NEWPORT, R.I. (Monday, April 1, 2024) - Salve Regina University baseball rallied from a 3-0 deficit after one inning and defeated the Pride of Springfield College, 5-3, at Reynolds Field in NEWMAC action on Monday afternoon. The game had been scheduled for a Tuesday start but foul weather forecasted for the region led to a change to today.

Graduate student Tommy DelVecchio (Scotch Plains, N.J.) came in relief with the Seahawks (17-2, 4-0 NEWMAC) trailing 3-0 and a runner at third with two outs in the second inning. He got the final out of that frame on a fly to right and went five more innings while facing the minimum number of batters to collect 16 outs. Only one Pride batter, pinch-hitter Nate Garafalo (Kinderhook, N.Y.), reached base against DelVecchio, a lead-off single to right in the seventh, but he was erased on a strikeout-throw out caught stealing with a terrific throw from catcher Brady Smolinski (North Grafton, Mass.). Kyle Carozza (Fairfield, Conn.) pitched the final two frames for his team-leading sixth save of the season.

Offensively, Salve Regina began its comeback with a third-inning, two-run homer from second baseman Christian Homa (Fairfield, Conn.). Homa followed a lead-off single from senior outfielder Brandon Grover (Ashland, Mass.) with an opposite-field shot, his third homer of the season -- tying him with Grover for the team lead. Matt D'Amato (Midland Park, N.J.) tied the game with an RBI single in the fifth and Wil McCarthy's (Pembroke, Mass.) sacrifice fly later that inning put the Seahawks ahead for the first time. Evan O'Rourke (Arlington, Mass.) added an insurance run with a sacrifice fly in the seventh.

INSIDE THE MATCHUPS
Final: Salve Regina 5, Springfield 3
Records: Salve Regina (17-2, 4-0 NEWMAC), Springfield (11-10, 0-4 NEWMAC)
All-Time Series: Salve Regina entered today with a 4-0 all-time mark against Springfield in baseball, including a no-hit 16-0 victory last year in Florida. Last week in Springfield, three Seahawk pitchers - starter Brayden Clark and relievers Jason Arrigo, Kyle Carozzo - combined for a two-hit 1-0 shutout in the first-ever NEWMAC game for Salve Regina.

SUMMARY

• T1 - Seahawk starter Hayden Duke got his first batter on a fly out to left but then walked the next two Pride hitters. Catcher Ryan Sorgi stung a single to load the bases and the first run came home after a fielding error. Adam Crocker and Jack Dunaisky added RBI singles for a 3-0 head start. | Pride 3, Seahawks 0
• B3 - After leaving the bases loaded in the bottom of the first and going 1-2-3 in the second, the Seahawks got on the board with a two-run home run from Christian Homa. Brandon Grover led off the inning with his second basehit in as many at bats. | Pride 3, Seahawks 2
• B5 - Christian Homa started the inning with a single to left and advanced to second when Tyler Cannoe reached on an error. Matt D'Amato followed with a run-scoring single to left center to tie the game and the Seahawks loaded the bases when pinch-hitter Evan O'Rourke was plunked by a pitch. New Pride pitcher Ryan Baker allowed a sacrifice fly ball to Wil McCarthy for the first Seahawk lead. Springfield erased a runner at the plate on another play and got the final out on a rundown. | Seahawks 4, Pride 3
• B7 - Christian Homa was hit by a pitch and Tyler Cannoe hit a ground-rule double down the left-field line. New Pride pitcher Matt Robinson got a grounder to second baseman Jack Dunaisky who held Homa at third to get the put out at first before Evan O'Rourke lifted a sacrifice fly to right. | Seahawks 5, Pride 3

NOTEWORTHY

• With his third-inning home run, Christian Homa has hit safely in all 19 games this season, and extends his current hit streak to 32 games (the 2023 All-American hit safely in his final 13 games last season).
• Homa ties Brandon Grover with a team-high three home runs.
• Salve Regina has 17 home runs in 19 games.
• Kyle Carozza has a save in nearly a third of the Seahawk contests (six in 19 games).
• Tommy DelVecchio faced 16 batters to record 16 outs.

NEXT UP
Salve Regina faces the United States Coast Guard Academy in a NEWMAC pair at Nitchman Field on Saturday, April 6 (12 p.m.).