Ronchi's Homer Lifts Baseball to 7-6 Season Opening Victory

Ronchi's Homer Lifts Baseball to 7-6 Season Opening Victory

Sophomore Luke Ronchi (Randolph, N.J.) hit a go-ahead two run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to help lift the Suffolk University Baseball team to a 7-6 victory over St. John Fisher College in their 2015 season opener.

Trailing 6-5 entering the home half of the eighth, sophomore Sean Cameron (Milford, Conn.) opened the inning with a base hit back up the middle. After a sacrifice bunt, Cameron would move up to third on a groundout to second. Ronchi would work the count full, before lacing a changeup on a line over the fence in the left center alley to give Suffolk their first lead of the ball game.

Senior Josh Desai (Shrewsbury, Mass.) earned the win in relief. Desai pitched the final three innings for Suffolk striking out five hitters while not allowing a run.

St. John Fisher opened the game with a four run first running as they managed to jump out early taking advantage of a pair of hit batters in their opening at bat. Sophomore Malcolm Kelsey (Piscataway, N.J.) broke the inning open with he drove in three runners with a bases clearing double to left center for the early 4-0 edge.

Junior Rob Marks (Revere, Mass.) would open the season offensively for Suffolk as he singled to left to open the bottom half of the first inning. Ronchi would single later in the inning before a walk to senior JC Collette (Amesbury, Mass.) would load the bases. After an infield error would help bring in a pair of runs, junior Jon Lapolla (Providence, R.I.) capped the inning off with a sacrifice fly to left.

Suffolk would tack on two more runs in the fourth inning as Marks doubled deep to left to bring home junior Drew Carter (Newburyport, Mass.) and senior Adam Johnson (Georgetown, Mass.).

Sophomore Kyle Turner (Nashua, N.H.) pitched the first six innings for Suffolk as he struck out seven hitters while allowing just five hits.

All nine hitters in Suffolk's lineup managed to reach base on the day as they put together a 10-hit attack in the win. Ronchi, Marks and Carter all collected multi-hit afternoons.

Suffolk will be back in action on Saturday afternoon when they take on #9 Concordia-Chicago at 3:00pm at Chain of Lakes Park in Winter Haven, Florida.