EAST BOSTON, Mass. – The Roger Williams University Baseball team split a Conference of New England (CNE) doubleheader with Suffolk on Saturday afternoon at East Boston Memorial. The Hawks captured the opening game in extra innings, 7–6, before the Rams responded with a 7–5 victory in game two.
The doubleheader was played as a Skin Cancer Awareness Game in honor of Billy Waters, a former teammate of Roger Williams head coach Kevin Kelley and Anthony Del Prete the Suffolk Head Coach.
Game One – RWU 7, Suffolk 6 (10 innings)
Roger Williams broke through in the third inning when Will Florio (San Jose, Calif.) launched a solo home run to left field to give the Hawks a 1–0 lead. Suffolk answered in the fourth with a run to tie the game before taking advantage of defensive miscues in the sixth to move ahead 3–1.
The Rams extended their lead in the eighth inning, capitalizing on multiple errors to plate two runs and build a 5–1 advantage.
The Hawks mounted a dramatic comeback in the ninth inning. Noah Hester (Old Saybrook, Conn.) and Braden Ventura (Swansea, Mass.) reached base before Sam Arcieri (Westwood, N.J.) singled to load the bases. Casey DeLorenzo (East Greenwich, R.I.) delivered a clutch two-run double to cut the deficit to two, and Jack Tubman (Bellingham, Mass.) followed with an RBI single to bring Roger Williams within one. Moments later, a run scored on a double-play ball to even the score at 5–5 and force extra innings.
In the 10th, the Hawks took the lead as Hester drove in Devin Driscoll (Portsmouth, N.H.) with an RBI single. A passed ball later in the inning allowed another run to score, giving RWU a 7–5 cushion.
Suffolk threatened in the bottom of the inning, plating a run on an RBI double from Mike Mullaney, but the Hawks held on to secure the 7–6 win.
Hester led the offense with three hits and two runs scored, while DeLorenzo added two RBI. On the mound, Daniel McDonnell (Southampton, N.Y.) earned the victory with two innings of relief.
Game Two – Suffolk 7, RWU 5
Roger Williams struck first in the opening inning when Ventura delivered an RBI single to score Hester, giving the Hawks an early 1–0 lead.
Suffolk answered in the fourth inning when Sam Armbruster blasted a two-run home run to left center to give the Rams a 2–1 advantage.
The Hawks responded with a four-run fifth inning to reclaim the lead. Driscoll drove in a run with a bases-loaded walk before Luke Miele (Wellesley, Mass.) added a sacrifice fly. A wild pitch brought in another run, and Hester capped the rally with an RBI double to push Roger Williams ahead 5–2.
Suffolk quickly answered in the bottom of the fifth. Jack Mihalchik drove in a run with a double, Colin Flynn followed with an RBI triple, and Armbruster added an RBI single to tie the game before the Rams took the lead on a defensive error.
The Rams added an insurance run in the seventh inning on an RBI single from Cole Hilliard, sealing the 7–5 victory.
Hester finished with two hits for the Hawks, while Ventura and Tubman each recorded hits in the loss.
Roger Williams will look to bounce back as the Hawks continue Conference of New England play later this week, traveling to Endicott on Apr. 21 at 3:30 PM.
