Box Score BRISTOL, R.I. – The Roger Williams University Baseball team kicked off its final week of the regular season with a 7-3 non-conference victory over St. Joseph's College (Maine) Monday afternoon. Today marks the first day of the Hawks' six-game stretch over the next seven days.
After a scoreless top of the first, Jamie Timothy (Cohasset, Mass.) led off the bottom of the frame by working the count full before pulling a single just past a diving Max McCoomb (South Berwick, Maine) at short. Caulin Rogers (Gloucester, Mass.) followed with a double down the right field line to put runners at second and third with no one out. Chris Travers (East Freetown, Mass.) stepped up and punched a short fly to center field that looked like it would drop but Tim Beaudette (Uxbridge, Mass.) made a diving catch to hold Travers to just a sacrifice fly. After a groundout to second, McCoomb made a great diving stop and throw on a grounder to short to end the inning and keep Rogers from scoring.
In the second, St. Joseph's appeared headed to grab the run back, as Taylor Reuillard (Biddeford, Maine) hit a one-out single to right, followed by a walk by Zack Graham (Marlborough, Mass.). However, George Lund (West Hartford, Conn.) escaped out of the jam, getting a flyout to right and ending the inning on a high-fastball strikeout.
The third saw McCoomb lead off the inning with a single to center before moving up to second on a sac bunt to first. Yet St. Joseph was still unable to get the tying run home, Lund struck out the next two Monks to keep the lead for Roger Williams.
St. Joseph's was able to avoid a leadoff error coming back to haunt them in the bottom of the third. After a force-out at second, the Monks' Corey McNamara (West Newbury, Mass.) got the Hawks to ground into a 6-3 double play to end the inning.
Lund continued to work in the fourth, stranding runners at first and second on a strikeout on a pitch low and outside.
In the fifth, the Hawks took advantage of a couple of Monk miscues to bring across two more runs. Two errors for St. Joseph in the inning led to Kevin Baker (Wilbraham, Mass.) notching a two-out base hit up the middle to score Reid Nelson (Wallingford, Conn.). Mike Thomas (Plainville, Conn.) followed with another RBI single, bringing home Shawn Cariglio (Milford, Conn.) for a 3-0 Hawk lead.
Roger Williams kept the bats hot in the fifth, as Travers roped an RBI triple to left center, scoring Rogers and giving up a 4-0 lead. Nelson would knock in Travers on the following at-bat with an RBI single.
Saint Joseph's rallied in the top of the sixth, beginning with a Joe Coyne (South Portland, Maine) lead-off with single. Graham reached on an error, followed by pinch hitter Brett Barbati (Melrose, Mass.) loading the bases with a single to right. McCoomb later came through with the clutch hit, a two-out, two-RBI single for the first runs of the game for St. Joseph's. Barbati came home on a wild pitch to the back stop to pull the Monks within two.
The Hawks were able to get two of the runs back in the bottom of the frame. After the first three batters all reached base, RWU used two RBI groundouts by Timothy and Rogers to back up by four.
In the top of the seventh, St. Joseph's looked ready to get back into the game, taking advantage of a walk and two Hawk errors in the inning to load the bases with one out. However, RWU reliever Brendan Telfer (Avon, Conn.) entered the game and was able to strike out the next two Monks and maintain the Hawks' four-run lead.
After a scoreless eighth, Tyler Pogmore (Lebanon, Conn.) came on in the ninth close out the game and secure the win for RWU.
Lund improves to 6-0 with the win, going 5.2 innings and allowing three unearned runs while striking out nine. Thomas was 3-for-4 at the plate while Timothy finished 2-for-5, both batters adding a run and an RBI each.
McNamara suffered his first loss of the season, giving up three runs (one earned) in four innings. McCoomb was 2-for-5 with a pair of RBI while Reuillard went 2-for-4
Roger Williams (21-11) will head to UMass-Dartmouth on Wednesday, while St. Joseph's (20-12) begins the GNAC Tournament on Thursday.