Velez's walk off homer propels Raiders to 2 wins
Game 1
Game 1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Norwich | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 5 | 7 | 0 |
|
Rivier | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 12 | 6 |
Game 2
Game 2
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Norwich | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 12 | 1 |
|
Rivier | 2 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 1 | X | 9 | 12 | 3 |
(Nashua, NH) Trailing by one with a runner on first and two outs in the bottom of the seventh, junior Aramis Velez (Lowell, MA) belted the first pitch he saw deep over the left field fence as the Raiders took game one 6-5 and proceeded to win game two 9-6 against Norwich University this afternoon at Historic Holman Stadium.
Rivier (4-24 overall, 2-6 GNAC) had themselves a 4-2 lead entering the seventh behind a solid pitching performance from senior Kevin Weaver (Hudson, NH). A couple of defensive mishaps mixed with a mental mistake allowed Norwich (4-24 overall, 1-7 GNAC) to score three runs and take a 5-4 lead.
Weaver earned his first win of 2012 as he tossed all 7 innings giving up 5 runs (2 earned) on 7 hits and striking out 8. Freshman Michael Scanlon (Plantsville, CT) set the tone for Rivier as he went 3-for-4 with a RBI and Velez finished the game going 2-for-4 with a HR and 2 RBI. Junior Kyle Bowser (Newington, NH) had a solid game as the leadoff hitter went 2-for-4 with a RBI and run scored as the Raiders pounded out 12 hits.
Norwich received two hit games from Dustin Shimkus and Corey Shearer. Scott Yashinski was the losing pitcher as he tossed a complete game (6.2 innings).
The hit parade continued for Rivier in game two as the team exploded for another 12 hits. Leading the charge this time were Bowser and junior John DiBenedetto (Tampa, FL) who both had 3-for-4 games. Bowser belted his first Home Run of the season while knocking in 3 runs and DiBenedetto recorded 2 RBI.
Sophomore Arthur Hoffman (Malden, MA) earned his first colligate win on the mound as he gritted out a complete game performance. Hoffman held the Cadets to just one run over the first six innings before they nipped him for 5 in the top of the seventh.
Shimkus went 3-for-4 with 2 RBI for Norwich while Brandon Place, JJ Losco and Seth Knihtila all had two hits apiece. Brad Hudson was tagged with the loss after he allowed 8 runs on 9 hits through his 3.2 innings of work. Craig Leverone finished the game and allowed just one run while striking out two.
Rivier will return to action on Wednesday evening as they host Lasell College in a GNAC Doubleheader inside Historic Holman Stadium. Game one start time is set for 7pm. Norwich will travel to Anna Maria for a 12pm GNAC doubleheader tomorrow in Worcester.
