The Rhode Island College baseball team opened the northern portion of their 2017 schedule with an 11-4 victory against Emerson in a non-conference contest played at Pontarelli Field on Thursday afternoon.
RIC (9-3) broke the game open in the bottom of the first with four runs, which included an RBI single from junior center fielder Brad Douglas (Wakefield, RI). The Anchormen upped their lead to 7-0 in the bottom of the second after a two-run single from senior designated hitter Austin Barry (North Kingstown, RI) and an RBI single from junior first baseman Frank Pettinato (Cranston, RI).
Emerson (7-3) got on the board in the top of the fourth on an RBI groundout from sophomore third baseman Ethan Young (Amherst, MA), which trimmed the host's the lead to 7-1. The Anchormen capitalized on an Emerson miscue in the bottom of the fourth to take the 8-1 advantage.
The visiting Lions chipped away at the lead in the top of the fifth as a two-run triple from senior right fielder Clint Fontanella (Pelham, NH) put the score at 8-3. He later scored on an RBI groundout from Young to make the score 8-4. The Anchormen answered in the bottom of the sixth when Barry's solo home run (1) put RIC up by five, 9-4. The Anchormen capped off the scoring in the bottom of the eighth with a pair of insurance runs en route to the 11-4 victory.
Barry went 3-for-4 with three runs and three RBI, while Pettinato added three hits and an RBI in the win for RIC. Junior catcher Pablo Feldman (Mill Valley, CA) went 2-for-3, while Young and Fontanella each had two RBI, in the setback for the Lions.
Junior Daniel Greaves (Warwick, RI) picked up his first win of the year for RIC, giving up four runs, three of them earned, on six hits with four strikeouts in six innings of work.
Sophomore Anthony Pugliese (Massapequa, NY) suffered the setback on the mound for Emerson, allowing six runs, three of them earned, on four hits in one inning of work.
In upcoming action, RIC will host Bridgewater State in a non-conference double header at Pontarelli Field on Saturday, March 25 (Noon).