Baseball
Baseball Wins Atlantic 10 Opener Against Duquesne In First Game Of Doubleheader
March 27, 2004
KINGSTON, R.I. - The University of Rhode Island baseball team defeated Duquesne 7-4 in the Atlantic 10 Conference opener for both teams Saturday in the first game of a doubleheader at Bill Beck Field.
The Rams (7-10-1, 1-0 Atlantic 10) will play the Dukes (6-10, 0-1) in the second game of the doubleheader beginning at 3 p.m. The two teams wrap up the three-game series Sunday at noon.
Rhode Island junior right-handed pitcher Dan Frederick (Dracut, Mass.) earned the win, pitching 5 2/3 innings, allowing one earned run, six hits, striking out three and walking two.
Freshman right fielder Dave Savard (Nashua, N.H.) went 2-for-4 with a RBI and run scored. Fellow freshman Scott Brown (Portland, Maine) hit a leadoff home run in the first inning for his first collegiate homer.
Senior Dan Batz (Mohnton, Pa.) went 1-for-3 with a RBI and three runs scored and sophomore Zach Zuercher (Warwick, R.I.) had two RBIs. Sophomore Josh Nestor (Nashua, N.H.) went 1-for-1 with a single and sacrifice fly.
Duquesne got on the board in the first inning, but a big defensive play held the Dukes to only one run. Mike Grecco grounded a single up the middle and Pete Maropis followed with a shot to the fence in center, but Scott Brown tracked the ball down, fired a throw to senior shortstop Joe Viscuso and Viscuso's relay throw to sophomore catcher Josh Nestor was in time to get Grecco at the plate. Maiola reached on an error that allowed Maropis to score and give the Dukes the 1-0 lead.
The Rams quickly tied things up in the bottom of the first when Brown ledoff with his first collegiate home run. Batz walked, junior Mike Rainville and freshman Dave Savard hit back-to-back singles, and Zuercher drew a bases loaded walk to give the Rams a 2-1 lead. Josh Nestor lined a sacrifice fly to center to make it 3-1 after one inning.
Rhode Island added a run in the bottom of the third when Batz led off with a single and advanced to second on a passed ball. Savard grounded back to pitcher and Batz got hung up off of second, but Duquesne botched the run down, allowing Savard to reach second safely and Batz to get to third. Zuercher followed with his second RBI of the game, grounding out to the second baseman.
Duquesne cut the lead to 4-3 in the fourth inning when Andy Gallina drew a two-out walk and Berletic singled to move Gallina to third. Joe Berletic stole second and the throw down got away into shallow center, allowing Gallina to score and Berletic to move to third. John Kelly grounded an infield single that plated Berletic to pull the Dukes within one run.
The Dukes put the tying run on third in the top of the fifth, but Frederick came up with a big strike out with two outs to get out of the inning with the lead intact.
Rhode Island upped the lead to 7-3 in the fifth inning. Batz reached on an error, advanced to second on a groundout by Rainville and scored on a screaming line drive single up the middle by Savard. Zuercher drew his second walk of the day and Nestor singled to load the bases. Daryl Holcumb grounded to short, but the shortstop's attempt at an unassisted double play went awry when the throw was wild, allowing Savard and Zuercher to score for a 7-3 lead.
Duquesne scored a run in the seventh, when Dan Schwartzbaur led off with a double and scored when he stole third and the catcher's throw down to third hit the bat of Maropis. The Dukes got the tying run to the plate after a single by Maropis and a walk to Gallina, but Lefort made a diving stop of a grounder back to the mound and threw to first to end the game.
