BUZZARDS BAY, Mass. -- Senior
Chris Hunt's (Lisbon, N.H.)
two-run single plated the tying and winning runs to cap a five-run
seventh inning rally that lifted Rivier to a 7-6 nightcap victory
over Massachusetts Maritime and a split of a non-league college
baseball doubleheader Sunday afternoon at Commodore Hendy Field, as
the host Buccaneers posted a 9-5 triumph in the opening contest.
The visiting Raiders (1-5) presented Head Coach Rob
Ciarlo with his first collegiate victory and in the
process snapped a 29-game winless streak that dated back to April
22, 2008 with the last at-bat rally in the nightcap, as the host
Buccaneers (2-4) held a 6-2 edge heading into the seventh. An
RBI groundout by freshman Ford Coates
(Raymond, N.H.) plated the first Rivier run in the
seventh, and senior Ryan
O'Connor's (Medford, Mass.)
two-run single enabled the Raiders to creep to within one at
6-5. Hunt's line drive single to left with two outs
capped the scoring, and freshman Art Hoffman
(Malden, Mass.) set the side down in order in the
bottom of the frame to preserve Rivier's triumph.
Massachusetts Maritime grabbed a 1-0 second inning lead on an
RBI groundout by junior Corey Murphy (East
Wareham, Mass.), but the Raiders took a 2-1 third inning edge on a
two-run double by freshman Kyle Bowser
(Newington, N.H.). The Buccaneers evened
matters in the bottom of the frame on a throwing error and grabbed
a 4-2 advantage in the fourth on a two-run single by sophomore
Kyle Armstrong (Whitman, Mass.). The hosts
extended that margin to 6-2 with a pair of runs in the sixth on an
RBI double by junior Michael Vargas (Natick,
Mass.) and a run-scoring single by senior Joe Albano (Agawam,
Mass.), setting up Rivier's heroics in the final inning of
action.
Bowser rapped out three hits in the nightcap triumph for the
Raiders, who also received two hits from O'Connor as part of
a nine-hit attack. Hoffman allowed two hits and a pair of
runs in picking up the win in relief of Shaun Hanson (Lee,
NH), who allowed three earned runs and fanned five over
five innings. Vargas, Albano and junior Ross
Hickey (Centerville, Mass.) each had two hits in the
second game setback for the Buccaneers, as freshman Tyler
Genereux (Duxbury, Mass.) suffered the setback in relief
of junior Nick Levitre (Grafton, Mass.), who
allowed two earned runs and fanned four in 6 2/3 innings.
Rivier jumped out to a 4-0 first inning lead in the opener on an
error, a Coates sacrifice fly and RBI singles by O'Connor and
freshman Tim O'Meara (Burlington,
Mass.), and the Raiders extended that lead to 5-0 in the
fourth on an error. Massachusetts Maritime evened matters
with five runs in the bottom of the inning, as an RBI single by
Levitre was followed by a sacrifice fly by freshman Zachary
Sullivan (Barnstable, Mass.) that cut the hosts'
deficit to 5-2, and the Buccaneers plated three runs with two outs
on an RBI triple by junior Greg Wiggin (Marshfield, Mass.) and
back-to-back RBI doubles off the bats of Murphy and sophomore
William Shouldice (Rutland, Vt.).
Massachusetts Maritime snapped the deadlock with four sixth inning
runs, as Hickey's two-run pinch-hit single made it 7-5 before
an RBI double by junior Brad Musk (Dania, Fla.)
and a bunt single by Vargas added two insurance runs to close out
the scoring.
Musk and Shouldice each rapped out three hits as part of a
13-hit attack in the opener for the Buccaneers, who received two
hits each from Vargas and Wiggin. Sophomore Jared
Lowe (Brimfield, Mass.) allowed four hits and an unearned
run while fanning two over four innings of relief work to earn the
victory for the hosts, as fellow sophomore Louis
Ottino (Plymouth, Mass.) fanned three in 2 1/3 early
innings of relief effort. O'Connor, Bowser, sophomore
Jeffrey Breslin (Westford, Mass.)
and freshman Gilberto Luis (Miami,
Fla.) each had two hits in the opening game setback for
Rivier, as senior Jesse Dryz (Hyannis, Mass.)
allowed seven runs over the first five innings in suffering the
setback on the mound for the Raiders.
Massachusetts Maritime hosts Gordon in a non-league outing on
Tuesday afternoon at Commodore Hendy Field beginning at 3:00 p.m.,
while Rivier hosts Colby-Sawyer in a non-league match-up on
Thursday afternoon in Nashua, N.H.
