Holt holds Seahawk offense to four hits in complete-game shutout

VERO BEACH, Fla. - After scoring 30 runs in its first three games, Salve Regina University baseball (2-3) ran into Drew Holt (Toms River, N.J.) who shutout the Seahawks on four hits in Game 1 of a doubleheader as Richard Stockton College (9-1) swept the pair at Vero Beach Sports Village.

The Ospreys won Game 1, 8-0, and then completed the sweep, 4-3 in Game 2, to run their overall win streak to eight games.

After picking off the Seahawks second baserunner in the 2nd, Holt retired nine straight batters before sophomore infielder Nicholas Gaj (Pawtucket, R.I.) struck a single down the left field line in the 5th. Holt allowed just the four hits and no free passes, facing just three batters over the minimum (21) over seven innings.

His counterpart, Salve Regina junior lefty Michael O'Neill (Pawtucket, R.I.) struggled with control early as the Ospreys scored two runs courtesy of four bases on balls and no basehits.

Salve Regina returned to its first-inning scoring form in Game 2 as senior shortstop Alex Melcher (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) ripped an RBI single up the middle to score fellow middle infielder Charles Matarazzo (Montville, N.J.) who led off the game with a double. Melcher had a two-out single up the middle in the 5th, his third hit of the game, that nearly delivered Byron Reding (Darien, Conn.) with the Seahawks' third run but Osprey centerfielder Mike Bush gunned Reding down with a one-bounce throw to the plate. Despite a mild protest by the Seahawks, the call stood.

Tom Glynn (Woodbridge, Conn.) led off the Seahawk 6th beating out a grounder to deep short. He later scored the third Seahawk run on a double-play groundout.

A wind-aided triple had allowed Richard Stockton to break a 2-2 tie in its 4th inning. Bush and Dan McGucking contributed RBI singles.

Brandon Bursie (Smithfield, R.I.) had his breaking ball working late in the game keeping the Ospreys off balance, but John Lightbody came in to close out the Seahawks in the 7th, facing four batters for his fifth save of the season.