Box Score Game 1
Rhode Island Lineup
White (CF), Brodeur (LF), Ulliana (C), Vargas (1B), Coley (RF), Kopack (2B), Laske (3B), Butler (DH), Ramirez (SS), Levesque (P)
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St. Bonaventure Lineup
Myers (SS), Williams (1B), Kelder (RF), Stillman (LF), Hendershot (3B), Szablewski (CF), Manion (DH), Higgins (2B), DeJohn (C), White (P)
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How it Happened
Rhode Island broke open a back-and-forth contest late to beat St. Bonaventure 8-4 Sunday. The win gave the Rams (20-20-1, 8-4 A-10) the series victory and a key game in the Atlantic 10 standings.
Rhody took an early lead in the top of the first.
Austin White led off the game with a single, and with one out
Sonny Ulliana doubled. St. Bonaventure made two errors on the play, allowing both White and Ulliana to score for a 2-0 lead. Â
The Bonnies responded with three runs of their own in the bottom of the inning. After one-out singles by Williams and Kelder, Stillman lofted a home run down the right field line to put his team up, 3-2.
URI came right back in the top of the second.
Addison Kopack doubled and advanced to third when
Jordan Laske reached on a fielder's choice.
Billy Butler singled Kopack home to tie the score, and Laske eventually scored on a wild pitch to put Rhode Island ahead, 4-3.
The Rams added a run in the sixth inning when Butler doubled, moved to third on a ground out and scored when White grounded out. The run came in handy when St. Bonaventure scored a run of its own in the bottom of the inning to keep it a one-run game, 6-5.
Rhode Island padded its lead with three runs in the top of the eighth. Laske and Butler drew back-to-back walks with one out, and
Alex Ramirez singled up the middle to drive in Laske and move pinch runner
Greg Cavaliere to third base. A bunt single by White loaded the bases before
Josh Brodeur singled through the left side, driving in Cavaliere and Ramirez for an 8-5 lead.
Inside the Box Score
- With eight games remaining in league play, Rhode Island improved to 8-4 in Atlantic 10 play, good for second place in the North division. The top two teams will qualify for the conference tournament.
- La Salle (11-4) leads the division, and Saint Joseph's (9-6) is one spot behind the Rams. La Salle and Saint Joseph's were playing each other Sunday afternoon.
- Sonny Ulliana hit two doubles and scored a run. He now has 15 doubles on the season.
- Billy Butler doubled, singled, walked, drove in one run and scored one run.
- Despite being limited to 10 games this season, Butler has 14 hits, incuding three doubles and two home runs.
- Austin White singled twice, walk, scored a run and drove in one.
- Josh Brodeur singled and drove in two.
- Addition Kopack doubled and had one RBI.
- Max Mircoviich appeared as a pinch hitter and had a single and a stolen base.
- Of Rhode Island's nine hits, four were doubles.
- The Rams were 5-for-17 with runners in scoring position.
- Todd Moxey and Vitaly Jangols combined for 3.2 innings of scoreless relief.
- Jangols retired all six batters he faced.
- Rhody's pitchers had seven strikeouts and zero walks.
- After battling through the first inning in which St. Bonaventure scored three runs, starting pitcher Trystan Levesque (4-1) gave the Rams 5.1 innings of work, striking out six and allowing just one run from the second through the sixth.
Up Next
Rhode Island hosts Army in a non-conference game Tuesday, May 11. Game time is 3 p.m.
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