March 13, 2005

Box Score

BRADENTON, Fla. - The University of Rhode Island baseball team used a six-run second inning to hand Kentucky just its third loss in 15 games this season, as the Rams posted a 5-5 victory in the second game of a doubleheader Sunday.

The Rams (1-6) scored all seven of their runs over the first two innings with a solo run in the first and six in the second, and then weathered a Kentucky (12-3) rally in the seven-inning game. The win salvaged a split of the doubleheader with the Wildcats, who won the first game 8-5.

This was the third-straight season the Rams started the year 0-6 only to pick up their first win in their seventh game. The past two seasons ended with back-to-back Atlantic 10 East Division titles and a conference regular season crown and school-record 35 wins last spring.

Sophomore Dave Savard (Nashua, N.H.) had two hits for the Rams, while sophomore Ryan Cunningham (Centerville, Va.) hit a three-run home run, his second round-tripper in as many games.

Sophomore Adam Perkins (Hudson, N.H.) earned the win, going 5 1/3 innings, allowing five hits, three runs and striking out five.

The Rams got on the board in the first when Savard led off with a single and junior Matt Sullivan (Nashua, N.H.) followed with an infield single. Cunningham grounded into a first and third double play that nixed Savard, but junior Josh Nestor (Nashua, N.H.) hit a RBI-single up the middle to drive in Sullivan and give the Rams a 1-0 lead.

Kentucky tied the game in the top of the second, but Rhody erupted for six runs in the bottom of the second inning.

Freshman C.J. Simons (Wyoming, R.I.) led off with asingle and junior Wayne Russo (Warwick, R.I.) sacrfice bunted, advancing Simons to second and reaching first on an error. With one out, senior Joe Viscuso (Farmingdale, N.Y.) had a RBI-single to score Simons and give the Rams lead the lead for good. Russo scored a wild pitch to make it 3-1 and after Savard reached on an infield single, Sullivan hit a grounder that plated Viscuso for a 4-1 lead.

Cunningham followed with a three-run home run to give the Rams the commanding 7-1 lead.

Kentucky did push across three runs in the sixth inning on a RBI-double by Brian Hastings and a two-run single by Kevin Caldwell that cut the lead to 7-4. The Wildcats added another run in the bottom of the seventh on a RBI-single by Hastings.

The Rams return to action on Monday when they play Northern Iowa at 2:30 p.m. at IMG Academy Park in Bradenton.