Game 1
Rhode Island Lineup
White (CF), Brodeur (2B), Ulliana (C), Butler (DH), Coley (RF), Kopack (1B), Santos (3B),Ramirez (SS), Mircovich (LF), Webb (P)
 
Saint Joseph's Lineup
Hueth (CF), Trigiani (SS), Cossetti (C), Drapeau (1B), Bendo (2B), Picollo (RF), Callahan (LF), Vance (C), Hitman (SS), Rollins (P)

Game 2
Rhode Island Lineup
White (CF), Brodeur (2B), Ulliana (C), Vargas (1B), Butler (DH), Fortin (3B), Coley (RF), Ramirez (SS), Mircovich (LF), Cherry (P)
 
Saint Joseph's Lineup
Hueth (CF), Callahan (LF), Hueth (CF), Cossetti (C), Thomas (3B), Drapeau (1B), Bendo (2B), Picollo (RF), Livingston (DH), Trigiani (SS), Stetzar (P)


How it Happened
Rhode Island swept both ends of a doubleheader to pick up two key league victories, beating Saint Joseph's 7-3 and 8-7 Saturday afternoon.

With the two wins, Rhody (23-22-1, 10-5 Atlantic 10) strengthened its grip on second place in the A-10 North division. With five games remaining, the Rams now lead third-place Saint Joseph's (16-17, 10-9 A-10) by two games. Fourth-place Fordham split a doubleheader with La Salle, giving it an 8-7 mark. The top two teams in the division - based on conference winning percentage - qualify for the league championship. La Salle (14-5) currently has a commanding lead atop the standings.

None of the three teams can clinch anything this weekend, but Rhode Island has the inside track with each team down to its final five games of the regular season.

Game 1 – Rhode Island 7, Saint Joseph's 3
The Rams used a pair of three-run home runs to establish an early lead. Bily Butler drove a three-run homer to right center in the bottom of the first inning to put URI up 3-0.

Two innings later, an RBI single by Sonny Ulliana brought Austin White in. Two batters later, Mark Coley launched a three-run shot of his own to right field, giving Rhode Island a 7-0 lead.

From there, Mike Webb (6-1) took care of business, carrying a shutout into the sixth inning. The Hawks eventually nicked him for a pair of runs in the top of the sixth, but the game remained well in hand. Dominic Picone provided 1.1 innings of solid relief to close out the opener and secure the win.

Game 2 – Rhode Island 8, Saint Joseph's 7
With both teams in need of a win, the second game was a tense back-and-forth battle that provided a playoff atmosphere. Saint Joseph's jumped out early with four runs on four hits in the top of the first inning.

Rhode Island broke through with a three-run rally of its own in the bottom of the third. Mark Coley and Max Mircovich sandwiched walks around an Alex Ramirez single to load the bases. Austin White drove Coley in with a sacrifice fly. Sonny Ulliana singled down the left field line to bring Ramirez in, and Xavier Vargas lined a double to the corner in right to score Mircovich and get URI within 4-3.

An inning later, the Rams used another three-run rally to get its first lead. Joe Fortin drew a leadoff walk, and Coley singled to left. Ramirez dropped a sacrifice bunt to get both runners into scoring position. An infield single by Mircovich scored Fortin to tie the game. With runners on the corners, Mircovich stole second. The throw went into center, allowing Coley to score. Mircovich made a heads-up base running play. As he rounded third base, Mircovich saw a soft throw back in from the outfield and never broke stride, scoring all the way from first base on the play to give Rhody a 6-4 lead.

Saint Joseph's responded right away in the top of the fifth with a two-out, two-run single from Liam Bendo to knot the score, 6-6. In the top of the sixth, the Hawks moved in front with an RBI single by Brendan Hueth that drove in Brett Calllahan.

It was Rhode Island's turn to respond. Ulliana delivered a one-out double, and pinch runner Greg Cavaliere scored when Vargas followed with a double of his own. Vargas advanced to third with two outs on a fly out by Billy Butler. Down 0-2, Joe Fortin came through with the biggest hit of the season, grounding a single through the right side to bring Vargas around for an 8-7 lead.

Things got dicey in the top of the seventh. A pair of hit batsmen and a passed ball created a situation of runners on second and third with two outs. However, Zach Fernandez got Nate Thomas looking on a called third strike with a full count, ending the game and giving the Rams the sweep.   

Inside the Box Score

• Max Mircovich doubled, singled, walked twice, scored two runs and stole a base in six plate appearances.
• Xavier Vargas had two doubles, two runs batted in and one run scored in the second game.
• Billy Butler's home run was his third of the season, all of which have come in his last 10 games.
• Mark Coley had a home run, single, walk, three runs scored and three RBI on the day.
• Sonny Ulliana reached safely four times in seven plate appearances. He doubled, singled twice and walked.
• Joe Fortin singled and walked twice in the second game. He also scored once and had one RBI.
• The save in the second game was the second of the season for Zach Fernandez.

Up Next
Rhode Island and Saint Joseph's close out the series with a single game on Sunday. Before the game, the Rams will honor 14 seniors on the team. First pitch is set for 12:10 p.m.