How it Happened
Billy Butler's two-run shot to right center in the top of the ninth was the difference in the Rhode Island baseball team's 10-9 victory over Massachusetts on Sunday afternoon. The result, coupled with a win on Friday, helped the Rams (20-24, 10-8 A-0) take the Atlantic 10 series from the Minutemen (11-29, 4-14 A-10). 

In a similar fashion to the previous two outings, the series finale had plenty of back-and-forth action between the sides before coming down to the wire. Rhody had gotten on the board first, jumping out 5-0 in the opening frame on a home run from Butler, a triple from Addison Kopack and a run driven in by Rob Butler on a hard-hit ball to shortstop. R. Butler went on to plate a pair of runs with a double in the third before Michael Anderson left the park in the fourth and extended the margin to 8-0. 

Massachusetts began to knock on the door in the fourth with a two-run, one-out blast but Braeden Perry got out of the inning with a six-run lead. Unfortunately for URI, the advantage did not last for long as the UMass bats exploded in the sixth with a seven-run outburst that put the home team ahead, 9-8. Both Perry and reliever Jon Morrison were tagged with runs before Zach Anderson entered the game and recorded back-to-back outs. 

Fernandez did not allow a single Minuteman to reach base over the next three innings, effectively silencing the home team's offense and giving his squad the chance to win. After the Rams left the go-ahead run stranded on second in the seventh, Butler delivered the game-winning hit and scooped up Michael Anderson on his trot around the bases. 

Inside the Box Score

• Redshirt junior Zach Fernandez picked up the win in relief, improving his season record to 2-1. He struck out four batters in 3.2 innings of work and faced the minimum. 
• Redshirt senior Billy Butler homered in every game of the series against the Minutemen. His two in the Sunday contest marked the first multi-home run game of his career. 
• Butler collected a team-high four RBI and scored a pair of runs. 
• Both freshman Michael Anderson (3-for-5) and sophomore Eric Genther (3-for-4) cranked out a team-high three hits apiece. Anderson also crossed home plate three times. 
• Genther and redshirt sophomore Rob Butler each contributed one double. Butler also racked up three RBI to pad his stat line. 
• Rhode Island scored 28 runs in the series at Massachusetts, finishing both Friday's (11) and Sunday's (10) games with double-digit runs. 
• The Rams also recorded 10+ hits in each outing at Earl Borden Field, turning in 14 on Friday before finishing Saturday and Sunday with 11 each. 

What's Next
Rhody will return home for a week before hitting the road once again for a conference series at Saint Joseph's. First pitch on Friday, May 12 is scheduled for 3 p.m.