April 11, 2010
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KINGSTON, R.I. - Four different Rams had multiple hits on the day as Rhode Island downed No. 27 Charlotte, 5-3, on Sunday afternoon at Bill Beck Field. With the victory over the 49ers, Rhody wins its third straight Atlantic 10 series after also taking 2-of-3 at Temple and Fordham.
Charlotte (21-8, 7-2) entered the three-game set with the league's best offense - batting .353 as a team while averaging 10 runs per game - but was just .200 at the plate with less than three runs per game in Kingston.
Rhode Island (14-14, 6-3), meanwhile, batted .305 through the series and plated 12 runs on 29 hits - compared to eight runs on 20 hits by the Niners.
Senior Zoey Angulo led the Rhode Island offense in Game Three, going 3-for-4 with a run scored, while sophomore Mike LeBel finished the day with two hits, two runs and an RBI. Junior Tom Coulombe and redshirt sophomore Dan Haverstick also had a pair of hits for URI as each doubled and singled in the win.
The 49ers jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the first inning, but that was the only time they would lead in the game as Rhody went on top, 2-1, in bottom of the third. Junior Kenny Burns got things started with a solo shot over the left field fence before LeBel singled through the right side and eventually scored on an RBI single by junior Kyle Borden.
Charlotte came back and evened the score at 2-2 in the top of the fourth but a speedy LeBel put the Rams back in front, 3-2, in the bottom of the fifth when he led off with a triple to left center and wheeled around to score when Charlotte left fielder Shane Brown struggled to get the ball then bobbled it before throwing home.
Rhody stretched it to 4-2 the following inning when Angulo scored on a sacrifice fly by Burns but Charlotte responded again, cutting it to 4-3 in the top of the seventh.
Rhode Island tacked on an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth - on one of the more bizarre plays of the weekend. Junior Evan Laude was on third and Angulo was at second with one away when sophomore Milan Adams drilled a one-hopper back to the mound. Charlotte pitcher Patrick Lawson bare-handed the ball and froze Laude midway down the third base line. Lawson then ran Laude back to third, where Angulo had just arrived. Angulo took off back to second and made it there safely, thanks to an errant throw by Lawson - which also allowed Laude to cross the plate and put Rhody in front 5-3.
Junior Gardner Leaver came on to close things out in the top of the ninth and got the job done while picking up his second save of the series. Freshman Mike Bradstreet earned the win, as he gave up just one run - despite allowing zero hits - in 3.0 innings of relief. Chad Rothlin took the loss for the Niners, who issued just one walk on the afternoon.
Rhode Island returns to action on Tuesday afternoon when it travels to Quinnipiac for a 3 p.m. game against the Bobcats.
