Beavers sweep Seahawks before Thiel triumphs

FT. MYERS, Fla. - Salve Regina University baseball (0-3) struggled out of the gate on its opening weekend in Florida, losing a pair of games to regional rival Babson College on Saturday before dropping a contest to Thiel College on Sunday.

In Game One on Saturday, senior Nicholas Politelli (Warwick, R.I.) allowed only one earned run while striking out two Beavers in five innings, but the Seahawks were blanked by his mound counterpart, Kyle Lyon.

In the bottom of the first, first-year Dillon Gonzalez was hit by a pitch, stole second, moved to third on a groundout by junior Pat Matvichuk, and scored on a sacrifice fly to center by senior Billy Miller. Babson's second run came two innings later, when Matvichuk reached base on a two-out error, stole second, advanced to third on a wild pitch, and came home when Miller reached on the Seahawks' second error of the inning.

That was more than enough support for Lyon, who fired seven scoreless innings while allowing nine hits, walking one, and striking out seven. The junior righthander worked out of trouble in each of the first six innings, including the third when left fielder Gonzalez threw out a Salve Regina runner at the plate to end the frame. The only inning in which the Seahawks failed to produce at least one base-runner was the seventh, when Lyon recorded back-to-back strikeouts and a groundout to finish off the first shutout of his collegiate career.

Senior captain Matt Capone (East Providence, R.I.) and sophomore Dominic Di Sano (Central Falls, R.I.) both collected a pair of singles in the opener. Salve Regina outhit Babson, 9-3. It was the third game of the season for the Beavers.

In Game Two, sophomore Anthony Conte (Georgetown, Mass.) led off the bottom of the first with a walk, stole second, stole third, and came around to score on a throwing error by the Beaver catcher. Salve Regina had its first run and first lead of 2012.

Babson took the lead with two runs in its second inning off Seahawk starter Kevin Lambert (Fairfield, Conn.). Lambert allowed just two earned runs before being lifted in the fourth.

The sophomore combination of Tyler Colby (Easton, Conn.) and Stephen Crawford (Barrington, R.I.) produced a run in the Seahawk sixth. Colby led off the frame with a double and came home on a one-out single by Crawford.

On Sunday, the Tomcat baseball squad, leading 9-6 after seven innings, used a seven-run eighth to secure a 16-7 victory over Salve Regina at the Gene Cusic Collegiate Classic.

Thiel (3-1), leading by only three, 9-6, after seven, tallied six of its seven runs in the eighth with two outs. 12 Tomcats came to the plate in the frame.

On the day 11 of the Tomcat's 16 runs came with two outs.

Joe Haley (North Kingstown, R.I.) paced Salve Regina with his 4-for-4 effort, including two doubles. Charles Kwolek (Greenville, R.I.) was dealt the loss, allowing three runs (only two earned) on five hits with five strikeouts and three walks in 3.2 innings.

Politelli and fellow senior Byron Reding (Darien, Conn.) picked up a pair of hits each, including a two-bagger for Reding. Capone added his first extra-base hit of the season, an RBI double in the seventh.