April 16, 2005

Box Score

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - The University of Rhode Island baseball team's offense had its five-game slugfest halted, but the Rhody pitching staff continued to cruise in a 4-2 win over Temple in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader.

Sophomore Ryan Cunningham's (Centreville, Va.) hitting streak was snapped at a school-record 18 games, but the Rams (14-14, 8-2 Atlantic 10) won their sixth-straight game, including their fourth-straight in conference play.

Senior Dan Frederick (Dracut, Mass.) pitched 4 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on six hits, before giving way to junior Tom Venedam (Suffern, N.Y.). Venedam earned the win, retiring all six batters he faced with two strikeouts to even his record at 2-2.

Mick Lefort picked up his seventh save of the season in Saturday's first game.

Senior closer Mick Lefort (Lincoln, R.I.) came on with one out in the seventh inning and took care of the next two batters to earn his seventh save of the season.

Temple pitcher Tim Foulkrod (3-4) put a stop to Rhody's five-game tear in which the Rams outscored their opponents 68-7. Foulkrod pitched all seven innings, holding Rhody to six hits and four runs. He walked five and struck out one.

But the Rams still pushed four runs across, which was enough support for a Rhody pitching staff that has now allowed just nine runs in the last 49 innings.

The Rams got on the board in the first inning on a RBI-single by sophomore Scott Brown (Portland, Maine) that scored senior Matt Sullivan (Nashua, N.H.).

Senior Joe Viscuso (Farmingdale, N.Y.) hit a RBI-triple that proved to be the game-winning hit in the second inning.

The Rams added an insurance run in the sixth, when Brown hit a double and then scored on an error for a 4-2 lead.

The Rams and Owls (7-18, 1-8 Atlantic 10) will play the second game of the doubleheader beginning at about 2:30 p.m.