April 18, 2009

Box Score

KINGSTON, R.I. - Junior Nick Greenwood (Southington, Conn.) threw a complete game shutout as the Rhode Island baseball team cruised to a 6-0 victory over St. Bonaventure, Saturday afternoon at Bill Beck Field. Greenwood - who recorded the second complete-game shutout of his career - faced just one more than the minimum 27 batters and tossed five 1-2-3 innings.

Offensively, freshman Mike LeBel (Quincy, Mass.) scored twice on a 3-for-4 day at the plate while senior Dan Rhault (Lincoln, R.I.) drove in three runs.

Rhody jumped out to a one-run lead in the bottom of the first inning as junior Oliver Palmer (North Kingstown, R.I.) tripled to right and then scored on Rhault's sacrifice fly to center field.

St. Bonaventure's Anthony Randich singled up the middle to lead off the top of the second, but Greenwood retired the next three batters to keep the Bonnies off the board. That was the lone inning where SBU sent more than three batters to the plate as Rhody caught Jesse Bosnick stealing home in the fourth and went on to turn double plays in both the sixth and ninth innings.

LeBel extended the Rams' lead in the bottom of the fourth as he tripled to right to score junior Zoey Angulo (Miami, Fla.) and then stole home to put URI in front, 3-0.

The Rhody third baseman got things started again in the seventh inning, leading off with a single through the left side before advancing to second on a bunt single by freshman Milan Adams (Exeter, R.I.). LeBel then stole third before sophomore Kenny Burns (Shelton, Conn.) followed with an RBI-bunt single that moved Adams to second. Both runners would advance on a ground out by Palmer, setting up Rhault's two-run double that capped off URI's scoring attack.

With the win, the first-place Rams improve to 23-12-1 (11-2) while St. Bonaventure drops to 16-14 (5-8). The two teams will return to Bill Beck Field to close out the three-game series, tomorrow at Noon.