BRISTOL, R.I. – The Roger Williams University Baseball team clinched postseason berth with a doubleheader split against Salve Regina University on Sunday afternoon at Paolino Field. Multiple seniors and graduate students shined for the Hawks before they were honored for their career achievements with a Senior Day ceremony after the contest.

In game one, seniors Brandon Jenkins (East Bridgewater, Mass.) and George Somers (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) each drove in three runs, while Danny Roth (West Hartford, Conn.) blasted a three-run home run in support of the Hawks pitching staff in an 11-6 win.

Then in game two, the Hawks fell behind big early, and could not recover despite homers from Jenkins and Roth falling 11-6.

With the split, the Hawks move to 18-7 on the season, 11-5 against Commonwealth Coast Conference foes, while the Seahawks move to 10-3-1, 7-2-1 in CCC play.

Hawk Highlights

Game 1

Brandon Jenkins (East Bridgewater, Mass.): 3-for-3, 2B, BB, 3 RBI, 2 RS

Danny Roth (West Hartford, Conn.): 1-for-4, HR, 3 RBI, RS

George Somers (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.): 0-for-2, BB, 3 RBI, RS

Dan Massaro (Fairfield, Conn.): (W, 2-1), 4.2 IP, 8 H, 6 R, 6 ER, 2 BB, 6 K

Adam Harz (Manchester, Conn.): (SV, 1) 2.1 IP, BB, 5 K

For The Opponents

Sean O'Malley (Darien, Conn.): 2-for-3, BB, RBI, 2 RS

David Sequiera (Trumbull, Conn.): 1-for-2, BB, 2 RBI

Dominic Perachi (Washington Depot, Conn.): (L, 1-1), 3.0+ IP, 3 H, 7 R, 7 ER, 6 BB, 3 K

How It Happened

The Hawks jumped on the board right away in the bottom of the first against Salve Regina starter Dominic Perachi (Washington Depot, Conn.). Joey Gulino (Meriden, Conn.) led off by drawing a walk and immediately stole second base. Tyler Cedeno (Maynard, Mass.) then took a free pass and both runners advanced on a balk by Perachi. Brandon Jenkins (East Bridgewater, Mass.) made him pay be scorching a single through the right side of the infield to score Gulino before George Somers (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) contributed a sacrifice fly to make the score 2-0. 

The Seahawks took the lead in the second inning, however. Sean O'Malley (Darien, Conn.) and Tyler Cannoe (Schenectady, N.Y.) started the inning with singles and both advanced on a sacrifice bunt. After a walk to load the bases, David Sequiera (Trumbull, Conn.) taped a single into right to score a run. After a strikeout for the second out, Cannoe was able to score on a wild pitch before the guests scored on a suicide squeeze bunt play by Jake Beniers (Abington, Mass.) that he managed to leg out for a hit. A flyout ended the inning but Salve Regina held a 3-2 advantage.

Roger Williams took the lead for good in the home half of the third. Jenkins and Somers drew a pair of two-out walks ahead of Danny Roth (West Hartford, Conn.) who took an 0-1 pitch and launched it out to the opposite field for his eighth big fly of the season to thrust the hosts in front, 5-3. 

RWU broke it open in the fourth. A pair of walks drawn by Tommy Hobin (Madison, Conn.) and Eddy Jackson (Seekonk, Mass.) opened the frame and forced a pitching change. Both runners advanced on a double steal before Gulino got hit by a pitch. Cedeno followed that up with a walk that forced home a run. That brought up Jenkins who scalded a grounder inside the first base bag for a double to score a pair of runs and put runners on second and third. A Somers RBI ground out brought home another run. Roth then struck out but reached on a dropped third strike and a poor throw by the catcher that hit him in the back. Jenkins came home during the chaos making the score 10-3.

Salve Regina closed the gap in the fifth. Dylan Ketch (Clinton, Conn.) reached on a ground-rule double with one out and advanced on a ground out ahead of O'Malley. He singled down the third base line to score the run and after Cannoe got plunked and Michael Breen (Auburn, Mass.) singled to plate another run, the Hawks were forced to go- to the bullpen. Ryan McGahern (Attleboro, Mass.) faced one batter and hit him with a pitch before RWU turned to Adam Harz (Manchester, Conn.). He walked the first man he faced forcing home a run making the score 10-6 but then picked up a huge strikeout to end the threat.

The Hawks got an insurance run on a Somers RBI fielder's choice in the sixth, meanwhile Harz was carving up the Seahawks hitters.

Dan Massaro's (Fairfield, Conn.) pitching line does not look pretty allowing eight hits and two walks while also allowing six runs, all earned while striking out six. However, he was better than his line suggests and was good enough to get the win to improve to 2-1 on the season. Meanwhile, Harz came in and walked the first man he faced but after that he did not allow another baserunner and he struck out five to earn the seven out save.

Perachi was tough to hit, allowing only three hits and striking out three, but he also allowed six walks and seven runs, all earned, in his three-plus innings of work to take the loss and fall to 1-1.

Coach's Corner

We fell behind early but what this team has done all year is respond to adversity.  It feels like we are never out of a game no matter the score because of this team's grit. Dan Massaro pitched well for us and kept us in the game.  Adam Harz came out of the bullpen with some emotion and fired the boys up with the way he pitched.  He had five strikeouts in 2.1 innings.  Danny Roth had another big home run for us to put us ahead in the fourth while Brandon Jenkins continued to swing a hot bat.  George Somers had a productive day at the plate for us as well.

Game 2

Brandon Jenkins (East Bridgewater, Mass.): 2-for-5, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 RS

Danny Roth (West Hartford, Conn.): 2-for-4, BB, 2 RBI, RS

George Somers (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.): 1-for-4, HR, 2 RBI, RS

Ben Bonavita (East Longmeadow, Mass.): (L, 1-1), 4.1 IP, 7 H, 8 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 1 K

Matt Vernacatola (Berlin, Conn.): 3.2 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 3 K

For The Opponents

Jared Beniers (Abington, Mass.): 2-for-3, 2B, RBI, 2 RS

David Sequiera (Trumbull, Conn.): 1-for-4, HR, 3 RBI, RS

Sean O'Malley (Darien, Conn.): 2-for-5, SB, RBI

Zach Dionne (Tolland, Conn.): 4.2 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 4 K

Ryan O'Donnell (Saunderstown, R.I.): (W, 1-0), 1.1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

Zach Lopez (New Canaan, Conn.): (W/L, #-#), (SV, #), 3.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K

How It Happened

Roger Williams fell behind big early on in a chaotic first inning. The leadoff man, Matt D'Amato (Midland Park, N.J.) reached on an error before a walk to Brandon Grover (Ashland, Mass.), and a bunt single Dylan Ketch (Clinton, Conn.) loaded the bases. That brought up Anthony Cieszko who hit a rocket back through the box that popped out of the glove of the Hawks starter, Ben Bonavita (East Longmeadow, Mass.). He successfully knocked it down and tried to throw home and get the lead runner. However, he threw it away and a second run scored on the error. After a ground out, Michael Breen (Auburn, Mass.) brought in another run on a squeeze bunt for the second out of the inning. Jared Beniers (Abington, Mass.) followed that up with a run-scoring double and after a walk, David Sequiera (Trumbull, Conn.) hit a home run, his first of the year and only the fourth long ball allowed by Hawks pitching all season, to make the score 7-0. 

The Hawks got one back in the bottom half as Brandon Jenkins (East Bridgewater, Mass.) took an 0-1 pitch from Salve Regina starter Zach Dionne (Tolland, Conn.) and crushed it on top of the batting cage beyond the right field fence for his fifth homer of the season to cut the deficit to six.

After the Seahawks tacked on another unearned run in the fourth, in the fifth the Hawks cam storming back. With one out, Joey Gulino (Meriden, Conn.) reached on an error and Tyler Cedeno (Maynard, Mass.) singled for Jenkins. He proceeded to absolutely mash a ball to the deepest part of the ballpark in straight away center for a two-bagger that scored Gulino. George Somers (Lake Hopatcong, N.J.) then singled home a pair of runs ahead of Danny Roth (West Hartford, Conn.) who took a 1-1 pitch and deposited his second home run of the afternoon, and ninth of the season, over the fence in left to cut the lead to two. After a strike out, a walk, and a failed back pick that put Matt Massaro (Fairfield, Conn.) on third, Tommy Hobin (Madison, Conn.) drew a free pass on a pitch that went to the backstop. Massaro broke for home but was called out on an extremely close play at the plate to end the inning.

Salve Regina got insurance runs with an RBI-single in the seventh and then two more on a wild pitch and an RBI-single in the eighth as they mustered the doubleheader split with an 11-6 win.

Bonavita allowed eight runs but received no help from his defense as none of them were earned. He did walk two men and allow seven hits while striking out one to take the loss to fall to 1-1.

The Seahawks starter, Dionne, did not pitch long enough to qualify for the win, instead it went to O'Donnell who walked a man and struck out two in 1.1 innings. Zach Lopez (New Canaan, Conn.) threw the final three innings of shutout ball to earn his first save of the season.

Coach's Corner

It' is never easy to win a game when you spot a team seven runs in the first inning, however, again this team battled back to make it a game getting to as close as two runs.  However, defensively we made to many mistakes to win.  That was the story of the game because Ben Bonavita pitched well but did not have anything to show for it.  For us to be successful we must play clean baseball and in game two we did not do that

What's Next

The Hawks face off against the Seahawks one more time on Wednesday for a nonconference showdown in Newport. First pitch at 3:00 PM.