Seahawks sweep in-state rival Johnson & Wales
EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The Salve Regina University baseball team swept a pair of non-conference games from Johnson & Wales University Wednesday afternoon. The Seahawks won game one, 7-5 in 10 innings and game two, 6-5.
In the opener, Salve Regina jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the top of the first on an RBI single by senior Alexander Melcher (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) and a run scoring double by senior Jason Sluberski (Verona, N.J.). The Wildcats responded in the bottom of the second inning when junior Sean Radu (Woodbridge, N.J.) drew a walk and came around to score on a double steal, making the score 2-1. The visiting Seahawks extended their lead to 3-1 in the top of the fourth on an RBI double by junior Nicholas Politelli (Warwick, R.I.). Once again, JWU responded in the bottom of the fifth when a two run double by senior Nick Alosco (Mahopac, N.Y.) tied the game at 3-3 and an RBI single by sophomore Zach Boyes (West Warwick, R.I.) scored Alosco for the 4-3 lead. JWU extended its lead in the bottom of the sixth on an RBI single by junior Joe Coppola (Ridgewood, N.J.), going up 5-3. In the top of the seventh, Salve Regina made it 5-4 on an RBI single by Sluberski and tied the game at 5-5 on an RBI fielder's choice by freshman Nicholas Dell'Anno (Reading, Mass.). The game would then head into extra innings where Dell'Anno led off the 10th when a double and scored on a bases loaded walk by freshman Alexander Trammell (Londonderry, N.H.). Politelli's sacrifice fly then capped off the 7-5 victory for Salve Regina. Sluberski went 2-for-4 with two runs scored in the win for the Seahawks. Senior Mike Murphy (Pawtucket, R.I.) was 3-for-4 with two runs scored in the setback for JWU.
In the nightcap, the game was tied 1-1 before Salve Regina scored three unearned runs in the third to take the 4-1 advantage. The Wildcats climbed back, however, and made the score 4-3 on an RBI groundout by Coppola in the fifth. Salve Regina responded with another unearned run to take the 5-3 advantage after six innings of play. In the top of the seventh, JWU tied the game at 5-5 on a two-run double by Alosco. In the bottom of the frame, Salve Regina senior Brendan Tapley (Narragansett, R.I.) provided the heroics as his RBI double gave the Seahawks the 6-5 victory. Freshman Dan Donohue (Westbury, N.Y.) was 2-for-3 with a run score in the win for Salve Regina while Alosco was 2-for-2 with two RBI in the loss for JWU.
With the two losses Johnson & Wales falls to 19-16-1 on the season while Salve Regina improves to 17-15.
Courtesy of Johnson & Wales Sports Information