Junior pitcher Vitaly Jangols looks down the batter as he finishes his release. | Photo by Anna
It was a busy stretch for Rhode Island baseball this past week, as they played three different opponents across four days. The Rams finished the week winning two games and dropping the final game to Sacred Heart.
The first game Rhode Island played was on Tuesday, April 16, against in-state-rival Bryant University. The game was an absolutely dominated by offense as pitchers on both sides were pummeled, as a total of 28 runs were scored on the day.
The game ended up becoming a glorious comeback for the Rams, who were down by five runs in just the first inning. After that very shaky start, Rhody turned the ballgame right around when, with two outs in the top of the fourth, they began to rally back.
Two singles by Kevin Heiss and Jackson Coutts put four runs on the board, as well as a two-run double by Sonny Ulliana. After some back and forth scoring, Bryant had a rally themselves in the bottom of the sixth, when James Ciliento hit a three run shot to make it 10-9, with Bryant in the lead.
The two teams continued to go back and forth until the ninth inning, where the game was tied 12-12. Fortunately, it was time for another Rams rally. Xavier Vargas helped secured the lead for the team by slugging a three-run homer to make it 15-12. Heiss added to the lead by hitting a solo shot of his own.
Bryant still had a chance to come back, but Rhode Island’s reliever, Tyler Brosius, managed to hold them in check in the bottom of the ninth, securing a 16-12 victory for the Rams.
The Rams secured another win on Thursday, beating Hartford University. The Rams managed to score early, when sophomore Austin White hit a wild solo shot that managed to bounce off the top off the wall, then off a billboard, then bounce back onto the wall and roll on the railing. This bizzare homer was White’s first in his career. He was three for five on the day.
The Rams got a rally going in the second, fifth and seventh to make it an 8-2 lead. However, Hartford came alive late in the game and crossed the plate four times in the bottom of the seventh. The Rams bounced back, with Heiss and Vargas both driving in runs in the top of the eighth, making it 10-6. The game ended with Jake Walker getting the save for Rhode Island and freshman Bo Brutti, in his first career start, getting the win.
Unfortunately, the three game winning streak for Rhode Island would not continue. On Friday, they lost to Sacred Heart, with the final score being 9-1.
URI now holds a 17-18 record, and is still doing well in the A-10 with an 8-4 record. Their next game will take place this Wednesday, April 24 as they travel down to Storrs to take on the UConn Huskies.