On Sunday, the University of Rhode Island’s men’s baseball team traveled over 2,200 miles south to take on the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley in both teams’ season opener.
URI left Kingston, Rhode Island on Thursday for what was supposed to be an opening day game on Friday. The game would be rained out not just on Friday but on Saturday as well. This resulted in a doubleheader on Sunday; the first game was played at 1 p.m. with the second one scheduled for 4 p.m..
“We’re just so excited to play whether it’s beautiful or not,” said second-year first baseman Michael Anderson. “Nothing ever really changed mentality wise for us, we just wanted to get back out there.”
URI would take game one in dramatic fashion with a 4-3 win that took 11 innings to complete. Second-year Connor Grotyohann made his third career start for the Rams, pitching five innings allowing two runs and striking out six batters. After Grotyohann was pulled, it was first-year Evan Maloney and fifth-year Zach Fernandez who combined for four innings, allowing just one run.
Through eight innings, URI trailed 3-1. The Rams’ lone run was a seventh inning home run from third-year Brody Levin, who made his URI debut in this game after spending the previous two seasons at Hartford Community College.
The Rams entered the ninth inning down two runs, but a full count two-run home run from Anderson tied things up at three for URI. Last year Anderson started in all 52 games, yet this home run from Anderson came in a pinch hit situation.
“It doesn’t change much for me, it’s just another at bat in my eyes,” Anderson said about his approach at the plate. “I’m just going to try and get on base and help our team win the game.”
Anderson’s first-year campaign saw him named to the Atlantic 10 second-team and the All-Rookie team as well. He said his confidence is what helps him be so successful through the ups and downs of a baseball season according to Anderson.
Anderson’s home run set the stage for an electrifying finish between the two teams. In the bottom of the ninth inning it was Fernandez trying to prevent a UTRGV walk off and he did so thanks to a play from third-year left fielder Brody McKenzie. McKenzie tracked the ball deep into left field and he made the game saving grab over the fence. The play landed McKenzie on ESPN’s top plays of the day in the number two spot.
After a tenth inning with no action, URI would plate the go ahead run in the top of the eleventh inning. It was once again McKenzie coming through in the clutch with a single into center field that sent University of Massachusetts Dartmouth fifth-year transfer DJ Perron across home plate. URI won the game in the bottom of the eleventh when Southern Connecticut State University fifth-year transfer Tommy Hughes completed the six out save. It was Hughes’ first save as a Ram and the 20th of his collegiate career.
The Rams feature 17 new players, many of whom transferred in with some collegiate experience.
“We’ve got some really good veteran players,” URI Head Coach Raphael Cerrato said. “Brody Levin was playing second base in the fall and now he’s playing center field. We got a lot of very versatile kids.”
The next two games for the Rams were a wash, with a 13-3 loss later that same Sunday and then a 15-1 drubbing of the Rams late on Monday. There was a silver lining, as some of the Rams found success with the bat. First-year Reece Moroney was tasked with being the lead off hitter in all three of his first collegiate games as well as being the team’s shortstop. Moroney had a base hit in all three games including a three-hit game, knocking in two runs as well. Second-year Jack Hopko had a multi-hit game in game two of Sunday’s double header and scored all three of the Rams’ runs. Perron had a multi-hit game as well in that second game on Sunday and finished the weekend with two runs and a double.
As for the URI pitching staff, the series was difficult due to the weather delays and impacted their in-game decisions as well as their upcoming series versus the Virginia Tech Hokies, according to Cerrato.
One notable performance was the debut of first-year AJ Jones. Jones is a Warren, Rhode Island native and a four year varsity starter for Mt. Hope High School. Although he came in the bottom of the eighth in a 15-1 game and faced bench bats, the 18-year-old took advantage of his opportunity. Jones struck out the side on just 13 pitches.
The Rams are set to travel to Blacksburg, Virginia this week and take on an old Atlantic 10 foe, Virginia Tech. It’ll be a three-game series played from Friday to Sunday barring any more rain delays. The games will be available on ESPN+ with Friday and Saturday starting at 4 p.m. and Sunday’s game starting at 1p.m..