Manchester, N.H. (April 10) -- The Saint Anselm
baseball team made it three straight wins on Thursday afternoon,
handling American International 11-2 at Sullivan Park. The Hawks
improve to 10-16, 6-9 in Northeast-10 play. The Yellow Jackets drop
to 7-16, 5-7 in league play.
American International jumped on the board in the first inning,
as Jeff Rustico (Plantsville, Conn.)singled
through the right side and scored when David Dest (Orange,
Conn.) doubled to right field.
The Hawks responded with four runs in the second inning though
to go ahead 4-1. Ryan Gargan (Byfield, Mass.)
led off with a single and Ryan O'Rourke (Norwood,
Mass.) walked to put runners on first and second with no
outs. After a successful sacrifice bunt from Eric Baca
(Franklin, N.H.), both runners moved up a base.
Melvin Perdue (Jonesboro, Ga.) then had
an infield single to score Gargan. Evan Kelleher
(Haverhill, Mass.) then doubled down the right field line
for an RBI. Nick Moreau (Manchester, N.H.) then
doubled to left center, scoring Kelleher and Purdue.
The Hawks struck for four more runs in the fifth, as Kelleher
led off with a single and Moreau doubled to put runners on second
and third with none out. Adam Hussey (Danvers,
Mass.) was then hit by a pitch to load the bases.
Ben Gunn's (Vineyard Haven, Mass.) double down the
right field line brought in two runs, then later in the inning
Matt Sucharewicz (Peabody, Mass.) doubled for two
more runs to put the Hawks up 8-1.
The Hawks tacked on a single run in the seventh on Purdue's
single to bring in Gargan, and the Hawks brought in two more in the
eighth to put them up 11-1. Conor Amirault (Haverhill,
Mass.) pinch-hit and brought in Alex Marlow
(Weston, Mass.) with a ground out, and Jimmy
Garrigan (Plymouth, Mass.) scored on a wild pitch earlier
in the inning.
Kyle McNiff (Westford, Mass.) hit a solo shot
in the top of the ninth to account for the final run of the game,
ending the game in favor of the Hawks 11-2.
Matt Stone (West Roxbury, Mass.) pitched well
for the Hawks, picking up his first win of the season. Stone
pitched seven innings, allowing six hits and one run with three
strikeouts. Kyle Lavin (Shelton, Conn.) pitched
the final two frames, allowing just the one run on a homerun while
picking up a pair of strikeouts.
The Hawks are back in action on Saturday, hosting Southern New
Hampshire for a doubleheader scheduled to start at Noon at Sullivan
Park.
