URI Rams Sweep Two from St. Louis on Sunny Day in Kingston

Ken Bell

URI news release…

Trailing 4-3 in the first game of the day, Rhode Island scored two runs in the seventh and another in the eighth for the 6-4 victory. The Rams first tied it up at 4-4 on a Matt O’Neil sacrifice fly that scored Chris Hess. Mike Corin then used a double down the left field line to drive in Jordan Powell and give URI its first lead of the game.

The Rams added an insurance run in their next trip to the plate as Mike Foley made it 6-4 URI on another base hit by Hess.

The Rams got a gem from Matt Murphy in Game 2 as the redshirt junior starter went seven shutout innings with just two hits allowed. Meanwhile, Rhode Island got all the offense it would need in the bottom of the second inning.

O’Neil got things started with a single to right before stealing second. Corin was then hit by a pitch and Brett McManus was walked to load the bases for Sonny Ulliana, who plated O’Neil on a fielder’s choice ball to third base. Kevin Heiss later reached on a bunt single which pushed across Corin. Hess followed with a single through the right side that scored both Ulliana and Heiss to give URI a 4-0 advantage.

The Rams and the Billikens matched one another with zeroes on the scoreboard for the next five frames until a two-run, eighth-inning blast by Corin capped off the 6-0 victory.

The doubleheader sweep improves Rhody to 14-10 (5-0 A-10) while Saint Louis drops to 17-8 (2-3 A-10). The Rams have now won each of their last eight games.

Inside the Box Score

  • Redshirt junior Matt Murphy tossed five 1-2-3 innings to pick up his third win of the season in Game 2. The Billikens only threatened once – when they loaded the bases in the top of the third – but a foul-out and an inning-ending strikeout prevented any damage.
  • Murphy finished the game with five strikeouts opposite just two hits and one walk.
  • Redshirt sophomore Cam LaFleur combined with Murphy on the shutout, facing just one over the minimum during the final two innings.
  • Freshman Vitaly Jangols picked up the win in Game 1 to improve to 4-0 on the season. He threw a scoreless seventh and eighth without allowing a hit, lowering his ERA to 0.59 over 15.1 innings of work.
  • Redshirt junior Tyler Barss relieved Jangols and tossed a 1-2-3 ninth to collect his sixth save of the season.
  • Redshirt senior Blaise Whitman came on in relief of junior starter Nick Johnson and struck out five over three innings. He allowed just one run on two hits and one walk.
  • Offensively, redshirt junior Chris Hess recorded a team-high four hits on the afternoon. He also scored three times and drove in three runs.
  • Redshirt senior Mike Corin combined to go 3-for-6, including his team-leading seventh home run of the season. He also doubled, drove in three runs, scored twice and reached once each by way of walk and hit-by-pitch.
  • Redshirt senior Matt O’Neil and junior Jordan Powell both went 3-for-7 with one run scored on the afternoon. Powell also drove in a run while O’Neil had two RBI and a stolen base.
  • Senior Martin Figueroa had hits in each game, extending his reached-base streak to a team-best 11 consecutive games.

Up Next
The Rams return to action on Tuesday night at UMass Lowell. First pitch is set for 7 p.m.

Related