Endicott grounds Hawks to halt streak
April 13, 2009
Box Score - Game One / Box Score - Game Two
BRISTOL, R.I. - Endicott College snapped a nine game losing streak with a pair of important The Commonwealth Coast Conference wins against Roger Williams University on Monday, downing the Hawks 4-1 and 2-1. The Gulls improve to 9-17 overall and 4-8 in the TCCC, while the Hawks drop to 12-11-1 and 7-4-1 in Conference play.
Both starters were locked in over the first three innings in the first game, as Endicott's Colin McGinn (Tolland, Conn.) and Roger Williams' Sam Podbelski (East Greenwich, R.I.) allowed only three hits between them over that period.
The Hawks were the first to get on the board, with Jamie Dahill (South Boston, Mass.), Kevin Simpson (Londonderry, N.H.), and Zach Porter (Middleboro, Mass.) each reaching via singles, then Alex Perry (Glastonbury, Conn.) bringing home Dahill with the bases-loaded sacrifice fly.
After a 1-2-3 fifth, the Hawks appeared to be on their way to a win until a series of defensive miscues derailed the opportunity. The Gulls took advantage of three Hawk errors in the inning to score four unearned runs in the frame and take the lead. Christopher Dominguez (Braintree, Mass.) had an RBI hit in the inning and would later score on a Benjamin Petrides (Belchertown, Mass.) sacrifice fly.
Endicott would set down the Hawks in order in the sixth and seventh innings to hold on for the win.
McGinn picked up the win, tossing seven innings of one-run ball, allowing six hits with six strikeouts. Michael Russo (Natick, Mass.) went 2-for-4 with a run, while Dominguez was 1-for-3 with a run and an RBI.
Podbelski took the loss, giving up four unearned runs in five innings of work. Simpson was a perfect 3-for-3 at the plate with Dahill adding a hit and a run scored.
In the second game, the Hawks took an early lead in the bottom of the first, scoring in similar fashion as their run in the first game. After Grant Bolin (Simsbury, Conn.), Dahill, and Porter each reached on singles, Simpson hit a bases-loaded sacrifice fly to score Bolin and give RWU a quick 1-0 advantage.
From that point on, Endicott starter Petrides held the Hawk offense in check, allowing only two hits over the final six innings.
RWU starter Brian Hurld (South Boston, Mass.) kept the Gulls scoreless over the first three innings, giving up only two hits over that span. In the top of the fourth, Russo led off the inning with a single to left before being sacrificed over to second. The next batter, Roberto Zapata (Boston, Mass.), then knocked a home run that just cleared the right field fence to give the Gulls a 2-1 lead. That would be all Petrides needed to hold on for the win, not allowing a runner past first after gaining the lead.
Petrides allowed only a run on five hits in seven innings in the win. Russo and Brian Andersen (Grafton, Mass.) each had two hits in the game, to go along with Zapata's two-run shot.
Hurld gave up the two runs in seven innings on eight hits in the game. Dahill finished with a pair of hits, while Stephen McKernan (Grafton, Mass.) went 1-for-2.
Roger Williams will be at Gordon College tomorrow afternoon for a 2:00 p.m. game, while Endicott hosts Colby-Sawyer Wednesday at 3:00 p.m.