'KEENE, N.H. 4/8/06 - The Keene State College baseball team split a Little East Conference doubleheader against Rhode Island College on Saturday at Owl Athletic Complex.  The Owls saw their school record nine game winning streak come to an end with a 4-3 loss in the opener.  KSC bounced back to take the nightcap 10-1 behind Jon Young's (Rindge, N.H.)  complete game seven hitter.

Ranked first in this week's New England Collegiate coaches poll, KSC goes to 17-5 (4-1 LEC) while RIC is now 9-13 (3-2 LEC).

RIC scored two runs in the top of the ninth inning and held on to win the opener.  The Owls took an early 2-0 in the first on a two-run double from John Grainger (Keene, N.H.).  The Anchormen got single runs in the fourth and seventh inning, and went ahead 4-2 in the ninth on RBI singles from Tim Henault (East Greenwich, R.I.) and Jim Connell (Smithfield, R.I.).  KSC got one run back in the bottom of the inning on a RBI single from James Chevalier (Amherst, N.H.), but left two runners stranded on the bases.

Jeremy Schilling (Centerville, Mass.), Nick Arroyo (Northridge, Ca.), and Chevalier had two hits each for KSC.  Mike Naylor (Warwick, R.I.) had three hits for RIC.

Coming in to relieve starter Rick Stromgren (Keene, N.H.) in the eighth inning, Mike Wiseman (Centerville, Mass.) (1-1) took the loss for the Owls. Despite giving up 11 hits, Caleb Barber (Mystic, Conn. (3-2) picked up the win for RIC.

The Owls gave Young plenty of offensive support in the second game.  KSC jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the first with Greg Ford (Nashua, N.H.) knocking in two runs with a bases loaded single.  Ford also had a RBI single in a three-run second inning.  Chevalier added a two run double in the third.

Schilling, Ford, Josh Watkins, and Chevalier had two hits each for KSC.  Connell, who knocked in RIC's lone run in the seventh, had a pair of hits.

Young struck out four and walked one to remain undefeated (3-0).  Starter, Kyle Jones (Middleboro, Mass.) took the loss for the Anchormen, last year's LEC Tournament champs.

KSC hosts St. Joseph's College of Maine in a doubleheader on Sunday (12 p.m.).  RIC travels to UMass-Dartmouth on Tuesday (3:30 p.m.).