March 22, 2006

BRIDGEPORT, CT - Senior third baseman Tim Lantz (New Rochelle, NY) drove home the go-ahead run in the seventh inning with a single and the Sacred Heart University bullpen pitched 4 1/3 innings of scoreless relief to lead the Pioneers to an 10-5 win over the University of Rhode Island Wednesday afternoon. The Pioneers banged out 18 hits in winning their third straight game.

Rhode Island, 9-4, scored three off SHU starter Mike Milazzo (Staten Island, NY) in the top of the first inning. Milazzo walked the leadoff batter Daryl Holcomb, who promptly stole second. He went to third when Chris Parkinson reached on an error to put runners on the corners. Scott Brown drove home Holcomb with a single to center, while Ryan Cunningham drove in Parkinson with a hit to right. Brown scored the third run on a double-play grounder back to the pitcher.

The Pioneers, 4-12, got one back in the bottom of the frame when Dave Kaloyanides (Reading, MA) led off with a single to center. He stole second, went to third on a one-out single to right by Bobby McKee (Massapequa, NY) and scored on a groundout by Josh Enos (Paulsboro, NJ). Sacred Heart got another run in the bottom of the third on a bases-loaded sacrifice fly by Jeff Hanson that scored Rob Tencza (Meriden, CT) who had singled with one out.

The Rams widened the gap in the fifth inning, scoring twice. Freshman Dan Rhault led off the inning drawing a walk and Mike O'Malley was hit by a Milazzo pitch to put two on and no one out. After a failed sacrifice attempt by Ryan Nanni, Holcomb singled to drive home O'Malley. Milazzo struck out Parkinson for the second out and was then lifted in favor or sophomore reliever Brad Trangucci. Trangucci walked Brown to load the bases. Cunningham followed with a shot to short that deflected off the pitcher's glove that scored Nanni. Holcomb went too far around third and was nailed by a throw to the catcher to end the inning.

SHU evened the game at 5-5 in the fifth inning. McKee started things off with a one-out triple to right and scored on a single by Enos. Hanson then singled to right and Enos went to third, while Hanson took second on the throw. An error by the shortstop scored Enos with the second Pioneer run of the inning, and Tim Lantz (New Rochelle, NY) tied the game when he plated Hanson with a single to left.

After URI reliever Matt Miranda retired the first two batters of the seventh inning, the Pioneers got three straight hits to take a 6-5 lead. Hanson led off the barrage with a scorcher to third for a hit. Jason Maiella then singled to center and Hanson scored on another single to center, this one by Lantz. Matt Pickering came on in relief for the Rams and, after throwing a ball outside, catcher Zach Zaneski tried to picked Maiella off third but the throw went into the outfield. Lantz tried to score from second on the play but was cut down at the plate.

The Pioneers put the game out of reach in the eighth with three runs off Pickering. Hanson had the big blow with a two-run, bases-loaded single to center.

Junior George Lamar (Briarcliff, NY) threw three perfect innings to close the game and even his record at 1-1. Miranda took the loss for the Rams and is now 0-1.