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Owls sweep Anchormen 8-7 and 15-8
PROVIDENCE, R.I. 4/4/09 - The Keene State baseball team picked up its first two Little East Conference wins of the season with a 8-7 and 15-8 doubleheader sweep over Rhode Island College in Providence on Saturday.
Playing for the first time in a week, Keene State improves to 10-8 (2-2 LEC). Rhode Island College falls to 15-7 and 1-3 in LEC play.
"We needed these conference wins," said KSC Coach Ken Howe. "Hopefully, we can start plugging away and make up some ground."
Keene State scored three runs in the top of the ninth inning to win the opener. Two of the runs came home on bases loaded walks while the third crossed the plate after freshman Cody Callahan (Seekonk, N.H.) was hit by a pitch. RIC pitchers issued 12 walks and had two wild pitches in the game.
The Owls jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first on a three-run double to left center by sophomore Tyler DiPrato (Suffield, Conn.).
After RIC went up 5-3 in the fourth, KSC tied it in the fifth. Jeff Perkins (Dunbarton, N.H.) opened the inning with a walk and Jamie Chevalier (Amherst, N.H.) followed with a ground-rule double down the right field line. Both came around to score on walk and wild pitch.
The Anchormen scored twice in the eighth to go up 7-5, before KSC rallied to win the game in the ninth.
Chevalier had two of KSC's six hits.
Sophomore Corey Vogt (Suffield, Conn.) got the start for the Owls and gave up five runs on five hits with two strikeouts and three walks. Junior Jeff Raymond (Amston, Conn.) took over in the fifth and picked up the win to improve his record to 2-0. He went four innings, giving up two runs on five hits while fanning five. Freshman Dan Wogksch (Bethel, Conn.) struck out two in the ninth to notch his five save for the Owls.
KSC bats sprayed 18 hits around Anchormen Field in the second game. Junior Keith Patnode (Keene, N.H.) belted his first two home runs for the Owls and drove in five runs and Callahan had four hits and four RBIs in the night cap.
KSC went up 4-1 in the opening frame on Patnode's first home run of the game, a three-run shot to right center. Callahan also had an RBI single.
Patnode's first home run came after a 12-pitch at bat. "I knew he was going to throw me an off-speed pitch," Patnode said. "It was a belt-high change-up. It feels good to hit my first two home runs for the team."
His second home run came in the ninth inning. "They were deep into their bullpen and he was just trying to get his fast ball over the plate," he said.
RIC scored two runs in the fourth and fifth innings to tie the game at 5-all. The Owls responded with four runs in the top of the seventh and eighth innings to pull away from the Anchormen. DiPrato and Callahan had two-run doubles in the seventh and Bobby Doyon (Keene, N.H.), Anthony Cipolla (Glastonbury, N.H.), and Callahan had RBI hits in the eighth.
Patnode cracked a two-run home run over the fence in right field in the ninth inning.
Freshman Kyle Morrill (Auburn, N.H.) along with Perkins and Chevailer each had two hits in the game.
Junior Mike Riley (East Hartford, Conn.) tossed the first five innings for the Owls. He gave up five runs on five hits with three strikeouts and a walk. Sophomore Chris Kochiss (Milford, Conn.) took over in the sixth and recorded his first win of the season (1-0). He went two innings, allowing one run on two hits while fanning two and walking one. Freshman Tim Thiesing (So. Grafton, Mass.) came in and pitched the last two innings.
KSC plays at Brandeis on Sunday.
