THE BASICS:
- Score: Assumption 7, Rollins 3
- Records: Assumption (7-2, 0-0 NE10), Rollins (9-7, 1-2 SSC)
- Location: Winter Park, Fla. (Rollins College)
- The Lead: Once the Assumption Greyhounds got started, they couldn't stop, taking advantage of 11 walks, 10 hits and three hit batsmen to defeat the Rollins Tars 7-3 on Thursday night in Florida.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Eight different Assumption batters had at least one hit, while Matt Lonardo (Cranston, RI / Cranston High School) and Joe Michael (Johnston, R.I. / Johnston Senior / CCRI) had two hits each. Lonardo started the Hounds' scoring with an RBI-single to right in the third inning and later homered in the fifth to put the Hounds up 3-0. Dillon Zona (Shrewsbury, Mass. / Shrewsbury High School) and Michael then hit back-to-back doubles in the top of the sixth to give Assumption 5-0 lead.
-Hounds starter Cole Chudoba (Oxford, Conn. / Oxford High School) yielded two runs on nine hits while striking out six in six innings to earn the win. The Tars couldn't touch Chudoba until the sixth inning when they strung together four hits including two doubles to close the gap to 5-2. They got one more in the bottom of the seventh off reliever Manny PegueroMelo (Boston, Mass. / Xaverian) on a bases-loaded walk to close the gap even more at 5-3, but PegueroMelo settled, going the final three innings and giving up three hits while striking out one to earn the save.
-Assumption tacked on two more runs for insurance in the eighth inning on an RBI-single from R.J. Libby (Middleton, Mass. / Bishop Fenwick) and a walk from Hunter Tralli (Berlin, Conn. / Northwest Catholic) with the bases loaded for the 7-3 final.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
- The Hounds collected 10 hits to bat .313 as a unit, which included going 8-for-9 to lead-off each inning. They also stranded 14 Rollins runners, who threw for only 51.4% strikes as a unit.
-Lonardo went 2-for-5 with three runs, two RBIs and one walk. He has reached safely in each of his first eight games and has hit to a .286 average and .468 on-base percentage with 11 runs and nine RBIs.
-Earning the start in each of the last two games, Michael is 3-for-8 during those two games with five RBIs and one home run.
-Chudoba has earned the win in each of his three starts so far this season. He has not allowed a walk yet and averages 10.29 K/9 and has pitched to a 1.29 ERA in 21 innings in three starts. PegueroMelo has now pitched 10.1 innings in four relief appearances and has two wins and one save. He has allowed only four hits and sports a 1.74 ERA.
UP NEXT:
-The Hounds will travel to Malone on Friday, March 8, with first pitch set for 1 p.m.
STAY CONNECTED:
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