NEWPORT, R.I. – It was a make-or-break contest for the Roger Williams University Baseball team who needed a victory to keep their realistic chances at a top-two seed in the Commonwealth Coast Conference Tournament alive but instead, the offense sputtered as they fell to Salve Regina University, 8-1, on Wednesday afternoon at Reynolds Field. Matt D'Amato (Midland Park, N.J.) provided the deathblow, ripping his fourth home run of the season in the fifth inning while the Seahawks held RWU to just three hits in the contest.
 
With the loss, RWU falls to 25-4-1 on the season, 9-3-1 in CCC play and perhaps most importantly, they surrender the tiebreaker to SRU, dropping the season series, 0-1-1. The Seahawks, meanwhile, improve to 19-9-2 on the season and are a virtual lock for a top-two seed in the conference tournament as they are 10-0-2 against CCC foes.
 
Ben Bonavita (East Longmeadow, Mass.) got the ball for Roger Williams, and he battled through six innings, allowing five runs, three earned, on six hits and five walks to fall to 2-1 on the season. The hosts, on the other hand, saved their ace and debatably the top pitcher in the CCC, Dominic Perachi (Washington Depot, Conn.) for this one and while the Hawks made him work, restricting him to just five innings to match his shortest outing of the season, he was sharp allowing just a single unearned run on two hits and four walks while fanning nine, receiving the win to move to 8-0.
 
Hawk Highlights
Brandon Jenkins: 1-for-3, 2B, BB
Ben Bonavita: 1-for-3, BB
Christopher Flynn: 1-for-4
Matt Massaro: 0-for-5, RS
 
Ben Bonavita: (L, 2-1), 6.0 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 3 ER, 5 BB, 0 K
 
For The Opponents
Matt D'Amato: 2-for-3, HR, 2 BB, 2 RBI, 3 RS
Dylan Ketch: 3-for-4, 2B, 2 RBI, RS
Dustin Siqueira: 1-for-3, SB, BB, 2 RBI, RS
Chris Veneruso: 2-for-3, BB, 2 RS
 
Dominic Perachi: (W, 8-0), 5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 4 BB, 9 K
 
How It Happened
In a matchup between a pair of very reliable teams defensively, as each squad ranks in the top-55 in the nation in fielding percentage, it was the lack of glovework in the first inning that was most notable and lead to the first handful of runs. Roger Williams got on the board when Matt Massaro (Fairfield, Conn.) reached on an error by Wil McCarthy (Pembroke, Mass.). Jack Morin (North Andover, Mass.) walked and Christopher Flynn (Randolph, N.J.) singled, loading the bases with two down and the Hawks would break through as Massaro scampered home on a wild pitch. However, that would be all they got in the inning as it felt like they should have gotten more from the rally, and unfortunately that would become a theme throughout the night. RWU left two on in the second, and then a man at second base in the third, fourth, and fifth innings against Dominic Perachi (Washington Depot, Conn.). In the game overall, the Hawks stranded ten runners on base including eight in scoring position as they failed to scratch across another run.
 
In the home half of the inning, Salve Regina would grab a lead that they would not relinquish. Matt D'Amato (Midland Park, N.J.) walked, and Dustin Siquera (Trumbull, Conn.) reached on a fielder's choice as the Hawks tried to get the lead runner, but everyone was safe due to an errand throw. Dylan Ketch (Clinton, Conn.) doubled in a run, Tyler Cannoe (Schenectady, N.Y.) brought in another on a sacrifice fly, and Tyler Petrosino (Beverly, Mass.) plated a third run two batters later via a fielder's choice and just like that, the hosts held a 3-1 lead on the back of a pair of unearned tallies.
 
Ben Bonavita (East Longmeadow, Mass.) found himself navigating around plenty of baserunners all night, but he continually escaped unscathed until the fifth. In that frame, Chris Veneruso (Westport, Conn.) leadoff with a single and D'Amato followed with a big blow, hammering a homerun to right to double the lead. Two more runners would reach and were subsequently stranded but the damage was done.
 
The Seahawks threatened for more in the seventh as Nick Harper (Westwood, N.J.) loaded the bases with no one out but escaped unscathed though Justin Fraleigh (Rocky Hill, N.Y.) would not have as much luck in the eighth. Like Harper, Fraleigh filled the bags with no outs on a hit batsman and a pair of singles for Siqueira who dumped a single into right center to plate two. Ketch added another with a sacrifice fly and that would be all for the scoring on the afternoon
 
Meanwhile, the combination of Andrew Roman (Monson, Mass.) and Eddie Hardiman (Danvers, Mass.) shut down the RWU offense after relieving Perrachi to start the sixth, as the duo secured the 8-1 win for SRU.
 
What's Next
Roger Williams will get the chance for a quick turnaround as they host #2/#4 nationally ranked Eastern Connecticut State University on Thursday, opening up a three-game home-and-home set against the Warriors. First pitch is scheduled for 3:30 PM.