WINTER HAVEN, Fla.--A solid relief performance from freshman Stephen Costello lifted the Keene State College baseball team to a 9-3 win in the first of two contests against Roger Williams University to open the 2014 season at Chain O' Lakes Stadium on Friday.  The Owls fell in the day's second game by a score of 6-4.

Costello pitched 3.2 innings of one-hit relief to pick up the win in his collegiate debut.  Five different Owls drive in a run as KSC rallied from an early 3-0 hole.  

A fielder's choice put the Hawks (7-3) on the board in the first inning, and a KSC error and a groundout allowed Roger Williams to score twice more.  The Owls knotted the score in the third inning.  Matt Boulay cracked a lead-off double, and Tanner Luopa drew a walk.  After a pop-up to third, Billy Hartmann brought in Boulay with an RBI single, and a Roger Williams error allowed Luopa and Hartmann to cross the plate.

KSC went in front for good in the bottom of the next inning.  Cody Dube singled and took second on a wild pitch, and scored on Boulay's second double of the day.  The Owls tacked on five more in the bottom of the fifth inning;  Nick Vita's RBI single brought in Joe Libby, and Vita scored on a triple by Andrew Gummow.  Keene State took advantage of three Roger Williams errors in the frame.  The first allowed Dube to reach base, the second brought in Gummow, and the third let Andy Johnson and Dube touch home.  

While the Owl bats were stacking up the runs, Costello shut the door on the Hawks' offense, retiring the first six batters he faced and allowing a solitary single in the sixth inning.  Eddie Dionne started and went 3.1 innings, allowing five hits and two earned runs.

In the second contest, KSC led 4-0 but surrendered the lead in the fifth inning.  The Owls broke out in front by loading the bases in the second inning.  Boulay singled, and consecutive errors by the Hawks loaded them up for Hartmann.  The sophomore was hit by a pitch to force in Boulay for the first run of the game.

KSC had the bases loaded again in the third inning.  Dube and Johnson walked, and Boulay hit a single to set the table for Tanner Chase, who brought in all three runners with a double.  

RWU got back in the contest in the bottom of the fourth inning.  Two hits put a pair of runners in scoring position, and an Owl error brought in the first Hawks' run of the game.  A sacrifice fly and an RBI groundout got Roger Williams within 4-3, and they would go in front in the next inning.  An RBI single from Chris Travers broke the deadlock, and Reid Nelson added an insurance run with a bases loaded walk.  

Boulay added three more hits, batting 5-for-6 for the two games.  The rest of the Owl bats struggled, managing just four hits against the RWU bullpen.  Keith Simpson took the loss for the Owls, allowing five runs (four earned) in 4.1 innings of work, notching three strikeouts.  John Poissant tossed 1.2 innings of one-hit relief.  

The Owls will be back at it tomorrow, with a single game against Wheaton College (Mass.)  First pitch is slated for 2 p.m.