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University of Rhode Island

baseball at tamu series finale
Texas A&M Athletics
11
Rhode Island URI 2-10
12
Winner Texas A&M TAMU 16-0
Rhode Island URI
2-10
11
Final
12
Texas A&M TAMU
16-0
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 R H E
Rhode Island URI 0 0 0 0 0 3 8 0 0 0 11 9 1
Texas A&M TAMU 1 0 2 3 1 0 1 1 2 1 12 15 2

W: Evan Aschenbeck (2-0) L: Heon, Kenny (0-1)

Game Recap: Baseball |

Rhody's Comeback at No. 4 Texas A&M Jilted

Rhode Island Starters
Moroney (SS), Perron (2B), Anderson (1B), DePino (3B), Genther (RF), King (DH), Hopko (LF), Borrelli (C), McKenzie (CF), Sposato (P)

Texas A&M Starters
Grahovac (3B), LaViolette (CF), Montomgery (RF), Schott (LF), Burton (1B), Appel (DH), Bard (C), Camarillo (SS), Kent (2B), Lamkin (P)

How it Happened
Rhode Island Baseball nearly pulled off an upset over No. 4 Texas A&M on Sunday afternoon but was walked off, 12-11, in 10 innings.

A two-out RBI single was the difference in the Aggies' (16-0) victory, which completed their series sweep of the Rams (2-10). Reliever Kenny Heon (0-1) was dealt the loss, though Brandon Hsu issued the fateful hit. Texas A&M scored five unanswered runs late in the game to stave off any comeback by URI.

The Rams got in the hole early and were staring down a 7-0 deficit by the end of the fifth inning. Timely hitting, as well as a bases-loaded plunking and a wild pitch, allowed the home team to build its advantage off of three different Rhody arms. 

After being shut out in both Friday and Saturday's meetings, URI got on the board in the top of the sixth when Reece Moroney left the yard for the first time in his collegiate career. Two batters later, Michael Anderson added a long ball of his own that scooped up DJ Perron (walk) along the way to make it a 7-3 ballgame. 

Things broke open for Rhody in the following frame with an eight-spot that awarded the team an 11-7 lead, its first of the weekend. Nick Toro kicked off the spurt with an RBI single that drove in Eric Genther and from there Rhode Island utilized a bases-loaded catcher's interference and a pair of knocks from Perron and Anderson to knot the score up at seven apiece. Anthony DePino then delivered the go-ahead run with a sac fly that plated Moroney before Genther capped off the parade with a three-run homer. 

Texas A&M got a pair of scores back over the seventh and eighth innings, working a bases-loaded walk and a leadoff solo shot to trim Rhody's advantage down to 11-9. The Rams had a solid chance to score some insurance runs in the eighth when both Michael Borrelli (double) and Reece Moroney (walk) reached base, but they were left stranded. 

The Aggies continued to keep the pressure on down the stretch and put the tying run on with just one out in the bottom of the ninth. An RBI groundout drove in one runner and after issuing a pair of walks, Hughes handed the ball off to Kenny Heon with the game at 11-10 in favor of the Rams. Heon walked one of the runners in before forcing a popup that sent the game into the 10th, where the final blow was dealt. 

Jack Hopko cranked out a one-out single in the top of the 10th to give the Rams a chance but the rest of the lineup was left on first base. 

Inside the Box Score
  • Rhode Island's 11 runs were the most that any team has scored against Texas A&M this season. Arizona State held that mark previously at five. 
  • This marked the Rams' third multi-home run game of the year. The team had two at both UTRGV (Feb. 18) and Washington State (March 2). 
  • Graduate student DJ Perron and sophomore Michael Anderson led the offense with two hits apiece.
  • Anderson also contributed three RBI, tying junior Eric Genther for the team lead. 
  • Sophomore Jack Hopko was 1-for-3 and drew two walks. 
  • Freshman Josh Kopetski retired the side in the sixth and faced two over the minimum in 1.1 innings of relief.
  • Both sophomore Colin Maloney and graduate student Tommy Hughes were tagged with three runs. 
  • Graduate students Sean Sposato and Zach Fernandez, along with Kopetski and junior Kenny Heon, were charged with one run each. 
  • Redshirt sophomore Brandon Hsu faced only the final batter of the 10th inning. 
  • Rhode Island's offense improved across the three-game series. After finishing with two hits on Friday and five on Saturday, the Rams had nine in the series finale. 
Up Next
Rhode Island will return to the northeast for its first midweek game of the 2024 season on Wednesday, March 13 at UMass Lowell. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. 


 
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