PR0VIDENCE, R.I. – For the first time in 366 days, the Roger Williams University Baseball team hit the diamond as they faced off against Johnson & Wales for a double-header. In game one, the offenses ruled, but the Hawks offense, led by Ben Bonavita (East Longmeadow, Mass.) and Brandon Jenkins (East Bridgewater, Mass.) was a little better in a 12-10 victory. In the second game, Justin Garcia (Foxborough, Mass.) dominated through the first seven innings but the Hawks fell, 5-1.
 
Hawk Highlights
Game 1
Ben Bonavita (East Longmeadow, Mass.): 3-for-4, 1 HR, 1 BB, 3 RBI
Brandon Jenkins (East Bridgewater, Mass.): 3-for-6, 3 2B, 1 SB, 1 RBI
Tyler Cedeno (Maynard, Mass.): 2-for-5, 2 SB, 1 BB, 2 RBI
Connor Hewlette (Deer Park, N.Y.): 3.1 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 3 K
Chris Flynn (Naugatuck, Conn.): (W, 1-0), 1.1 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
 
For the Opponents
Armani Henderson (Johnston, R.I.): 2-for-3, 1 SB, 3 RBI
Steve Rocchio (Cranston, R.I.): (L, 0-1), 0.0 IP, 0 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 2 BB
 
How It Happened
George Somers (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) got the scoring started by driving in Tommy Hobin (Madison, Conn.) with a sacrifice fly in the second. Then in the fourth, Brandon Jenkins (East Bridgewater, Mass.) led off with a double, stole third and then scored on a single by Kyle Davenport (Harrisville, R.I.). The Hawks went station-to-station with three more singles and a walk plating two more runs in the frame.

Connor Hewlette (Deer Park, N.Y.) was sharp over the first three frames but ran into trouble in the home half of the fourth as he surrendered an RBI double to Kevin Duffy that put runners on second and third with no outs. However, the combination of Hewlette and Chris Crawford (Putnam Valley, N.Y.) shut it down by striking out the next three Wildcats.

In the fifth, Ben Bonavita (East Longmeadow, Mass.) launched a two-run home run to right to make it 6-1. Johnson & Wales chipped away with three runs in the fifth and then jumped in front with another three in the sixth.

A Bonavita sacrifice fly and a Somers RBI ground out put the Hawks back in front in the seventh before Jenkins ripped a double to left center that scored Tyler Cedeno (Maynard, Mass.) in the eighth. JWU tied the game at nine with a pair of runs in the bottom of the frame but then the Hawks benefited from some wildness by the Johnson & Wales pitching staff as they plated a trio of runs on three walks, a hit batsman, a single, and a sacrifice fly.

Chris Flynn (Naugatuck, Conn.), who had entered for RWU as their seventh and final pitcher in the eighth, allowed an unearned run but nonetheless sealed the Hawks victory in the ninth.

Coach's Corner
"It was great to get back out on the diamond and get the first win of the season out of the way. Connor Hewlette pitched great for three innings, but we had him on a pitch count, so we went to our bullpen early. Bullpen struggled a little, but it is expected early in the season. Chris Flynn did a good job of coming in and closing the door for us. Offensively, Brandon Jenkins and Ben Bonavita went off. I was impressed with how both of them swung the bat this early in the season.  All in all, game one wasn't pretty but a win is a win."
 
Game 2
Danny Roth (West Hartford, Conn.): 1-for-4, 2B, 1 HBP, 1 RBI
George Somers (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.): 2-for-4, 1 BB
Justin Garcia (Foxborough, Mass.): 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 14 K
Matt Vernacatola (Berlin, Conn.): (L, 0-1), 0.0 IP, 1 H, 3 R, 2 ER, BB, K
 
For the Opponents
Armani Henderson (Johnston, R.I.): 1-for-4, 1 RBI
Ryan Depatie (Pawtucket, R.I.): (W, 1-0), 3.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 BB, 2 K
Steve Rocchio (Cranston, R.I.): (SV, 1), 1.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB
 
How It Happened
Justin Garcia (Foxborough, Mass.) carved up the Wildcats across seven innings allowing only four hits and walking one while striking out 14. His lone blemish occurred in the fourth inning when Colby Greenhalgh (Plainfield, Conn.) led off with a single, stole second and came home on a single by Clayton McAllister (Swanton, Vt..).

The Hawks broke through in the eighth as George Somers (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) notched a one out single and came around to score thanks to a walk and a pair of hit batsmen.

Garcia gave way to the bullpen in the eighth and in a series of events that included a trio of RWU relievers and only one hit, Johnson & Wales plated four runs in the home half of the eighth.

Roger Williams got traffic on the base paths in the ninth but could not break through against Steve Rocchio (Cranston, R.I.).

The Hawks drew 11 walks and had four hit batters in the contest, but they stranded 18 men on base.
 
Coach's Corner
"Justin Garcia was an absolute stud on the mound for us. He was virtually unhittable through seven. Defensively, we struggled a bit in the later innings when we went to our bullpen. That combined with a couple miscues on the mound is why the end results didn't favor us. Offensively, we need to do a better job with runners in scoring position, situational hitting and hitting with two outs. All in all, we need to execute at a higher level in all phases of the game if we want to be a championship caliber team. Good thing it is early in the season and plenty of time to get better."
 
What's Next
Roger Williams (1-1) travels back to Providence on Friday, March 19 this time to duel with Rhode Island College for a double-header. First pitch of game one is slated for 3:00 PM.