May 10, 2008

Box Score

KINGSTON, R.I. - The Rhode Island baseball team defeated Massachusetts, 3-0, in the first game of Saturday's doubleheader before falling to the Minutemen, 7-3, in Game Two. Senior Zach Zaneski (Waterford, Conn.) was presented with the team's Rick Ligi MVP Award in a pre-game ceremony (photo below).

Junior Dan Rhault (Lincoln, R.I.) got things started in Game One, recording the Rams' first hit of the day on a fifth-inning single to right. Sophomore Rob Deveney (Marlton, N.J.) followed with a base hit up the middle that allowed Rhault to advance to third before scoring on a double-play ground out by freshman Evan Laude (Long Beach, N.Y.).

UMass evened things up in the top of the sixth, on an RBI single by Mike Donato, but the Rams reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the inning when a Zaneski ground out plated sophomore Oliver Palmer (North Kingstown, R.I.) and put Rhody up 2-1. Zaneski went on to drive in senior Shaun Hagey (Ephrata, Pa.) for URI's third and final run in the bottom of the eighth.

Palanski - who earned the win - lasted six and two thirds innings, allowing just four hits and one run with four strikeouts while junior Luke Demko (Gilford, N.H.) was credited with his first save of the season after closing out the game with 2.1 no-hit innings. UMass' Mike DiCato was charged with the loss.

Senior Mike O'Malley (Nashua, N.H.) used a second-inning bomb over the left field fence to give the Rams a 1-0 lead in Game Two.

However, four fifth-inning hits, a walk and three Rhode Island errors put the Minutemen ahead by four (5-1) before UMass tacked on another in the top of the sixth inning to lead 6-1 after six innings.

Freshman Tom Coulombe's (Lincoln, R.I.) sacrifice fly scored Zaneski in the bottom of the seventh and Palmer plated Rhault with an eighth-inning RBI single but that was as close as the Rams would get as Jim MacDonald stole home in the top of the ninth to secure the 7-3 win for Massachusetts.

Sophomore Nick Greenwood (Southington, Conn.) took the loss, giving up seven hits and five runs (four earned) while striking out three batters in five innings. Mitchell Clegg picked up the win for UMass while Mitchell Eilenberg recorded the save.

After the Saturday split, Rhode Island's record moves to 26-22-1 (13-9-1 Atlantic 10) while UMass sits at 17-23 (10-13 Atlantic 10).

The two teams return to Bill Beck Field to close out the conference series tomorrow at Noon. Prior to the start of the game, URI will honor the six members of its senior class: Jamie Degidio, Shaun Hagey, Mike O'Malley, Brett Palanski, Chris Parkinson and Zach Zaneski.