Seahawks rally to beat Buccaneers, 8-7

NEWPORT, R.I. - Salve Regina University baseball scored four times in the 7th inning to overtake visiting Massachusetts Maritime Academy, 8-7, as pitcher Thomas Betros (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.) earned the save by striking out five of the six batters he faced in hitless relief.

Sophomore catcher Dominic Di Sano (Central Falls, R.I.) led the Seahawk hitters with a 3-for-4 day at the plate including two doubles and three runs scored. Shortstop Daniel Donohue (Westbury, N.Y.), first baseman Nicholas Politelli (Warwick, R.I.), and designated hitter Sam Handy (East Greenwich, R.I.) each collected two hits on the day.

Handy, Nicholas Dell'Anno (Reading, Mass.), and Anthony Conte (Georgetown, Mass.) had two runs batted in apiece.

The Buccaneers scored three times in the 1st inning off Seahawk starter Daniel Kehew (Portsmouth, R.I.) who earned CCC Pitcher of the Week honors after tossing a no-hitter in his last outing (4/4/12 v. Wentworth). Bobby Rosano (No. Reading, Mass.), Aram Mulhearn (Taunton, Mass.), and Zachary Sullivan (Barnstable, Mass.) had RBI basehits in the opening frame.

Salve Regina (9-15) got two runs back in the 2nd on successive sacrifice flies by Dell'Anno and Handy.

Mulhearn's two-run homer in the top of the 3rd gave the visitors another three-run cushion. Politelli's double in the bottom of the 3rd scored senior captain Matt Capone (East Providence, R.I.) who had doubled with two outs.

In the 4th, the Seahawks pulled within one when Handy singled in Di Sano to make it 5-4. Freshman Kyle Pheland (No. Scituate, R.I.), who was perfect for 6.1 innings before settling for a 3-0 one-hitter in his last outing, relieved Kehew in the 5th and pitched two scoreless innings before Sullivan socked a two-run homer in the 7th to make it 7-4.

Politelli opened the Seahawk 7th with a walk. Di Sano doubled him to third before Dell'Anno singled Politelli home and putting runners at the corners. Dell'Anno stole second and scored on Conte's two-run single. Donohue delivered the game-winning RBI with a single that scored Conte.

Betros relieved Pheland in the 8th and got a grounder to second for his first out, then he struck out the next five batters he faced, all swinging.

Salve Regina wins for the 11th time in 13 meetings with Massachusetts Maritime (8-10). The Buccaneers host Wentworth Institute of Technology on Thursday; the Seahawks travel to play UMass Dartmouth on the road Wednesday (3:30 p.m.).