WEST HARTFORD, Conn. — No. 6 Roger Williams University kept its postseason hopes alive with an 8-6 extra-inning victory over No. 4 Western New England in an elimination game of the Conference of New England (CNE) Baseball Tournament on Thursday morning at Fiondella Field.
For Roger Williams, Owen Hibbard added a 2-for-4 day with a double, single, walk, two stolen bases, and a run scored. Griffin Ruffner went 2-for-3 with an RBI, two walks, and a stolen base. Jack Tubman also tallied two hits, including a double and a hit-by-pitch, and scored twice.
Roger Williams starter Lucas Lariviere delivered a strong performance on the mound, striking out eight and allowing just two earned runs over seven innings. Reliever Charles Ennis (2-0) earned the win despite allowing one run in the 10th, and Nick Gleason recorded the final two outs for his first save of the season.
Western New England (22-20, 8-8 CNE) was led by John Bova, who went 3-for-5 with four RBIs, including a game-tying grand slam in the sixth inning and an RBI single in the 10th. Ryan Montini scored three runs despite going hitless, while Jack Gamache and Antonio Galizia each contributed a hit and a run scored. The Golden Bears used seven pitchers in the game, with Troy Donohue (1-3) taking the loss after surrendering three unearned runs in the 10th.
In the top of the fourth, Hibbard led off with a double and advanced to third on a failed pickoff. After a walk and a wild pitch, Hibbard scored the game's first run. Tubman also came around to score on a groundout. Later in the inning, Ethan Keeney hit a ground-rule double to score Nick Sheehan, and Ruffner followed with an RBI single to left. Roger Williams led 4-0.
Western New England answered in a big way in the sixth inning. After two singles and an error loaded the bases, Bova crushed a grand slam over the left-field fence, tying the game at 4-4.
Tubman doubled and advanced to third on a wild pitch in the seventh. Sheehan drove him in with a sacrifice fly to center field, giving the Hawks a 5-4 lead.
The Golden Bears tied the game again after Montini reached on an error and later scored on a double-play groundout by Corey Kilroy, making it 5-5 after the eighth.
In the 10th, Rory Lynch opened with a ground-rule double, scoring the go-ahead run on an error. Noah Hester's two-out single up the middle drove in two more, giving Roger Williams an 8-5 lead.
In the bottom of the 10th, Montini walked and eventually scored on a groundout by Leo Paragarin, trimming the deficit to 8-6. But Gleason struck out the final batter with two runners on to seal the win.
Roger Williams (15-22, 6-10 CNE) advances to the next matchup of the CNE Tournament and will face the winner of the No. 5 Suffolk and No. 3 Hartford matchup.
