May 18, 2006
Box Score
KINGSTON, R.I. - Rhode Island junior Steve Holmes (Lincoln, R.I.) threw a complete-game four-hitter with five strikeouts to lead the Rams to a 3-1 victory over Massachusetts in Atlantic 10 baseball action this afternoon at Bill Beck Field. Holmes moved to 10-1 this spring to break the single-season win record set a year ago by current junior Adam Perkins (Hudson, N.H.), and tie the career win mark as he improved to 22-3 over the last three seasons.
Rhode Island (32-14, 17-7 A-10) junior first baseman Ryan Cunningham (Centerville, Va.) went 2-for-4 with a RBI, while senior second baseman Wayne Russo (Warwick, R.I.) finished 2-for-4 to lead the offense.
The Rams plated a run in the first on a two-out RBI-single by sophomore shortstop Mike O'Malley that scored sophomore catcher Zach Zaneski (Waterford, Conn.) who had reached on a double two batters earlier.
URI made it a 2-0 game in the third inning as Cunningham reached second on a dropped fly ball by UMass centerfielder Derrick Durepo and scored on a RBI single by sophomore third baseman Shaun Hagey (Ephrata, Pa.) with two outs.
The Minutemen (14-28, 11-14) scored their lone run of the game, unearned, in the seventh inning. Junior shortstop Lou Proietti reached with a one-out infield single, stole second and advanced to third after a bad throw by Zaneski on the play. Freshman second baseman Adam Tempesta followed with a ground ball to second base which Russo threw over Zaneski's head in an attempt to keep Proietti from scoring to make the score 2-1.
Rhode Island made it a 3-1 ballgame in the seventh on an RBI single up the middle that scored senior left fielder Daryl Holcomb (Wilmington, Del.), who led off the inning with a single and advanced to second on a ground-out to second base by junior right fielder Scott Brown (Portland, Maine).
The two teams will finish off the regular season with games tomorrow and Saturday at 12:00 p.m. in preparation for the A-10 Tournament, which starts Wednesday, May 24, at Fordham. Rhode Island is currently in first place in the conference standings, followed by St. Bonaventure (a 5-3 winner over Richmond earlier in the day) who is 17-7 in the league, and Dayton (who's game with Saint Louis was rained out) which owns a 16-8 conference record. The top-two teams in the final standing earn a first-round bye for the tournament.
