PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Evan McCue hit a go-ahead single with one out in the top of the eighth inning and David Floyd pitched 4.2 scoreless innings of relief as the Keene State College baseball team closed their week on a high note, beating Rhode Island College 4-3 in the second of two Little East Conference games on Friday at Pontarelli Field.  The Anchormen erased KSC's 3-0 lead early in the opener to win 9-7.

Records

• Keene State:  5-11, 1-1 LEC
• Rhode Island College:  9-4, 1-1 LEC

How It Happened
The Owls fell into an early 2-0 deficit in the second contest on Cole Podedworny's two-run homer in the first, but limited the Anchormen to just one run after that and scored a single run in four different innings to come out on top.  McCue had two hits and helped provide half of KSC's runs, including an RBI single in the second that made it 2-1.  The Owls tied the game in the fifth with a two-out uprising as Evan Cali walked and moved to second when Brendan Eaton was hit by a pitch.  Pinch-hitter Brice Waldron then came through, tying the game was a base hit into left.

RIC regained the lead in the bottom half of the inning with after it seemed the Owls might get out of a second and third, no out jam.  The inning began with a double by Daniel Trzepacz and a double from Sean Helfrich to put two in scoring position.  However, Camden Thomas froze Podedworny and Floyd came in and did the same to Izaiah Rivera to leave the runners right there.  KSC elected to intentionally walk Daniel Cascio, but that wound up hurting when Lucas Pierce was plunked to force in the go-ahead run.
Floyd acquitted himself nicely in his first relief outing of the year, though, as he tossed a 1-2-3 sixth and faced the minimum in the seventh thanks to Cali throwing out Helfrich stealing.  It was an important shutdown inning for Keene State, who had tied the game on Eaton's second home run of the day in the top half of the inning.  The Owls then took the lead in the eighth, a frame that began with Ethan Rainha taking ball four.  He moved to second on a wild pitch when Alec Varano was up, and then scored when McCue poked a single into right field as KSC a 4-3 lead, their first of the game.  The Anchormen put two on with one out in the eighth following a hit batter and a walk, but Floyd got out of it, striking out Edwin Silverio before Parker Camelo grounded weakly to second.  The Owl sophomore rightly polished off his strong outing in what was mostly a non-threatening ninth, as Trzepacz grounded out and Helfrich whiffed to start the inning.  Podedworny bounced to third and reached on what was ruled a hit to continue the inning, but Floyd struck out Rivera to get the Owls back in the win column in what had been a frustrating week up to this point, as KSC led in all three of their previous losses including twice in the seventh inning or later.

Floyd (1-3) allowed two hits and walked two in 4.2 innings with seven strikeouts to pick up the win.  Thomas got the start and went 4.1 innings, allowing three runs and eight hits with one walk and three whiffs.

Sammy Belboder (0-1) took the loss for RIC, allowing a run and a hit over two innings.  He walked two and struck out two.  Ryan Seaver got the start and struck out seven while allowing three runs and eight hits in seven innings.

McCue (2-4, RBI), Eaton (2-4, HR, RBI), and Waldron (2-3, 2B, RBI) paced KSC's offense in the nightcap.  Cali was 1-for-3 and walked twice, and is hitting .302 on the season.
The top three in the Anchormen order all had two-hit games, finishing 6-for-15, but they also struck out four times and the remainder of the hosts' lineup was held to four hits.
It was an important win for KSC to snap their six-game losing streak, which reached that number earlier in the day when RIC scored in four out of five innings to erase an early 3-0 deficit.  The Anchormen tied the game in the third on a two-run homer by Trzepacz and an RBI single by Rivera, and then took their first lead (5-3) in the fifth after Cascio went deep.  The Owls kept trying to claw back, getting within 7-5 in the seventh on an RBI base hit by Hamilton Barnes before Rainha's sacrifice fly.  However, a pair of RIC singles in the seventh were eventually plated on a grounder to second and an error as the Anchormen retook a four-run lead and shutdown innings remained elusive for KSC, who allowed two runs apiece in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings.

Even still, the Owls had a chance in the end.  They scored a run with two outs in the eighth as Cali lined a base hit up the middle and then scored on Eaton's double into the right center gap to make it 9-6.  Jake Jachym tossed a 1-2-3 eighth, and KSC then put the tying run on base and brought the go-ahead run to the plate in the top of the ninth.  Barnes walked with one out to get the ball rolling, and was followed by a single to left by Rainha.  Pinch-hitter Varano then lined what appeared to be an RBI single at minimum, but Justin Wardwell made a clutch, sliding grab for the second out, which turned out to likely be the play of the game.  Kyle Palardy followed by working a walk to load the bases and all of the runners advanced on a wild pitch to make it 9-7 and put the tying runs in scoring position, but Harrison Mansfield struck out Tommy Ahlers to end the game.

KSC outhit the Anchormen 12-11, but left 12 people on base, 10 from the fourth inning on.  Early on, they were cashing in chances, as Eaton homered in the first before Rainha and Barnes executed a first and third double steal and Palardy an RBI single in the second to take a 3-0 edge.

"(RIC) did a better job of cashing on their opportunities in Game 1 and we left too many guys on base," said Keene State head coach Justin Blood.  "Cam Thomas gave us a chance to win (Game 2) again and then David Floyd was awesome out of the pen.  We needed this one and I'm proud of how the guys competed all day."

Shea Zina (1-1) took the loss in the opener, allowing five hits and five runs in five innings.  He walked two and struck out eight.

Liam Dailey (2-0) got the win for Rhode Island College despite allowing eight hits and four walks in 5.2 innings.  He allowed three runs and struck out three.

Keene State received three-hit games from Cali (3-4, BB, 2 R), Eaton (3-4, 2B, HR, 2 RBI, 2 R), and Rainha (3-4, SF, RBI, R) and also stole four bases as a team (RIC did not have any).

Trzepacz, Helfrich, and Cascio combined to go 6-for-13 and drive in six of the Anchormen's nine runs.

Around the Horn

• Cali reached seven times on the day (4-for-7 with three walks).  He leads the team with 12 free passes and is third among qualified players in on-base percentage on the season (.455).
• KSC and RIC have split in consecutive years after the Owls won 2-0 and lost 14-3 at Franklin Pierce University last year.  It ended up being the only regular season league loss for the Anchormen, who were 15-1 and hosted the LEC tournament last year before losing to Eastern Connecticut State University in the championship.  KSC leads the all-time series 34-24.
• Eaton and Ahlers are tied for the team-lead with 15 RBI apiece.
• KSC's rally in game two marked their first win when trailing after six innings this season and also their first win in a game decided by one or two runs this season (1-8).

Up Next

• The Owls visit Salem State University (7-3) on Tuesday, March 26 for a 3:30 p.m. first pitch.
• Rhode Island College, who saw their seven-game winning streak snapped, travels to Johnson & Wales University (R.I.) (8-5) on the same day at 4:00 p.m.