SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The Roger Williams University Baseball team extended its winning streak to nine before falling in a split against Western New England College Saturday afternoon, taking the first game 2-0 and dropping the second 5-6.
Senior designated hitter Travis Schwamb (West Springfield, MA) knocked in the winning run with a sacrifice fly in the sixth inning and junior pitcher Jason Pizzoferrato (Windsor, CT) won his fifth game of the season without a loss as the Western New England College baseball team defeated Roger Williams 6-5 in the second game of a Commonwealth Coast Conference doubleheader Saturday afternoon (Apr. 19) at Trelease Park.
The Hawks took the opener 2-0 as junior
Brian Hurld (South Boston, MA) and sophomore
Billy Dunn (Fiskdale, MA) combined on a four-hit shutout.
WNEC snapped Roger Williams' nine-game winning streak as Pizzoferrato got the final out with a runner on third. He allowed eight hits, but fanned seven and walked two.
The Golden Bears scored five times in the fifth for a 5-1 lead before the Hawks tied the contest with four runs in the sixth.
Sophomore second baseman Justin Walz (Groton, CT) had a triple, RBI double, and a run, and made a nice defensive play snaring a line drive with a runner on second. Senior shortstop Ryan Kravontka (Glastonbury, CT) also had two hits.
RWU junior
Andrew Haycock (Medfield, MA) had a bases clearing double while junior
Alex Perry (Glastonbury, CT) had two hits and a run. Junior third baseman
Kevin Simpson (Londonderry, NH) had a double and scored twice. Perry and Kravontka were former teammates at Glastonbury High School in Connecticut along with WNEC sophomore rightfielder Steve Kearney (Glastonbury, CT) who also had hits in each game.
Perry also knocked in both runs in the opener with a two-run single in the sixth. Simpson added a single and triple.
Hurld went 6 1/3 innings giving up four hits while striking out six and walking none in running his record to 5-1. Dunn struck out both hitters he faced for his sixth save of the spring.
Senior Chris Anderson (Moodus, CT) took the loss after permitting seven hits with seven strikeouts and three walks. He is now 3-3 on the season.
Western New England College has a 21-9 record and 13-3 conference mark. This was the start of three consecutive doubleheaders for the Golden Bears who visit Colby-Sawyer on Sunday (Apr. 20) and Curry on Monday (Apr. 21).
Roger Williams has an overall 24-9 record, including a 16-2 mark in the conference, and will play New England College tomorrow at noon.
- Release courtesy of the Western New England College Sports Information Department