Seahawks accelerate past Mules 10-5 in NCAA regional game one

CORTLAND, N.Y. (Friday, May 17, 2024) -- In game one of the Cortland Regional the Salve Regina University baseball team defeated Colby College 10-5 with the help of Evan O'Rourke (Arlington, Mass.), Wil McCarthy (Pembroke, Mass.) and Michael Breen (Auburn, Mass.) who each scored two runs apiece.

After today's result Salve Regina is tied at 2-2 all-time against Colby. The most recent meet up of the Seahawks and Mules was over 25 years ago on April 5, 1998. Salve Regina won 7-6. In 2024 the Seahawks are 34-8 overall, and the Mules are 29-11.

O'Rourke, who appeared second in the batting order was the first Seahawk to get a base hit in the bottom of the first inning. Following Christian Homa's (Fairfield, Conn.) walk there were runners on first and second base and Matt D'Amato (Midland Park, N.J.) hit an RBI single to advance O'Rourke home for an early 1-0 Seahawk lead. Noah Reichman's (Frontenac, Mo.) sacrifice fly in the fourth inning tied the Mules with the Seahawks but only briefly. 

The fourth inning saw four Salve Regina RBIs to give the Rhode Islanders a four-run advantage. Wil McCarthy was the first to score on an error. Returning to the top of the top of the batting order, Grover hit an RBI triple to advance Breen across the plate. With Grover in scoring position O'Rourke's extra base hit brought another run in. Thanks to Homa's double O'Rourke also advanced home. 

Although the Mules brought in four more runs in the remainder of the game, the Seahawks were able to advance five more runners home. Hunter Yaworski (Brooklyn, Conn.) and Brady Smolinski (North Grafton, Mass.) were contributors with a single and sacrifice fly respectively. 

Pitcher Brayden Clark (Beverly, Mass.) is given credit for today's win giving him a record of 4-1. Reliever Tommy DelVecchio (Westfield, N.J.) pitched three innings and delivered three strikeouts.

No. 1 Seed Salve Regina University defeats No. 4 Seed Colby College in the opener of the Cortland Regional in New York (hosted by SUNY Cortland at Wallace Field). pic.twitter.com/VHfIVdOLoJ

— Salve Regina Sports (@SalveAthletics) May 18, 2024

This is Colby baseball's first ever appearance in the NCAA tournament. The Mules received an at-large bid after finishing the New England Small College Athletic Conference season 29-10 overall. The team saw several top 25 rankings throughout the season by d3baseball.com. In game one of the NESCAC tournament the top seed Colby overpowered Amherst College 11-3. Middlebury College and Tufts bested the Mules in the remaining double-elimination games and Middlebury was the eventual victor. 

Salve Regina also advanced to the NCAAs by way of at-large bid. The Seahawks completed the NEWMAC season with a 33-8 overall win-loss record. In the conference championships the top seeded Seahawks earned a bye from the first two contests, advancing straight to game three. On Thursday, May 9, the four seed Wheaton topped Salve Regina 5-2. Two days later the Seahawks beat the No. 2 seed United States Coast Guard Academy Bears with a 4-3 walk off. Tyler Petrosino (Beverly, Mass.) entered the game as a pinch hitter in the bottom of the nineth, hitting a sacrifice fly to center field which allowed Grover to advance home for a 4-3 walk-off. The No. 3 seed Babson College, who went on to earn the automatic qualifier as the 2024 NEWMAC champion, beat Salve Regina 8-1 in game seven. 

After today's game D'Amato is in second place in the Salve Regina all-time record book for most hits in a season with 73. He sits just ahead of manager Eric Cirella's 2004 record of 71 and just behind Homa's record of 75 from 2023. 

On Saturday, May 12, Colby will play the loser of today's SUNY Cortland versus Washington & Jefferson University matchup at 8:30 a.m. The Seahawks will play the winner of the Cortland and Wash. & Jeff. game at 12 p.m on Saturday.