03/31/09 -The University of Rhode Island baseball team rolled to two straight wins over Atlantic 10 conference foe Xavier University last weekend by scores of 11-3 and 8-7.The 8-7 victory was a 12-inning thriller that ended on a pick-off move by Rhode Island sophomore Chris Pickering.
The Rams fell in the series finale 6-1, moving them to a 14-8 overall record and 4-2 in the A-10.
Junior Oliver Palmer scored three home runs in the series, while fellow junior Rob DeVeney cleared the wall twice. Freshman Mike LeBel and Palmer were able to advance their hit streaks to 10 and nine games respectively.
In the opener, Palmer, who left the yard twice in the contest, led Rhody.
Palmer's two round-trippers, coupled with homerun contributions from LeBel and sophomore Jeff Cammans made four on the day for the Rams, the most in a single game this season.
Junior Tim Boyce got the start for URI and lasted 6.2 innings en route to retiring 13-straight batters in the win.
The Musketeers broke out first in the contest, moving ahead 1-0 in the bottom of the first on two hits and a botched pick-off play.
LeBel struck back for the Rams with a two-out solo-shot to even things up, after two innings of play.
Rhody took a 2-1 lead into the fourth and, again, worked some two-out magic when sophomore Tom Coulombe reached base on a two-out single and came around to score on a base hit by LeBel.
The Rams padded their lead in the top of the fifth as sophomore Kenny Burns opened things up with a booming double to center field over the head of Xavier's Adam Pasono.
He advanced to third on a bunt base hit by junior Zoey Angulo.
A single by senior Dan Rhault would score Burns and send the speedy Angulo to third base, setting things up for Cammans, who would then send one over the left field wall to give Rhody the 6-1 advantage.
URI resumed the onslaught after a three-up and three-down bottom of the fifth on a single by Burns, scoring LeBel, and a two-run blast by Palmer to put the Rams ahead 9-1.
Xavier attempted to chip away at the lead in the final three innings, pushing across two runs, one in the seventh and one in the ninth. However, they could not overcome Rhody's bats that would add two runs of their own.
Boyce scattered six hits and two runs in the win while striking out five. Sophomore Ken Graveline and freshman Ryan O'Neill combined for 2.1 innings of relief. O'Neill allowed one earned run.
In Saturday's contest, URI was led by DeVeney who went 3-for-5 on the day with four RBIs, including the game-winning run in the 12th inning.
Pickering earned the win in relief for URI, holding the Musketeers hitless over the final two innings. He ended the game with a two-out pick off with runners on first and third.
The Musketeers played from behind nearly the entire game with their only lead in the bottom of the first, on a leadoff homerun by Billy O'Connor.
DeVeney put the Rams ahead in the top of the second on a 3-2 pitch that he would send deep and out over the left-centerfield wall. The homerun scored Cammans as well who previously reached base on a single to the left side.
Rhault kept things going with a two-out single in the top of third before Palmer reached on an infield single. A spout of wildness by Xavier pitcher Nathan Mutsch loaded the bases on a hit by pitch and back-to-back walks that pushed across two for Rhode Island to secure the 4-1 lead.
The Musketeers pushed across one in the bottom of the frame on an RBI ground-out by Ben Thomas, but Palmer's third homer of the series in the top of the fifth would put the lead back at three.
Xavier answered back with another run in the bottom of the fifth on a double by Pasono down the left field line, a hit batsman, a sacrifice bunt and an RBI ground out.
After trading zeros in the sixth and seventh, LeBel sent one over the left-centerfield wall in the top of the eighth for a two run bomb, moving the score to 7-3.
The Musketeers answered back yet again on a two-run blast by Sean Farrell, bringing Xavier within two in the bottom of the eighth.
Jordan Conley's clutch two-run double tied the score in the bottom of the ninth, forcing extra innings.
Neither team could score until the top of the 12th inning when DeVeney sent one up the middle, scoring Cammans, who had reached on an error by second baseman Drew Schmidt and advanced to second on the throw.
With runners on first and third, Pickering would pick off Xavier's O'Connor to end the game.
The win was the first extra-inning victory of the year for Rhode Island.
"It was a very exciting game," head coach Jim Foster said. "You don't see many games end like that, especially in extra innings."
Trailing in the series 2-0, Xavier was able to pull out a 6-1 victory in the finale on a frigid and rainy day in Cincinnati, Ohio.
With wind chills dipping into the 20s and a steady drizzle, Rhody had trouble warming up and could not provide the necessary offense.
DeVeney scored the lone run for the Rams in the top of the fourth with his second homerun in as many days.
DeVeney's homer was the lone blemish on Xavier starter Josh Deeg's line. Deeg scattered five hits in 6.1 innings while striking out nine.
Junior Eric Smith got the start for URI and lasted 5.1 innings, allowing four earned runs on six hits and four strikeouts.
Smith was relieved by juniors Dan Rossignol and Mark Fraser. Each went 1.1 innings and allowed one run on one hit.
"We played a very flat game Sunday," Foster said. "We didn't have a very good offensive approach and our pitching could have been a little bit better. We just really didn't string many quality at-bats together."
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