May 16, 2008
Game 1 Box Score | Game 2 Box Score
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - The Rhode Island baseball team split its Atlantic 10 doubleheader with Charlotte, Friday at R&M Hayes Stadium. Rhody won the second game, 7-6, after falling by a score of 8-2 in the series-opener.
Junior Dan Rhault (Lincoln, R.I.) hit for the cycle on the afternoon, recording a double and a homerun - his third of the week - in Game One before singling and tripling in Game Two.
Sophomore Nick Greenwood (Southington, Conn.) struck out seven batters and walked just one in six innings on the hill, earning the win in Rhody's second game after senior Brett Palanski (Nashua, N.H.) took the loss in Game One, giving up 11 hits with two strikeouts in six innings of work.
Looking to bounce back after the first-game defeat, freshman Pete Mastors (Narragansett, R.I.) opened Game Two with a lead-off walk and advanced to second on a single through the left side by senior Shaun Hagey (Ephrata, Pa.). Senior Zach Zaneski (Waterford, Conn.) followed with a three-run shot over the centerfield fence to give the Rams the early advantage.
Rhody added four more in the top of the third as leadoff batter sophomore Oliver Palmer (North Kingstown, R.I.) reached on a fielding error by Charlotte shortstop Shayne Moody and moved to second on Hagey's sacrifice bunt. Zaneski was then walked before a double-steal set up senior Mike O'Malley's (Nashua, N.H.) two-run single to right. Sophomore Rob Deveney (Marlton, N.J.) kept things rolling with a two-out single up the middle that scored O'Malley before crossing the plate on freshman Evan Laude's (Long Beach, N.Y.) double down the left field line.
A two-run double by Charlotte's Rob Lyerly made the score 7-2 in the bottom of the inning before Ross Steedley scored the 49ers third run on a seventh-inning ground out by Chris Taylor.
Mike Perkins' three-run double down the right field line got the Niners to within one (7-6) in the bottom of the eighth but that was as close as Charlotte would get as sophomore Tim Boyce (Swansea, Mass.) froze Corey Shaylor on a called third strike, ending the game with the tying run on third base.
Boyce finished with two strikeouts in as many innings, earning his fourth save of the season.
In Game One, the Rams were paced by Mastors' 3-for-4 performance at the plate while Rhault went 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI. Freshman Tom Coulombe (Lincoln, R.I.) scored Rhody's other run, on a third-inning RBI single by Mastors.
The 49ers plated six runs off Palanski while both Rhode Island runs were charged to Joe Yermal, who was credited with the win for Charlotte.
After the split, the Rams' record moves to 29-24-1 (15-10-1 Atlantic 10) while the Niners go to 39-14 (18-8 Atlantic 10). The two teams will return to R&M Hayes Stadium to close out the regular season, tomorrow at Noon.
