Baseball Outslugs Rivier In GNAC Doubleheader Sunday

The Suffolk University Baseball team combined for six home runs in a two game sweep over Rivier University on Sunday afternoon. Suffolk survived a scared in game one to come away with a 7-6 extra inning victory in the opener, before taking the nightcap 14-0. Senior Mike Cunningham (Syosset, N.Y.) belted a pair of home runs to add to his Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) leading total of five as Suffolk improves to a 19-3 record on the year, while moving to 8-0 in GNAC play.

Game One

Senior Aramis Velez (Lowell, Mass.) accounted for all six of Rivier's six runs in game one as the slugger blasted a pair of home runs.

Down 4-0 in the third inning, Velez hit a towering shot to left for a grand slam to even the game, his first of the season.

In the fifth inning Velez would hit his second home run of the day, a two run shot to give the Raiders a 6-4 lead.

Trailing by a pair in the sixth, Suffolk would load the bases with no outs in the inning after consecutive walks to sophomore Justin Knight (Great Meadows, N.J.) and junior Devan Jones (Roslindale, Mass.) got things started. Junior Mac Jacobson (Norfolk, Mass.) would reach on an infield base hit to set the table. Cunningham collected his third RBI of the game with a bases loaded walk before the Raiders escaped the jam with a one run lead.

Suffolk would tie things up in the seventh inning to force the extra inning of play as Jones singled to left center plating sophomore Adam Johnson (Georgetown, Mass.) who started the inning with a double off the left field wall.

Junior James McConville (Medford, Mass.) knocked in the go-ahead run in the eighth inning with a sacrifice fly to center to drive in junior pinch runner Danny Gunn (Medford, Mass.).

McConville hit a two-run blast in the second inning, his first collegiate home run, while Cunningham hit an opposite field homer in the third inning.

Sophomore Josh Desai (Shrewsbury, Mass.) went the distance in the game to move to a 3-1 mark on the season. Desai allowed five hits while struggling with his command walking six hitters and also striking out five.

Johnson was 3-for-4 in the opener with a pair of runs scored, while McConville and Cunnigham drove in three each.

Game Two

Sophomore Joe Saia (Everett, Mass.) and Jake Rosner (Fairfield, Conn.) combined on a one hitter in the nightcap as Suffolk's offense came alive scoring 14 runs on 13 hits.

Johnson had another big game for Suffolk as he was 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored. The sophomore third baseman rounds out the four game weekend going 8-for-15 with six runs scored.

Mac Jacobson would score the game's first run as he reached on an infield error on a dropped fly ball. After stealing second base, Jacobson would scamper home from second on a wild pitch that went all the way over to the first base dugout.

Sophomre JC Collette (Amesbury, Mass.) added a home run in the second inning to left, before Mike Cunningham connected on his second big fly of the day, a towering shot up into the trees in right field at Nashua's Holman Stadium.

Junior Jack Sullivan (Hamilton, N.Y.) would connect on his first career collegiate home run in the fifth inning, a two-run line drive to left while senior Chris Stanley (Placentia, Calif.) capped the inning off with a grand slam.

Sullivan added a sacrifice fly as part of a three-run fourth inning for the Rams.

Collette was 2-for-3 with three runs scored as he was a combined 3-for-6 with two doubles, a homer and a pair of walks.

Freshman David Feole (Scituate, R.I.) had the Raiders lone hit in game two.

Saia improves to 3-0 on the year. He struck out seven in five innings of work. Rosner collected four punchouts in his two innings of duty.

Suffolk will be back in action on Wednesday afternoon as they host Anna Maria College in a GNAC twinbill beginning at 3:00pm at Adams Field in Quincy.