Baseball Extends Win Streak to Four

The Suffolk University Baseball team extended their four-game win streak with a doubleheader sweep in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action over Rivier University on Saturday afternoon.

Sophomore Rob Marks (Revere, Mass.) drove in four runs on the afternoon, while senior Jonathan Richard (North Reading, Mass.) and freshman Tim Conroy (Arlington, Mass.) pitched Suffolk to a 9-3 game one victory. In the nightcap, senior Steve Chamberland (Bristol, Conn.) and freshman Mark Fusco (Medford, Mass.) combined to strikeout nine in a 5-0 shutout.

Game One

Suffolk would open their 2014 GNAC slate with a 9-3 victory over Rivier University in game one of Saturday's doubleheader.

Rob Marks would open the scoring in the home half of the second inning as his base hit plated the game's first run bringing home junior JC Collette (Amesbury, Mass.) who doubled with two outs in the inning.

Rivier would even things up in the top of the fourth inning. Singles by sophomore David Feole (Scituate, R.I.) and sophomore Taylor Black (Springfield, Mass.) in the inning would put runners on the corners with two outs for the Raiders. Rivier would get their first run across when Black tried to steal second base and got caught in a rundown allowing Feole to come across to make it a 1-1 game.

Suffolk would answer however in their next at-bat scoring six runs as they sent 10 batters to the plate in the bottom of the fourth. Senior Devan Jones (Roslindale, Mass.) would lead the inning off with a single which would be followed by a base hit by Collette. After a double steal Suffolk would set things up with runners on second and third and nobody out but would be unable to score as Rivier recorded back to back outs with groundballs to third. Suffolk would then record five consecutive hits to make it a 7-1 game. Senior Mac Jacobson (Norfolk, Mass.) would give the Rams the lead when his single to right plated Collette. Freshman Luke Ronchi (Randolph, N.J.) would then drive in a pair with another base hit, as senior Jake Cintolo (Wrentham, Mass.) followed him with an RBI knock. Sophomore Jon Lapolla (Providence, R.I.) and freshman Matt Brenner (Eliot, Me.) would cap the inning off with back to back RBI doubles.

Richard was gutsy on the mound for Suffolk to improve to a 2-2 mark on the year. He would injure his throwing hand on the second pitch of the game in a collision on a bunt play but gutted out five solid innings on the mound, striking out three while allowing one earned run on seven hits. Conroy would pitch the final two frames punching out three while allowing just one run.

Junior JJ Montello (Nashua, N.H.) was 2-for-3 with a pair of runs scored for Rivier. Montello led off the seventh inning with a triple off the left field fence and came around later to score in the inning on a sacrifice fly by junior Michael Scanlon (Plainville, Conn.). Scanlon recorded a pair of RBI in the game. Feole was also 2-for-4 with a run scored for the Raiders.

Game Two

Steve Chamberland struck out eight while allowing four hits in six innings of work to earn his first victory of the season in game two.

Both teams played through a steady drizzle in the nightcap as Suffolk came away with the 5-0 victory.

Montello recorded a pair of hits and a walk in game two for Rivier as he reached base safely in all three of his plate appearances. He rounded out a 4-for-5 day offensively for the Raiders.

Marks opened the scoring in game two driving in two runs with a single plating Devan Jones and Matt Brenner for the game's first runs. Brenner drew a hit by pitch with one out in the inning before Jones reached on a walk. Both runners would advance to scoring position on a wild pitch before Marks' base hit made it a 2-0 game.

Suffolk would tack on another run in the third when Ronchi brought home Jacobson with a single. Jacobson started the inning off with a base hit before stealing second base.

Jacobson would add an RBI single later in the game to complete a 3-for-6 combined effort at the plate in the double header with three RBI and a pair of runs scored.

Fusco would pitch a 1-2-3 seventh inning for Suffolk, who with the victory in game two have now won seven of their last 10 to pull even to a 7-7-1 mark on the 2014 season.

The doubleheader setback sends Rivier to an 0-12 mark to start the 2014 season. They will be back in action on Sunday afternoon as they travel to Albertus Magnus College for a GNAC doubleheader with the Falcons.

Suffolk's doubleheader for Sunday with Lasell College has been postponed with a makeup date yet to be announced. They'll be back in action on Tuesday afternoon with a non-conference tilt with Western New England University at 3:30pm.