Baseball Outlasts Siena, 5-4

KINGSTON, R.I. - Senior Ryan Cunningham (Centreville, Va.) cracked a two-run single in the fifth inning before crossing the plate to score the winning run as the Rhode Island baseball team recorded a 5-4 victory over Siena on Monday, April 30, at Siena Field in Loudonville, N.Y. Senior Scott Brown (Portland, Maine), classmate Eric Larson (Bradenton, Fla.) and freshman Zoey Angulo (Miami, Fla.) each recorded two hits in the win.

The Saints jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first, ending freshman starter Dan Rossignol's (Nashua, N.H.) 16.2-inning streak without allowing an earned run.

Down 3-0 in the third, Rhody chipped away at Siena's lead when junior Shaun Hagey (Ephrata, Pa.) led off with a single to right, advanced to second on an error by Siena first baseman Eric Mruczek and took third on a fielder's choice ball by Larson. Hagey then scored on a double-steal play that saw Larson take second and Hagey steal home for the Rams' first run of the game.

The Saints reclaimed the three-run lead with a leadoff homerun by Jake Willis in the bottom of the fourth inning.

Brown, Larson and senior Gregg Allen (Dighton, Mass.) opened the fifth inning with back-to-back-to-back outfield singles before Cunningham plated Brown and Larson with a single to short. Senior Dan Tucker (Warwick, R.I.) then advanced Allen and Cunningham to third and second, respectively, with a sac bunt back to the mound.

With two outs and Allen and Cunningham still in scoring position, redshirt sophomore Chris Parkinson (Utica, N.Y.) sent an RBI single through the right side to score Allen before Cunningham made the score 5-4 on sophomore Dan Rhault's (Lincoln, R.I.) run-scoring single to right center.

Freshman reliever Nick Greenwood (Southington, Conn.) picked up the win for URI, striking out five batters and allowing just four hits and one walk in five innings of work while freshman closer Eric Smith (Milford, Conn.) struck out five batters in two innings to earn the save.

The Rams return to action next weekend, when they host George Washington in a three-game Atlantic 10 series set to begin Friday afternoon at 3:00 p.m.