Worcester, Mass. – Host Clark University banged out 17 hits, including five homeruns on their way to a decisive 17-2 win over Rivier University in non-league baseball action on Friday afternoon.
The victory for the Scarlet and White pushes their winning streak to seven in a row in advance of their first conference doubleheader this weekend.
Game Information
Score: Clark University 17, Rivier University 2
Records: Clark University 12-2; Rivier University 4-7
Location: Granger Diamond, Worcester, Mass.
How It Happened:
The Cougars used the longball to take control of the contest early on, crushing four homeruns in the first four innings and never looked back.
Both Adam Chochrek (Foxboro, Mass.) and Derek Lefebvre (Groton, Mass.) blasted two each and Kyle Bonicki (Waterbury, Conn.) smacked his second of the season.
On the mound, the Cougars got a strong effort from Conor Walsh (Marstons Mills, Mass.), who tossed six excellent innings, allowing just three hits and one earned run to improve to 3-0 this season.
The Clark offense scored runs in every inning except the seventh, beginning with two runs in the first on a Teddy Downing (Cambridge, Mass.) double and a Chochrek RBI groundout.
Lefebvre started the second inning with his first collegiate homerun and then Bonicki pushed another run across with an RBI single.
Ahead 4-0, Clark added another run when Chochrek launched a solo shot with one out in the third.
The lead continued to grow in the fourth as both Bonicki and Chochrek each crushed solo homeruns in the fifth.
The Cougars continued their offensive onslaught and in the fifth Lefebvre blasted his second of the day to lead off the inning.
Rivier finally got to Walsh in the sixth, getting a leadoff double from Brendan Sullivan (Manchester, N.H.) who eventually came around on a Tyler Ferdinand (Middleboro, Mass.) single to left.
Clark was right back at it in the bottom of the frame plating four more runs, highlighted by a Zach Kelley (Hadley, Mass.) RBI single and a Bonicki sacrifice fly.
After a scoreless seventh, the Scarlet and White added five more in the eighth as Collin Porter (Brookfield, Conn.) did some of the damage with a two-run double.
The Raiders got their second run in the ninth when Seaver Martin (Coxsackie, N.Y.) walked, stole second and then crossed the plate on an Adam Arkell (Dover, N.H.) double.
Inside The Boxscore:
Chochrek, Kelley and Lefebvre all had three hits for the Cougars, while Bonicki, Downing and David Rotando (Cold Spring, N.Y.) each had two hits.
For Chochrek, his two homeruns this afternoon give him four in his last five games and 11 for his career.
Up Next:
Both teams are back in action on Saturday. Rivier visits UMass-Dartmouth beginning at 11:00 a.m., while the Cougars open up NEWMAC play with a twinbill against Emerson College. First pitch is slated for 12:00 p.m.