AUBUNDALE, Florida 3/17/11 – Sophomore starter Chris Crutcher (Londonderry, N.H.) tossed five strong innings and freshman second-baseman Nick Vita (Keene, N.H.) went three-for-five with six RBI's as Keene State College rolled past Salem State 17-3 in seven innings at the Lake Myrtle Complex in Auburndale, Florida.

"Crutcher went out there and gave us another nice start," said KSC head coach Ken Howe. "As a team we swung the bats well and had aggressive at-bats to keep the offense rolling."

Crutcher, who was named to the NCAA Division III pitching honor roll for his first start at SUNY Farmingdale against Saint Joseph's of Long Island, went five-plus innings allowing three runs on six hits while striking out three. Sophomore left-hander Eric Perrault (Salem, N.H.) pitched the final two innings, getting the Owls out of a jam in the sixth, while allowing just one hit and striking out three batters. "It was great to see Perrault come in and give us some solid innings," said Howe. "Hopefully this continues for him as well."

Vita stepped up to the plate in the first inning with the bases loaded and collected three RBI's with his hit to centerfield. The freshman added two more RBI's in the sixth on a two-run single, scoring juniors Erik Bergstrom (Enfield, Conn.) and Larry Longo (Londonderry, N.H.). Vita picked up his sixth RBI of the contest on a single through the left-side in the seventh, scoring Bergstrom again giving the Owls the 17-3 victory.

Longo led the way with his four-for-five game with four runs and two RBI's for KSC. Senior first-baseman Tyler DiPrato (Suffield, Conn.) collected three hits for the Owls and scored three times. Bergstrom and freshman catcher Matt Boulay (Stafford Springs, Conn.) also added three hits for the KSC in the victory.

The Owls return to action tomorrow against Suffolk University at 3:30 p.m. at the Chain of Lakes Complex in Auburndale, Florida.