April 9, 2005
Box Score
KINGSTON, R.I. -
The University of Rhode Island baseball team used a seven-run fourth inning to down Atlantic 10 West Division-leading Richmond 10-1 in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader.
The defending Atlantic 10 regular-season champion Rams improved to 5-2 in the Atlantic 10 and can clinch their 10th-straight Atlantic 10 series victory with a win in the second game of Saturday's doubleheader, which starts at about 2:45 p.m. Rhode Island entered the day tied with Fordham for first in the A10 East Division.
Senior Matt Sullivan (Nashua, N.H.) hit home runs in each of his first two at-bats to give Rhody a 3-0 lead after three innings and that was all senior starter Dan Frederick (Dracut, Mass.) would need in winning his second-straight Atlantic 10 start. Frederick (2-3) went the distance, allowing six hits and one run, while striking out seven.
"Sullivan set the tone for us with the two home runs and allowed us to get a rythem going against a very good pitcher, Rob Berzinskas, who I think will be one of the better pitchers in the conference in the future," Rhode Island head coach
Frank Leoni said.
"Frederick pitched like the Freddy of old today," Leoni said. "That's two quality starts in a row for him, he's doing a great job getting us off on the right foot."
Sophomore Ryan Cunningham (Centreville, Va.) singled and scored in the fourth inning to extend his hitting streak to 14 games. Sullivan just set the school record with a 17-game hitting streak that was snapped on Monday in the final game of the Dayton series.
Sophomore Dave Savard (Nashua, N.H.) joined Sullivan with two hits, drove in a run and scored twice. Junior Daryl Holcomb (Wilmington, Del.) hit a two-run homer and finished the game with three RBIs.
Sullivan gave the Rams a 1-0 lead with a solo home run to left field in the first inning and then hit a two-run homer in the third inning. Savard reached on an infield single to start the third and with two outs Sullivan belted his second round-tripper of the game and fourth on the season.
Rhode Island erupted for seven runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Cunningham hit a lead-off single, senior Mike Rainville (Pawtucket, R.I.) reached on an infield single and then junior Wayne Russo (Warwick, R.I.) hit a RBI-single to right to score Cunningham. Junior Josh Nestor (Nashua, N.H.) dropped a single to right to drive in Rainville for a 5-0 lead and Savard sliced a double just inside the right field line to plate Russo.
"Nestor and Savard each came through with clutch hits, both with two strikes, that helped us break the game open," Leoni said. "We really had some timely hitting today."
With no outs and runners on second and third, senior Joe Viscuso (Farmingdale, N.Y.) hit a ground ball to short stop and Nestor broke for home. Nestor made it back safely to third and Savard, who had moved up to third, got in a rundown on the way back to second, which allowed Nestor to score, Savard to advance to third and Viscuso to second.
Junior Holcomb followed with an opposite field three-run home run to give the Rams a 10-0 advantage.
Richmond got on the scoreboard in the sixth inning, when Frederick walked two batters to start the inning, struck out the next two batters, but gave up an infield single to Austin Reilly, who just beat out a throw from Rainville near the outfield grass on the third base line.
