Rhode Island Lineup
White (CF), Brodeur (2B), Ulliana (C), Vargas (1B), Butler (DH), Fortin (3B), Coley (RF), Ramirez (SS), Mircovich (LF), Levesque (P)
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Saint Joseph's Lineup
Hueth (CF), Trigiani (SS), Cossetti (C), Drapeau (1B), Bendo (2B), Picollo (RF), Callahan (LF), Vance (C), Hitman (SS), Rollins (P)
How it Happened
The postseason race tightened up as Saint Joseph's rallied to knock off Rhode Island 6-3 to earn a split of the four-game series Sunday.
Saint Joseph's (17-17, 11-9 A-10) got on the board when the third batter of the game, Andrew Cossetti, launched a long solo homer to left field. Rhode Island (23-23-1, 10-6 Atlantic 10) came right back in the bottom of the frame.
Austin White and
Josh Brodeur singled to start things off and both moved up 90 feet on a groundout.
Xavier Vargas brought White in with a sacrifice fly, and
Billy Butler's ground-rule double allowed Brodeur to come home for a 2-1 lead.
The Hawks knotted the score in the second inning. Callahan singled with one out and then stole second base. Hitman brought him in with a single to left field. Again, Rhody responded.
Mark Coley singled and moved to third on a single by
Alex Ramirez.
Max Mircovich's infield single allowed Coley to score, giving Rhode Island a 3-2 lead.
It was Saint Joseph's turn in the top of the sixth. Brandon Drapeau lined a solo home run to left to lead off the inning. An inning later, Brendan Hueth singled to drive in Adam Fine, giving the Hawks a 4-3 advantage. A two-run single by Bendo padded the lead and put Saint Joseph's up, 6-3.
Rhode Island nearly tied the game in the bottom of the eighth. Singles by White and
Sonny Ulliana brought the potential tying run to the plate. With two outs,
Billy Butler lifted a long fly ball to dead center, but Hueth caught the ball on the warning track to end the threat.
What It Means
Despite the loss, Rhode Island remains in control of its own destiny for the postseason. If Rhody wins three games next weekend at Massachusetts, it clinches the bid, regardless of any other outcomes for Saint Joseph's or Fordham.
If the Rams split with UMass, Saint Joseph's would need to sweep La Salle in order to pass Rhode Island for the second playoff spot.
If Rhode Island wins one game at UMass, Saint Joseph's could pass the Rams with three wins over La Salle. Fordham could pass URI by sweeping St. Bonaventure.
Any tiebreaker between URI, Saint Joseph's and Fordham would fall in favor of Rhode Island, based on its 2-2 record against first-place La Salle. No head-to-head situations produce a tiebreaker among the three-teams, and the next step is winning percentage against highest-ranked common opponent, which is La Salle. Rhody is 2-2, while Saint Joseph's and Fordham both would be below .500 against the Explorers.
Inside the Box Score
- Before the game, 15 members of the team were honored as part of Senior Day for URI. Josh Brodeur, Greg Cavaliere, Vitaly Jangols, Brendan Mignone, Max Mircovich, Nick Robinson, Alex Santos, Nate Seprosky, Ryan Twitchell, Sonny Ulliana, Xavier Vargas, Jake Walker, Mike Webb, Austin White and student coach Jacob Kapstein were all recognized.
- The game featured a 31-minute weather delay in the top of the first inning, just three batters into the game.
- Of Rhode Island's 11 hits, 10 were singles.
- Austin White, Sonny Ulliana and Mark Coley each had two singles.
- White and Coley also scored a run.
- Josh Brodeur singled and scored once.
Up Next
Rhode Island plays its final home game of the season when it hosts Connecticut Tuesday afternoon. First pitch is set for 3 p.m.
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