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)
St. Bonaventure Lineup
Myers (SS), Williams (1B), Kelder (RF), Stillman (LF), Hendershot (3B), Szablewski (CF), Manion (DH), Higgins (2B), DeJohn (C), White (P)
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.
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.