March 26, 2005

Box Score

ARLINGTON, Va. - Junior Zack Zuercher (Warwick, R.I.) pitched a complete-game three-hitter, striking out 12 and sophomore Ryan Cunningham (Centreville, Va.) hit a grand slam as the University of Rhode Island baseball team defeated George Washington 6-1 in the second game of a doubleheader Saturday.

George Washington (14-9, 1-1 Atlantic 10) won the first game 8-3, but Rhode Island used Zuercher's pitching and Cunningham's grand slam to even their Atlantic 10 record at 1-1. The two teams conclude the series on Sunday with one nine-inning game scheduled to start at 12:00 p.m.

Zuercher (1-2) went all seven innings Saturday, allowing only three hits, one of which was a lead-off home run in the first inning. After the home run, Zuercher allowed two hits and no runs, while striking out a season-high 12 the rest of the way. It was the eighth time in his 16 starts in a Rhody uniform that the All-American reached double-figures in strikeouts.

"We had been waiting for Zack to pitch the way he did today," Rhode Island head coach Frank Leoni said. "He had his explosive fastball and did a good job keeping their hitters off-balance."

Rhode Island (4-10, 1-1 Atlantic 10) was locked in a 1-1 tie after two innings, but erupted for five runs in the third inning, capped by Cunningham's grand slam.

"After that we just relied on Zack to get us through," Leoni said. "He was outstanding today."

Senior Matt Sullivan (Nashua, N.H.) went 2-for-4 with two runs scored to bring his hitting streak to 12 games, just two short of the school record.

Junior Daryl Holcomb (Wilmington, Del.) went 3-for-4 on the day and sophomore Scott Brown (Portland, Maine) had a hit and drove in two runs to give him a team-leading 13 RBIs on the season.