NEWPORT, R.I. - The Salve Regina University baseball team split its doubleheader with Nichols College on Sunday afternoon, winning game one 4-2 before losing game two, 5-0, Sunday afternoon in The Commonwealth Coast Conference action at Reynolds Field. The Seahawks move to 14-20 (9-9 TCCC) while the Bison depart Newport with a record of 14-16 (9-9 TCCC).
In the opener, the Bison grabbed a 2-0 lead in the top of the first on a pair of RBI groundouts by junior Alex Montalto (Wilmington, Mass.) and sophomore Austin Martin (Cranston, R.I.). The Seahawks got one back in the bottom of the inning while senior Justin Collett led off with a double and scored on a double by junior Riley Diaz.
The Seahawks took control of the game in the third, scoring three times to take a 4-2 lead. Senior Will Pearce doubled home sophomore Charles Matarazzo to tie the game at two, and three batters later, junior Sean Sullivan plated Pearce with a groundout to third base to give SRU a 3-2 lead. Sophomore Brandon Bursie followed with an infield single that scored sophomore Brendan Tapley who drew a walk earlier in the frame, to make it 4-2.
Sophomore Patrick Quinn went the distance to earn his third win of the season, allowing five hits and two runs while striking out five. Senior Tom Bozek (Westfield, Mass.) took the loss for Nichols, allowing 10 hits and four runs over six innings.
In the nightcap, the Bison scored twice in the third, twice in the fifth, and once in the seventh to build a 5-0 lead. Sophomores Joshua Clark (Brunswick, Maine) and Zachary Johnson (Wakefield, R.I.) each drove in a run in the second and the fifth, and classmate Chris Nemeskal (Swampscott, Mass.) capped the scoring with an RBI single down the left field line in the seventh.
Junior Tim Smith (Plainfield, Conn.) remained perfect on the season as he improved to 4-0 with the win. He held the Seahawks to just three hits and walked one while striking out four. Freshman Nick Politelli suffered the loss for the Seahawks, allowing seven hits and four runs (three earned) while striking out five in six innings.
The Seahawks return to action on Wednesday when they host Roger Williams at 2 p.m. The Bison play at Becker on Tuesday at 4 p.m.
Story courtesy Salve Regina Sports Information
Game One Box Score
Game Two Box Score