Baseball 3/22/2014 6:06:00 PM

Baseball opens CCC play with doubleheader sweep

Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 BRISTOL, R.I. – The Roger Williams University Baseball team picked up its ninth and tenth wins of the season in a doubleheader sweep against Gordon College on Saturday afternoon. The first game was a shutout for the Hawks, winning 13-0; while the second game was a closer call as they went on to win 9-4.

In the first game, Roger Williams was the first to strike in the bottom of the first inning after senior Mike Pascarella (Milford, Conn.) was hit by a pitch putting him on base. Jamie Timothy (Cohasset, Mass.) singled at his at-bat, which brought Pascarella home giving the Hawks a 1-0 lead. Reid Nelson (Wallingford, Conn.) was also hit by a pitch in the inning, but the Hawks would leave the bases loaded going into the second.

Gordon was unable to capitalize on a leadoff walk in the top of the second, stranding the runner after a pretty inning-ending double play started by sophomore Caulin Rogers (Gloucester, Mass.).

The second half of the inning was the most productive for the Hawks as they scored five runs, four of which came on a Mike Thomas (Plainville, Conn.) grand slam with two outs to put the Hawks up 6-0.

Rogers would lead off the fourth with a fly ball triple to right field where he would eventually be sent home on a Chris Travers (East Freetown, Mass.) single, giving the Hawks a 7-0 lead.

The Roger Williams defense proved too much for Gordon as they left another runner stranded in the top of the fifth.

After a pitching change for Gordon in the second half of the inning, which featured junior Jared Kefalas (Wenham, Mass.) at the mound, the Hawks continued to be hot from the plate and singles from Shawn Cariglio (Milford, Conn.) and Trevor Larson (Northbridge, Mass.) put one more on the board for an 8-0 Roger Williams lead.

Despite a lead-off walk for Mark Fitzgerald (Simi Valley, Calif.) and Jesse Amaya (South Gate, Calif.) getting hit by a pitch, Gordon remained scoreless after six.

The bottom of the inning was another productive one for the Hawks. Timothy led the inning with a walk eventually reaching second on a stolen base. Travers and Thomas also reached base to get them loaded where RBI singles for Nelson and Cariglio would put the Hawks up 11-0.

Roger Williams would score two more runs in the inning after a wild pitch brought in Nelson and Larson singled to right to send Cariglio home for the final Hawk score of the game.

Brendan Telfer (Avon, Conn.) closed the game out nicely for the Hawks striking out two and forcing one into a ground out. Dan Julian picked up the win, pitching six shutout innings.

The second game started off much the same for the Hawks as the bottom of the first brought in three runs. After Pascarella led the inning off with a walk, Rogers singled to center to bring him home.

Rogers would steal second on a wild pitch and an infield groundball moved him up another spot, allowing a Thomas groundball to send him to the plate for a 2-0 Hawk lead. They would score one more run before Gordon caught Nelson in the act of stealing to end the inning.

The next few innings were exceptional for both RWU starter A.J. Bashaw (Norton, Mass.) and Gordon pitcher Eric Proulx (Charlton, Mass.) as pitchers as they forced 1-2-3 innings on numerous ground outs and strike outs before the Hawks picked it up again in the bottom of the fourth.

Still up 3-0, a ground ball single to right by Travers and a line drive RBI for Nelson gave the Hawks another run. Joe Hock (Braintree, Mass.) also reached base in the inning before being sent home on a Kevin Baker (Wilbraham, Mass.) hit.

Two wild pitches in the inning gave the Hawks an 8-0 advantage as Baker and Larson capitalized on the opportunity before a ground out ended the inning. The Hawks would score one more time in the bottom of the fifth after Timothy reached base and scored on another wild pitch.

Gordon rallied late in the game scoring their four runs in the bottom of the sixth after Alex Smith (Wethersfield, Conn.) singled to left. A suicide squeeze for Eric Walker, which led to a Hawk error brought Smith home for Gordon's first run of the game.

Another error for the Hawks resulted in an RBI single for Alonzo Martinez (El Paso, Texas). Mark Fitzgerald (Simi Valley, Calif.) and Travis Pullen (Las Vegas, Nev.) also recorded RBI singles to give the Fighting Scots their final two runs of the game.

Bashaw picked up the win for the Hawks pitched an almost perfect game, not allowing a hit until the sixth inning.

Roger Williams will play again on Sunday March 23 in a double header at home against Wentworth beginning at noon. The Scots also play at home for their next matchup against the Golden Bears of Western New England on the 24th in a double-header beginning at 2:00 p.m.

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