Curry since 1968.
- Suffolk has strung together four wins in a row against the Colonels.
- Under Anthony Del Prete, the blue-and-gold is now 9-2 versus Curry.
- Gilbride notched a career-high 13 total bases.
- Gilbride is the first Ram to have a double, triple and home run in the same game since Jon Lapolla did so in a 7-3 win over UMass Boston March 17, 2016.
- Armbruster knocked a career-high two triples and finished with a personal-best six total bases and tied a career-high two hits.
- Hilliard matched a career-high two hits and had the first extra-base knock, a double, of his collegiate career.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk wraps up the double feature with the Colonels this afternoon.
