BOSTON – Another heated battle took place in the weekly Ram of the Week Twitter Poll, which saw over 275 votes.

AND THE WINNER IS …  

EJ Birch of the Suffolk baseball team, who preserved three victories for the Rams, took home the honor. The right-hander reliever secured a save in each of his three appearances with an unblemished 0.00 ERA to help the blue-and-gold go 3-1 over the seven-day stretch. Ram Nation voted the sophomore as Ram of the Week as he garnered 39 percent of the 285 votes. 

To open the week, he took over the hill in the seventh inning with one out at Endicott. He retired the next two hitters to lock up the series-opening win over the Gulls. 

In the nightcap in Beverly, Birch took over with a one-run lead in the ninth. A single and a walk combined with an over throw by Suffolk's backstop put the hurler in a jam. With two outs, the tying run on the hot corner and the game-winner on first, Birch faced Bradley Baldinger, who filled the count. Runners were going either way when Birch let the ball go, but Baldinger watched the change come in, thinking it was off the mark, but when it hit Steven Shamnoski's glove the umpire rung him up looking to seal the Rams' sweeping fate.

Four days later, Birch came out of the pen in game two of a non-conference twinbill against Salve Regina. He took over the rubber with a 4-1 lead and maintained it. Despite walking the first batter, Birch held his composure and had help from infield for the next two outs. First Joe Rufo made a jumping grab at second before the Rams turned 643 double play to secure the 4-1 win. That victory is the first time the Seahawks lost since May 2, 2019.    

VOTE now #RamNation

You have until noon tomorrow#d3baseball #d3sb #d3tf

— Suffolk Athletics (@gosuffolkrams) April 12, 2021

RAMS RUNNER-UPS

2nd PLACE – 36% - ASHLEY ZULLA – SOFTBALL
6 GP - .520/.520/.920 – 13 H – 3 HR – 7 RBI – 7 R

Ashley Zulla, the Ram of the Week for Week 5, has continued her stand-out senior season. Over six games played, in which Suffolk went 4-2, she slashed .520/.520/.920. The catcher got at least one hit in all the Rams' outings and had multiple knocks in five to finish with 13 hits for seven RBI and seven runs scored. Of her bakers' dozen hits, three went out of the park and one was good for two bases, which was the walk-off, extra-inning, game-winning knock against Endicott April 7. 

3RD PLACE – 19% - ALLISON RODRIGUES – WOMEN'S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD
Won the discus, hammer throw, javelin & shot put at Gordon Invite 

Allison Rodrigues made the most of her first outdoor meet in two years as the junior easily captured the first in all four throwing events at the Gordon Invite. Her 11.40-meter shot put and 34.12-meter javelin toss rank fifth and seventh in New England this year. In the discus, she had a 31.78-meter throw, and in the hammer she had a 32.78-meter showing. 

4TH PLACE – 6% - MICAHEL BALESTRA – MEN'S OUTDOOR TRACK & FIELD
Won the hammer throw at the Gordon Invite with the top New England performance this year and 33rd-best throw nationally 

Michael Balestra had the highlight performance for Suffolk at the Gordon Invite as the junior tossed the hammer throw 50.34 meters, the best by a New England student-athlete this season, and the 33rd-best throw in NCAA Division III this year.

RAM OF THE WEEK HISTORY