HOUSTON – Rhode Island overcame a 4-1 deficit, putting together a three-run sixth inning and holding off HBU for a 6-5 victory Sunday afternoon at Husky Field to split the four-game series.
Senior rightfielder
Brandon Brintz went 2-for-5 with an RBI and scored twice for the Huskies (5-3), whose three losses have all been by one run. Junior shortstop
Tyler Depreta-Johnson went 2-for-4 and scored a run, while junior first baseman
Jake Pulcheon went 1-for-3 with three RBIs and has reached safely in HBU's first eight games. Junior designated hitter
Carey Jones hit his first home run of the season.
Brett McManus went 3-for-4 and scored a run for URI (3-4), while Chris Hess went 2-for-5 with a home run and scored twice. Mike Corin also homered, going 2-for-4 with a pair of runs.
Blaise Whitman (1-0) earned the win for the Rams, allowing one run on two hits with six strikeouts and a walk in 5.0 innings of relief. Tyler Barrs earned his second save of the year, striking out two and walking one in the ninth. Starter Jake Walker allowed four runs, three earned, on five hits with a walk in 3.0 innings.
Senior lefthander
Ivan Smith (0-1) took the loss for HBU, giving up a walk to the only batter he faced. Senior righthander
Addison Russ went 2.0 innings, allowing one run on two hits with a pair of strikeouts. Junior
Weston Smart gave up three runs on seven hits with three strikeouts in 3.2 innings. Sophomore
JT Newton allowed a run in 2.1 innings, while junior
Kent Keeling pitched a perfect ninth, including a strikeout.
URI grabbed the early led on Hess's solo home run down the leftfield line in the first.
HBU answered in the bottom half as Brintz singled, went to second on a passed ball, then went to third on a single by senior centerfielder
Joe Van Marter. Pulcheon lifted a sacrifice fly to center to tie the game.
Depreta-Johnson led off the third with single, then Halloran drew the first of his three walks on the afternoon. Brintz delivered an RBI single to left, then Van Marter laid down a sacrifice bunt. Pulcheon followed with a two-run single to center to give the Huskies a 4-1 lead.
Hess singled with two outs in the fifth, then scored on Martin Figueroa's RBI double to cut HBU's lead to 4-2.
Corin beat out an infield single to lead off the sixth, then McManus followed with a single and Jordan Powell moved the runners up with a sacrifice bunt. Corin scored on a wild pitch by Smith, who then walked Jesse Lee. Newton came in and McManus scored on a passed ball to tie the game. Sonny Ulliana came through with an RBI single to center to give the Rams their first lead, 5-4.
Corin homered to left-center, his team-leading third of the season, to put URI ahead, 6-4.
In the bottom of the ninth, Jones led off with a solo blast to left, his first home run of the season, to pull the Huskies back within one. With two outs, Depreta-Johnson reached on an error and Halloran walked, but Brintz grounded out to first to end the game.
The Huskies will also be at home next weekend, as they host LIU Brooklyn in a three-game series Friday through Sunday at Husky Field.
