Box Score BRISTOL, R.I. – The Corsairs held off the late rally by the Hawks to capture a back-and-forth 4-3 victory over Roger Williams at Paolino Field in non-conference action on Wednesday. UMass Dartmouth collected its second-straight win to rise to 14-17, while the Hawks fall to 14-19-1 on the season.
Junior Taylor Cacciola (West Greenwich, R.I.) and freshman Erick Ramirez (Boston, Mass.) both registered multiple hits on the afternoon, leading the Corsairs with 2-of-4 performances. Senior Steve Colella (Leominster, Mass.) gathered the win for the Corsairs after allowing five base runners in six innings of work and giving up one run.
UMass Dartmouth broke the scoreless tie in the top of the fourth inning. Sophomore Jack Harrington (Barnstable, Mass.) led off the frame with a base hit to left center field. Harrington would advance to third on a sacrifice bunt and a wild pitch, before scoring on a two-out single up the middle off the bat of fellow sophomore Josh O'Neill (Halifax, Mass.).
Roger Williams would even the score in the bottom of the sixth when senior Kevin Baker (Wilbraham, Mass.) found a hole on the left side of the infield to score freshman Eli Camner (Hamden, Conn.) from third base.
The Corsairs regained the lead in the next half-inning, when Cacciola sent the pitch back up the middle to score freshman Ryan Ainslie (Weymouth, Mass.) from second. UMass Dartmouth would extend the lead in the top of the eighth when they capitalized on Roger Williams' blunders, scoring once on an error and then on a passed ball to bring the Corsairs lead to 4-1.
Roger Williams threatened to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth, when they scored twice before stranding runs on the corners.
Sophomore Benjamin Lodge (Blackstone, Mass.) and senior David Tarr (Easton, Mass.) both pitched consecutive shutout innings for the Corsairs in relief for Colella. Sophomore Matt Cronin (Framingham, Mass.) picked up his fifth save of the season despite allowing two runs in the bottom of the ninth. As a pitching staff, the Corsairs had five 1-2-3 innings, stifling the Hawks on the afternoon.
Senior Eric Poulx (Charlton, Mass.) took the loss for Roger Williams after allowing two runs in 6.2 innings of work and scattering seven hits.
UMass Dartmouth will return to action tomorrow at home, hosting Suffolk with first pitch coming at 3:30 p.m.
