NEWPORT, R.I. – The Keene State College baseball team jumped out to a 12-1 lead before holding off a late charge by Salve Regina University to earn a 16-8 victory at Reynolds Field on Sunday afternoon. The loss was the sixth straight for the Seahawks who fall to 6-13 on the season, while conversely, the Owls have now won each of their last six contests to improve to 13-5 overall.

Sophomore catcher Nicholas Barrese (Seaside Park, N.J.) was 2-for-3 on the day with a run scored and two driven in for Salve Regina, while freshman Salvatore Cumella (Ridgefield, N.J.) finished 2-for-5, also compiling one run scored and a pair of runs batted in. Sophomores Stephen Crawford (Barrington, R.I.) and Anthony Conte (Georgetown, Mass.) also collected two hits apiece, while fellow sophomore Kevin Lambert (Fairfield, Conn.) came in to throw 3.1 scoreless innings of relief, allowing just one hit with four strikeouts.

Senior Erik Bergstrom (Enfield, Conn.) paved the way for the Owls' offense, going 2-for-3 with a double, a home run, and five runs batted in. Freshmen Eric Hewitt (Rockfall, Conn.) and Ian Seawards (Dover, N.H.) also homered in the win, while junior Greg Bates (Salem, N.H.) finished 2-for-4 with three runs scored and a pair of RBIs. On the mound, senior Jeff Pelkey (Fitzwilliam, N.H.) allowed five runs over 5.0 innings to improve to 3-1 on the season, while sophomores Pat Tempone (Francestown, N.H.) and Shawn Egan (East Hartford, Conn.) each tossed scoreless innings of relief.

The Owls got on the board with a pair of runs in the first without the benefit of a hit, as Seahawks' starter Nicholas Gaj (Pawtucket, R.I.) struggled with his control early, issuing a walk and three hit batsmen.

The Seahawks answered with a run in the bottom half of the frame to cut the Owls' lead in half at 2-1. The Seahawks had the bases loaded with one out when senior Byron Reding (Darien, Conn.) shot a hard grounder down the first base line which was stopped by a diving stab by first baseman Greg Bates. Sophomore Daniel Donohue (Westbury, N.Y.) came home to score on the play, but Bates saved a pair of runs and retired Reding at first.

The Owls then erupted for 10 runs over the next three innings, including a pair of runs in the second, five in the third, and three more in the fourth. Keene State got two runs on just one hit in the second frame, capitalizing on a walk, hit-by-pitch, and an Salve Regina error to take a 4-1 lead. The Owls then rallied for five runs in the third, including a leadoff solo shot by Seawards and a three-run inside-the-park home run by Bergstrom. The Owls' tacked on three more in the fourth to take a commanding 12-1 lead, as Bergstrom delivered the big blow with a two-run double.

The Seahawks fought back by rallying for four runs in the fifth and two more in the seventh to cut the KSC lead to 12-7. Salve Regina compiled six hits in the fifth frame, including a two-run double by Barrese and an RBI single by Cumella to gain some momentum. After Lambert completed his third scoreless inning of relief, the Seahawks added two more runs in the bottom of the seventh, as Cumella collected an RBI bunt single and came around to score on a sacrifice fly by Donohue.

However, the Owls answered with three runs in the eighth and another in the ninth to thwart the Salve Regina comeback. Hewitt delivered the big hit in the eighth, crushing a long three-run homer to left, while sophomore Ray Carmel (Waterford, N.Y.) drove home fellow sophomore Andrew Gummow (Brookline, Mass.) with a sacrifice fly in the top of the ninth.

The Seahawks managed to scratch across a run in the bottom of the ninth on an RBI ground out by Crawford, before eventually falling by the final score of 16-8.

The Owls will return to action on Tuesday, hosting Amherst at 3:30 p.m., while the Seahawks return to conference play on Monday with a Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) doubleheader versus Wentworth starting at 2 p.m.