KEENE, N.H. 5/8/07 - Freshman leftfielder Bobby Doyon (Keene, N.H.) had two home runs and five RBIs to lead top seed Keene State to a 14-8 victory over fourth seed Rhode Island College in Game #5 of the Little East Conference baseball tournament played at Owl Athletic Complex on Thursday.

            "I'm happy to get the win, it was a big one for us," said Doyon.

            Both undefeated in tournament play, Keene State (30-8) will play Southern Maine (31-10) on Friday at 9 a.m.  It's the third straight season the Owls have compiled a 30 or more win season. KSC is two shy of the program record for wins (32) set last season.

            Rhode Island College 24-15 was eliminated from the tourney with the loss.

            RIC, the home team, took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second on a solo home run by senior first baseman Jim Connell (Smithfield, R.I.).

            The Owls exploded for nine runs in the top of the fifth that featured three home runs.  Sophomore first baseman Beau Darak (Londonderry, N.H.) got things going with his team-leading 12th home run of the season, a solo shot to center.  Senior third baseman Joe Rousseau (Nashua, N.H.) had a two-run double and sophomore catcher Anthony Cipolla (Glastonbury, Conn.) had an RBI double.  The uprising also featured a pair of two-run home runs by Doyon and senior right fielder Greg Ford (Nashua, N.H.) Doyon hit his first of the game and two batters later, Ford hit his 11th of the season.

            "It was a long, but productive inning," said KSC Coach Ken Howe.  "The wind was blowing out hard to right field and got some balls up in the jet stream and they took off. The guys swung the bats well and did what we had to do."

            The Anchormen attempted to chip away at the Owls lead with two runs in the fifth and sixth, and eighth and a single run in the seventh that closed the gap to 10-8 going into the top of the ninth.  B.J Doyon (Douglas, Mass.) and Peter Olson (North Providence, R.I.) had RBI hits in the fifth, catcher Jordan Amorin (Swansea, Mass.) had a two run single in the sixth, and Connell had a run-producing double in the seventh.

            Following RBI hits from Chris O'Connors (North Kingstown, R.I.) and Josh Cardoso (Dartmouth, Mass.) in the eighth, Ford took over on the mound and shut down the Anchormen rally by getting Connell to pop out.

            KSC, which had 16 hits in the game, added four insurance run in the ninth, with Doyon connecting for his second home run of the game and his sixth of the season.

            "He gave me a fast ball in the middle of the plate and I got the bat on it," said Doyon, whose drive went to left against the wind. "I was happy to give Greg some cushion going into the bottom of the ninth."

            Rousseau and Ford finished the game with three RBIs each. 

            O'Connors had three hits and Connell and Amorin notched two RBIs each for RIC.

            Sophomore pitcher Mike Riley (East Hartford, Conn.), who took over for starter Aaron Laplante (Charlestown, N.H) in the fourth picked up the win for KSC.  He went 3.1 innings allowing five runs on eight hits with three strikeouts and walks.  Jaime Chevalier (Amherst, N.H.) , who got the Owls out of trouble in the seventh, also pitched.

            Senior starter Evan Grogan (East Lyme, Conn.), now 4-3, look the loss for the Anchormen.  He went 4.2 innings, giving up six runs on eight hits with four strikeouts and a walk.