Poplawski spins seven scoreless frames; Colonels walk off with sweep

MILTON, Mass. – The Curry College baseball team defeated nationally ranked Salve Regina twice on Saturday afternoon as they handed the Seahawks their first conference losses of the season on Senior Day. The Colonels won the first game by a final of 4-3 and then won the nightcap by way of a pinch hit three-run walk off home run by Tyler Jenkins (East Bridgewater, Mass.) to take game two 3-0. The wins move Curry to 13-17 overall and 9-5 in the CCC. Salve Regina drops to 28-7 overall and 12-2 in league play.

Prior to the contest, the Colonels honored its four seniors: Brian Burke (Swampscott, Mass.), Alex McLean (Eliot, Maine), Vincent LoPriore (Boston, Mass.) and Nick Crivello (Millville, Mass.) in a special pre-game ceremony.

GAME ONE
The Seahawks got on the board in game one in the top of the second, thanks to an RBI groundout to second by Dylan Ketch (Clinton, Conn.) to score Zach Smith (New Canaan, Conn.) which the visitors up 1-0.

Curry would answer right back in their half of the second, tallying three runs. Adam Duarte (East Providence, R.I.) got the frame started with a two-run single to center. The base knock to the outfield scored Crivello and LoPriore to give the Colonels the 2-1 advantage. Later in the frame, John Cave (Tewksbury, Mass.) singled to center which was deep enough to score Jenkins to go up 3-1.

Salve Regina struck back with two runs in the top of the third to tie the game at three. Colton Eremian (Boca Roton, Fla.) grounded out to Curry pitcher Matt Fogarty (Millis, Mass.) but with two men on Brody Santilli (Lincoln, R.I.) crossed home. They knotted the game later in the inning by way of a Smith single through the left side to plate Hunter Sleeper (Arlington, Mass.) to tie the contest at three.

Curry jumped ahead in the fourth, thanks to an RBI single up the middle by McLean. The base hit scored Duarte to grab the 4-3 lead. The run by Duarte proved to be the game winner as the Colonels took the first game by the same 4-3 final.

Cave led Curry with two hits in the opener. Four others recorded one hit each for the Colonels. Duarte paced the home squad with two runs batted in. Santilli went a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate in game one while Smith was the only other Seahawk with multiple hits, registering two.
Fogarty picked up the win on the hill, tossing six innings. The sophomore allowed three runs on six hits. He struck out two and walked four for his third win of the season. David Griffin (Hanover, Mass.) entered the contest in relief and recorded the three out save. The save was his second of the year.

GAME TWO
The first seven innings featured a combined 13 hits and 15 men left on base, but no runs. The contest would eventually would head to extras. A strikeout by Mike Moreau (Marshfield, Mass.) and a fly out to center by Crivello to center gave Curry two outs in the bottom of the eighth.

LoPriore kept the frame alive with a single to third. He eventually stole second base and then advanced to third on an error by the Salve Regina catcher. Fogarty was intentionally walked and then Jenkins was put in the lineup to pinch hit for Mitchell Carvalho (Millis, Mass.). With two men on, Jenkins got ahold of a pitch from Tommy Seaver (Rocky Hill, Conn.) and put it over the fence in center to give the Colonels the 3-0 walk off victory and the sweep of the Seahawks.

LoPriore led Curry with a 3-for-4 day at the dish in the nightcap. Cave had two hits while four others had hits for the home team. Eremian, Christian Vargas (Melbourne, Fla.) paced Salve Regina with two hits apiece. John Militano (Miller Place, N.Y.) and Sleeper had a hit each to close that column for the visitors.

Kevin Jones (Pembroke, Mass.) recorded the victory on the mound, tossing the final four innings of play. He only gave up two hits while striking out two and walking one to pick up his first win of the season. Seaver was credited the loss, throwing two-thirds of an inning and surrendering three runs on two hits. He struck out one and walked one in the loss.

Curry closes out regular season play on Sunday with a doubleheader against Wentworth beginning at noon at Campanelli Stadium in Brockton, Mass. Salve Regina concludes CCC regular season play on Sunday with a doubleheader at Nichols. First game is slated for noon.