Salve Regina rallies for three-run victory

SEAHAWK BASEBALL RESULTS
Salve Regina 18, Framingham State 15
Reynolds Field - Newport, R.I.
Wednesday, March 28, 2018

Summary
NEWPORT, R.I. - Seniors Alex Perry (No. Attleboro, Mass.) and Christian Vargas (Melbourne, Fla.) homered in the first and seventh innings, respectively, as Salve Regina University baseball totalled 13 runs scored in those two frames to rally for an 18-15 victory over Framingham State University. The Rams (7-8) scored five times in the first inning with four coming on a grand slam by senior Kyle Pileski (Bristol, Conn.). The Seahawks (5-7) tied the score in the bottom of the first with three runs cross the plate on Perry's second homer of the season. Freshman reliever Jeremy Lukasiewicz (West Nyack, N.Y.) took the mound in the sixth inning and tossed the first 1-2-3 frame of the day among five pitchers to that point; he hurled 2.1 innings with four strikeouts to earn his second collegiate victory (2-0). Senior reliever Jonathan Lynch (Cumberland, R.I.) earned the save after arriving with the tying run at the plate in the eighth inning; he got a 1-2-3 frame in the ninth to close out the win.

Series and Streaks
Salve Regina has won six consecutive meetings with Framingham State, including twice this season, and evens the all-time series at eight wins apiece. The Seahawks end a four-game skid carrying over from their final three games in Florida and a Tuesday afternoon loss (5-0) at Trinity in Hartford.

Three Seahawk Stars of the Game

1. Salve Regina senior Alex Perry (No. Attleboro, Mass.) hit the first-inning homerun for three RBI and scored four runs in the game. He walked twice and was hit by a pitch at the plate; he also stole two bases in the eighth inning, first as the leadoff batter and later when his turn at the plate came up again.
2. Salve Regina junior Zack Smith (New Canaan, Conn.) delivered three hits including a two-out, two-run double in the eighth inning. He scored three runs.
3. Salve Regina sophomore Dylan Ketch (Clinton, Conn.) had three runs batted in on two basehits including a double. The leftfielder scored two runs and helped Lukasiewicz with a sliding catch in the sixth.

Key Stat of the Game
Salve Regina left 13 runners on base, including stranding the bases loaded in the third and fourth frames while scoring just once.

Turning Point
An eight-run seventh inning had its first run scored on a groundout to second base by designated hitter Tristan Dacey (Wyckoff, N.J.). Colton Eremian (Boca Raton, Fla.), who had four hits and two RBI before the seventh, popped out to short for the second out. Vargas followed with a line drive homer to left to bring the Seahawks within one, 12-11. Ketch was plunked by the new Rams pitcher Alex Irwin (Tewksbury, Mass.), and then stole second before scoring the tying run on Anthony Cieszko's RBI single to left field (Ketch was running to third on the play which drew the third baseman closer to his bag as Cieszko's grounder was just a foot to his left). John Militano (Miller Place, N.Y.) singled, Michael DeFusco (East Greenwich, R.I.) singled, and Smith doubled to help the Seahawks plate four more runs, all with two outs in the seventh.

Quick Hits

• In two games facing Framingham State batters this season, Seahawk pitchers have struck out 36 Rams in 18 innings - Patrick Maybach (15), Andrew Roman (3) on March 4; Zach Dionne (6), Will Ginsberg (6), Jeremy Lukasiewicz (4), and Jonathan Lynch (2).
• Seahawks had a season-high eight stolen bases; DeFusco and Perry both swiped bags twice in the seventh.
• Rams starting pitcher Christopher Riga (Westfield, Mass.) threw 136 pitches before departing in the fifth with two outs.
• Seahawks have homered in two games this season and more than once in each of those games; Smith and Perry went long against Rowan (March 9), Perry and Vargas today against the Rams.
• Salve Regina batters drew a dozen walks in today's game; previous season-high for bases on balls was six and the Seahawks did that three times including the season-opener against Framingham State on March 4.

Quotes
"It's good to get a win when you're playing less than perfect ball. In a dozen games, we've yet to click on all facets, but today was a nice battle for the guys trailing by five and tying it, and then trailing by six later and coming up with eight runs in the seventh. Lukasiewicz really impressed in the fall; he has such a calm demeanor that allows him to go right after the hitters. Zack's (Smith) double was a key hit, and perhaps the best at-bat of the game ... in a one-two count he really barrelled up for an opposite-field drive that brought in two more runs. It was nice having my dad (Steve Cirella) in the dugout." - Salve Regina fifth-year head coach Eric Cirella

Next Up
Salve Regina (5-7) hosts another team of Rams, Suffolk University, on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. on Brother Michael Reynolds Field. Framingham State (7-8) has its conference opener (MASCAC) on Friday evening against MCLA in Northboro, Mass. (twinbill starts at 6:15 p.m.).