Knights top Warriors

The CCRI Knights baseball team hosted the Massasoit Community College Warriors Tuesday evening. The game started slowly with CCRI taking a slim lead after three innings, but a six-run sixth inning sealed it for the Knights, winning 10-0 in six innings. The win improves CCRI’s season record to 15-10 overall, 10-1 in Region XXI play and 9-1 in League play.

Tuesday evening provided exceptional weather with the sun shining down on Fell Field but provided a variable in the form of a blustery unpredictable wind which made life hard in the outfield. CCRI would strike first in the third inning when Massasoit Pitcher D.J. Lopes attempted to pickoff freshman Anthony Ramos (Cranston, RI) at second base. The failed attempt saw the ball go past the bag and into center field, Ramos flew past third and scored the opening run of the game, CCRI 1 Massasoit 0.

Sophomore Zack D’Andrea (Warwick, RI) started on the mound for the Knights and threw a solid four innings, shutting out the Warriors and limiting them to three hits. Added in with D’Andrea’s seven strikeouts, the strong defensive showing would ensure open lanes for the CCRI bats to exploit. Continuing on the defensive theme, Anthony Ramos showed off his arm, gunning out Massasoit baserunner Josh Trueheart at the plate from centerfield to keep the shutout.

The Knights would tally three runs in the fifth inning, the first of which was knocked in off of sophomore Joey Barter’s (Coventry, RI) double to left field, scoring sophomore co-captain Nick D’Ambra (Coventry, RI) from second base. Sophomore Ray Aponte (East Providence, RI) launched the ball to center field to bring D’Ambra home for the second run of the inning. The third and final run of the fifth inning was scored when freshman Alejandro Martinez (Cranston, RI) hit the ball through the middle of the infield to score Aponte from second base.

Sophomore Asa Nyblom (Wakefield, RI) came in to pitch the fifth and sixth innings where he allowed just two hits and one walk while shutting out the Massasoit offense. The combination of Nyblom’s pitching and the Knights infield got out of two innings with double plays to hold tightly to the shutout.

Going into the sixth inning with a 4-0 lead, CCRI began to launch the ball high into the wind and score more runs. The offense was sparked by a pinch-hitting freshman David Meech (Douglas, MA) who hit a two-run single up the middle, scoring both Nick D’Ambra and sophomore co-captain Zack Odsen (Providence, RI) to give CCRI a 6-0 lead. Joey Barter then walked up to the plate and promptly swatted a ball high over the leftfield fence for a two-run shot, CCRI- 8, Massasoit- 0. Ray Aponte followed the example and on the next at bat hit a solo bomb to straight away center to broaden the Knights lead to 9-0. Alejandro Martinez continued the trend of long balls, this time a double to left field which put the walk off run on second. Sophomore Jacob Frost (Cranston, RI) answered the call, smacking the ball to the opposite side, a double to left field that scored Martinez to end the game in the sixth inning 10-0.

The Knights explosive offense produced 14 hits in the six innings. Leading that charge was Joey Barter who batted 3-3 with a homerun, double and a single as well as three RBI and two runs scored. Zack Odsen produced a 3-4 performance, one double and two singles and added one run scored and one stolen base. Ray Aponte batted 2-3 with a homerun and a double, two RBI and two runs scored. Alejandro Martinez went 2-for-4, one double and one single with one RBI and a run scored. Jacob Frost hit 2-4, two singles with one RBI and a stolen base. Nick D’Ambra was 1-2, a single with two runs scored, one RBI and a stolen base. David Meech rounded off the hitting going 1-1, a single with two RBI and a run scored.

The CCRI Knights baseball team will next be in action on Thursday at 3:30 p.m. as they travel to Worcester, MA to face off with the Quinsigamond Community College Wyverns.