How It Happened
Rhode Island (9-17) won both ends of a doubleheader against in-state rival Brown, taking each of the first two home games of the 2023 season. Along the way, head coach Whitney Goldstein earned the 250th win of her collegiate career.

Game 1 - Rhode Island 3, Brown 2
Freshman Ashley Hibbard (1-2) earned her first collegiate victory by pitching 3.0 scoreless innings, and Skyler Rapuano's delivered the game-winning run with a solo home run late in the contest.

With the game tied 2-2 through four innings, Hibbard entered the game. After the first batter she faced singled, Hibbard responded by retiring the next three batters in order. Brown (5-16) got a single to lead off the sixth inning as well, but Hibbard again recovered well, retiring the last six batters in a row.

Rapuano made sure the effort was rewarded. In the bottom of the sixth, she drilled an 0-1 pitch to rightfield to provide the game-winning margin.

Game 2 - Rhode Island 3, Brown 0
Katie Zaun and Piper Maguire combined on a five-hit shutout to lead the Rams to the victory in Game Two. Zaun (3-7) scattered three hits and four walks over the first 5.0 innings. Maguire came on in the sixth to close the game out, giving up just two singled in her 2.0 innings of work.

Rhode Island took the lead in the bottom of the third when Elena Gonzalez delivered a two-out single to drive in Emily Power. An inning later, Hannah Hernandez drew a bases loaded walk to force Jessica Hennelly in with URI's second run.

Gonzalez' hustle in the fifth resulted in the third run. Standing on second when Vicki Viaclovsky grounded sharply to third base, Gonzalez broke for third on the throw across the diamond. When the throw went in the dirt and couldn't be handled, Gonzalez never broke stride around third, sliding in ahead of the throw home, putting Rhody ahead 3-0.

The lead held up, and the Rams won their third straight game for the first time this season.

Inside the Box Scores

• Rhode Island is 5-0 when leading after five innings this season, and 8-0 when leading after six innings.
• The Rams improved to 5-5 in one-run games, including a 4-1 mark in the last five such games.
• Head coach Whitney Goldstein is now 250-142 in 11 seasons as a head coach. She won 206 games at WPI, 24 at Amhesrt and now has 20 with URI.
• Senior Jessica Hennelly was 5-for-6 with a double for the day. She scored one run in each game and also had a stolen base.
• Sophomore Emily Power was 4-for-6 with one RBI, one run scored and a stolen base. She raised her season batting average by 143 points over the course of the day.
• Senior Cassie Swenson singled, walked, was hit by a pitch and had two sacrifice bunts in six plate appearances.
• Senior Skyler Rapuano doubled in the first game and hit a solo home run in the second game.
• Graduate student Elena Gonzalez singled twice, had one RBI and scored once on the day.
• Pitchers Liz Lynchard, Ashley Hibbard, Katie Zaun and Piper Maguire combined two allow just two runs over 14.0 innings. URI's pitching staff has not allowed more than three runs in any of the last six contests.
• Maguire earned her first career save in the second game.  
• Rhode Island was 5-for-5 on stolen base attempts on the day and now has 43 steals through 26 games. In 2022, the Rams had 46 steals in 46 games.

What's Next
Rhode Island will host Saint Joseph's in a doubleheader on Sunday, April 2. The first game will begin at 12:02 p.m. and will stream on ESPN+. The second game will stream on ESPN3.