April 24, 2005

Box Score

KINGSTON, R.I. - Junior lefthander Zack Zuercher (Warwick, R.I.) continued his mastery of St. Bonaventure, pitching a complete-game one-hit shutout on Sunday in the first game of a doubleheader at Bill Beck Field.

The Rams clinched their 12th-straight Atlantic 10 series with the victory and will go for the sweep in the second game. Rhode Island, which is 19-15 overall, has won 11 of its last 12 games and leads the Atlantic 10 East Division with a 10-3 record.

Zuercher, who pitched a nine-inning no hitter against St. Bonaventure on April 25, 2004, held the Bonnies hitless through the first five innings Sunday, before Shane Sudbrook singled to left to start the sixth inning. Zuercher walked one and struck out 11 for his 11th double-digit strikeout game in 20 career starts in a Rhody uniform.

In two career starts against the 2004 Atlantic 10 champion Bonnies, Zuercher has allowed just one hit in 16 innings, striking out 22 without allowing a run. It was Zuercher's first complete-game shutout of the season and the fifth of his career, making him Rhode Island's all-time leader. Zuercher is now 3-1 in Atlantic 10 play with a 3.31 ERA in conference starts this year. He is 11-2 in Atlantic 10 play over the past two seasons.

St. Bonaventure lefty Mike Proctor kept the Bonnies (18-19, 4-10 Atlantic 10) in a pitcher's dual until Rhode Island's offense exploded for seven runs in the fifth inning.

Sophomore Scott Brown (Portland, Maine) went 2-for-3 with two runs scored and a RBI. Sophomore Dave Savard (Nashua, N.H.) went 2-for-4 with two runs scored, while juniors Josh Nestor (Nashua, N.H.) and Wayne Russo (Warwick, R.I.) hit back-to-back homers in the fifth inning.

Rhode Island took a 1-0 lead in the second inning, when Brown led off with a single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt by Nestor. Russo grounded out to move Brown to third and he scored when freshman CJ Simons (Wyoming, R.I.) reached on an error.

The Rams made it 2-0 in the third inning, when Savard hit a two-out triple to the fence in center and scored when the relay throw to third went out of play.

The score remained 2-0 until the fifth. Simons drew a lead-off walk and senior Mike Rainville (Pawtucket, R.I.) laid down a sac bunt and reached on an error. With one out Savard lofted a single to center to load the bases and senior Matt Sullivan (Nashua, N.H.) hit a sacrifice fly to center to plate Simons for a 3-0 lead.

Sophomore Ryan Cunningham (Centreville, Va.) grounded a single up the middle to drive in Rainville and then Brown reached on an infield single that scored Savard to make it 5-0. Nestor cleared the bases with his second home run of the season, a three-run blast to put the Rams up 8-0 and Russo followed with his first home run of the season.

It was the second-straight game that the Rams had hit back-to-back homers. Saturday the Rams actually went back-to-back-to-back with Sullivan, Brown and Cunningham belting round-trippers.