Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 KINGSTON, R.I. – After winning the first game 2-1, a ninth inning rally helped the Sacred Heart baseball team salvage a 3-3 tie after the game was called due to darkeness in the nightcap of a doubleheader at Rhode Island on Sunday. The Pioneers are now unbeaten in their last three as they move to 3-14-1 on the year. The Rams fall to 5-10-1.
Jesus Medina and James Cooksey combined to not allow an earned run in game one, while Victor Sorrento delivered SHU's only hit, a game-winning two out, two RBI double in the bottom of the fifth. Sorrento finished the day 3-6 with three RBIs. Sacred Heart pitching was strong again in game 2, as John Sostarich, Dan Wertz, Connor Landers, and Ethan Lonardelli combined to throw ten innings without allowing an earned run. Sostarich, who started, did now allow a hit in five innings. Jesus Medina and Zack Short came through with the big hits, as both singled home a run in the ninth inning rally to salvage the tie.
Game 1
The game winner by Sorrento scored Alex Perry, who had led off the inning with a walk, and Jayson Sullivan, who kept the inning alive with his six pitch at bat that resulted in a hit by pitch.
That was all that was needed for Medina and Cooksey. Cooksey relieved Medina in the fifth and was cruising until the ninth inning. Prior to the ninth, he allowed only two hits and neither runners reached scoring position. It was much of the same in the final frame, as he retired the first two batters and looked to have ended the game with a groundout, but an error gave URI an opportunity and it capitalized. Connor Foreman delivered a pinch hit double down the right field line to cut the deficit to one and gave the Rams a chance to tie the game. Cooksey came through for the second straight day though, ending the threat with a flyout to preserve SHU's second consecutive win. In earning his first win of the season, he ended with a final line of five innings pitched, allowing just three hits and no earned runs with five strikeouts.
Medina, who pitched the first four innings of the game allowing five hits and two walks, got out of a jam in every frame. With runners on first and third in the first, Cody Doyle threw out a runner trying to steal second, and Medina then proceeded to strikeout the next batter. In perhaps the Rams best opportunity to score all game, Medina worked around the first three hitters all reaching in the second. After a walk and single gave URI runners on first and second, Medina picked off the runner on second for the first out. A single then put Rams on first and third, but again Medina got out of it. He first threw out a runner at home trying to score on a suicide squeeze, and then induced an inning ending groundout.
The third inning started much smoother with the first two hitters flying out, but a single and walk gave Rhode Island runners on first and third. Again Medina forced an inning ending groundout. The first batter also reached in the fourth, but Medina retired the final three, which turned out to be his last inning of work.
Despite allowing just the one hit, Ram starter Lou Distasio did have to work out of multiple jams himself because of five walks and three hit batters. Six times he had to work around runners reaching scoring position, getting out of it every time except in the fifth. SHU's other best opportunities to score came in the fourth and eighth. In the fourth, Ted Shaw sacrificed Sorrento and P.J. DeFilippo to second and third with after the two had reached on a hit by pitch and error. Distasio got out of the inning with a flyout and strikeout. Then in the eighth, again Sorrento led off with a walk, and advanced to third with one out on a stolen base and wild pitch. He was thrown out at home though as Doyle tried to squeeze him in. Brendan Doonan worked a scoreless ninth.
Game 2
With just one hit going into the bottom half of the eighth, Rhode Island finally generated offense as the first four batters all reached base. Having just come in, Perry walked the first man he faced before two straight singles, including an attempted sacrificed, loaded the bases with none out. For the second straight day, Nick DeRegis delivered a late go-ahead RBI base knock, scoring two to give the Rams their first lead of the day, 2-1. In came Landers to relieve Perry, and after a sacrifice bunt and intentional walk loaded the bases for a second time, Chase Livingston added to the lead with a sacrifice fly. Landers proceeded to give up one more walk before putting an end to the inning with a flyout.
Trailing for the first time all day, SHU immediately responded with Perry beginning the frame with a leadoff double. Medina singled him home to bring the Pioneers within one. This forced the Rams to go to the bullpen to replace their starter Tyler Wilson, who went eight innings allowing just the two runs. Sullivan moved Medina over with a sacrifice bunt to give Sacred Heart a runner in scoring position with just one out, and a flyout advanced him to third. With two outs down by one, it was Short who stepped up with the game tying hit, singling to right field. Ted Shaw followed that up with a single of his own forcing the URI to go to the bullpen again. Brad Applin sent the game to the bottom half, inducing a pop up.
Lonardelli came in for Landers in the ninth, giving up a two out base on balls but retiring the next hitter. After Sacred Heart went 1-2-3 in the top of the tenth, URI worked a one out walk, but he was thrown out by Jake Friar attempting to steal second. Lonardelli put an eventual end to the game by forcing the next hitter to flyout.
SHU surpassed its hit total from the first game in the first inning as Medina lined a one out single to right field. Following an error that allowed Medina to reach third, again it Sorrento who stepped up with a RBI base hit to give the Pioneers an early 1-0 lead.
From there, the teams combined for just one hit through the top of the sixth. After reliving Sostarich in the sixth, Wertz walked the first hitter he faced and after a sacrifice, the Rams had runners of second and third with one out. The Pioneers decided to intentionally walk the next batter to load the bases, and the move paid off when Wertz spoiled a suicide squeeze situation by throwing out the runner at home. He put an end to the threat with a strikeout.
Rhode Island got runners into scoring position once again in the seventh, as Connor Foreman registered the first hit of the game for URI with his lead off single. He was sacrificed to second before reaching third on an error. Wertz worked his way out of it once more with two straight groundouts.
Sacred Heart will travel to Yale on Tuesday before opening conference play this Thursday. First pitch will be at 3 pm.
