Viveiros sharp in start, Barlok goes yard in Seahawk victory

AUBURNDALE, Fla. - Salve Regina University baseball had another lefty starting pitcher produce a solid outing with scoreless bullpen work while the offense posted a season-high in runs as the Seahawks won 11-3 over the Pioneers of William Paterson University in RussMatt Invitational action at Lake Myrtle Park. Sophomore left-hander Michael Viveiros (No. Scituate, R.I.) pitched 6.2 innings allowing just three runs on eight hits and striking out four in his first start of 2019. He earned the victory as Salve Regina (4-4) scored early and often.

The Seahawks plated two runs in the first with junior catcher Dylan Ketch (Clinton, Conn.) doubling to bring home Dustin Siqueira (Trumbull, Conn.) and later scoring on a line drive sac fly from Jack Betts (Narragansett, R.I.). Five of the eight hits off Viveiros went for extra bases including a pair of triples in the third, but the Pioneers could only score once in that frame on a sac fly.

Zack Barlok's (Cheshire, Conn.) ground-rule double in the fourth inning brought Betts home from second before Anthony Cieszko (Woodcliff Lake, N.J.) scored on Siqueira's sac fly to left to up Salve Regina's lead to 4-1. Barlok added a solo homer in the sixth and pinch hitter Sean O'Malley (Darien, Conn.) doubled in Ketch in the seventh before Cieszko followed with his run-scoring triple.

Viveiros got the first batter in the seventh to pop out to Ketch before the Pioneers launched back-to-back solo homers from pinch hitter Shane Adams and Dan Abate to cut their deficit to 7-3. Freshman right-hander Zack Lopez (New Canaan, Conn.) pitched the final 2.1 innings and allowed no runs on two hits.

Salve Regina added four more runs in the eighth on three successive singles by Zack Smith (New Canaan, Conn.), Colton Eremian (Boca Raton, Fla.), and O'Malley. Ketch, Smith, Barlok, and O'Malley paced the Seahawk offense with two hits apiece. Steven DiGirolamo had a three-hit day for the Pioneers at the top of their lineup. The Seahawks conclude their Florida trip with a twinbill against Mount Union on Thursday at Lake Myrtle Park.