AUBURNDALE, Fla. (March 14, 2026) - #7 Salve Regina University baseball erased an early deficit with a four-run second inning and added insurance late to defeat the University of Mount Union, 6–3, in RussMatt Invitational action on March 14 in Auburndale, Florida. The Seahawks improved their recent dominance in the matchup, winning their fourth straight against the Purple Raiders.
Mount Union struck first in the opening inning, pushing across a run to take a quick 1–0 lead.
Daniel Tome III (Cleveland, Ohio) stroked a two-out double down the left-field line and came home on
Chris Tsouras' (Las Vegas, Nev.) single up the middle off starter
Nolan Romanowksi (Wynantskill, N.Y.)
Salve Regina answered immediately in the bottom of the second with its biggest rally of the day. The Seahawks strung together multiple hits and productive at-bats to score four runs and jump in front, 4–1, a lead they would maintain for much of the contest.
Elliot Hamilton (Glastonbury, Conn.) led off the frame with a single to left field and
Evan O'Rourke (Arlington, Mass.) followed one-out later with the first of his three singles. Both Seahawks advanced on a failed pickoff attempt and Hamilton came home on a double to left by
Dylan Cimini (Stonington, Conn.).
Grady Schopps' (Fairfield, Conn.) pushed O'Rourke across the plate with the go-ahead run.
James Anastasopoulos (Sherborn, Mass.) added an RBI single to shortstop and he later scored on another failed pickoff attempt.
Mount Union trimmed the deficit in the sixth inning with a two-run rally, cutting the score to 4–3 and briefly threatening to erase the early Salve Regina advantage. Tsouras blasted a solo shot to the opposite field before three successive singles by
Drew Denham (Alliance, Ohio),
Trevor Szekely (Canal Fulton, Ohio), and pinch-hitter
Derek Curry (Pittsburgh, Pa.) put the Seahawk lead in jeopardy. Romanowski got a liner to left and a strikeout swinging to end the threat.
Kyle Carozza (Fairfield, Conn) took the mound in the top of the seventh and loaded the bases on three hit batters while a sac bunt, a groundout to Schopps, and a strikeout looking helped the senior captain escape any damage.
The Seahawks responded in the seventh inning, plating two insurance runs that restored a three-run cushion and ultimately set the final margin at 6–3. Hamilton and
Danny Rogers (New Canaan, Conn.) started with free passes and
Shane Williams (Georgetown, Mass.) executed a sacrifice bunt. An intentional walk to O'Rourke loaded the bases for Cimini who took one off the helmet for his second RBI of the game and Schopps followed with his second run-producing out with a sac fly to right.
Romanowski finished with five strikeouts over his six innings while Carozza picked up his first save of the season without allowing a hit in three frames.
Seahawk head coach
Eric Cirella '05: "It was a good team win. We played strong defense for most of the game. Romo and Carozza really kept us in it, and
Shea Donovan was outstanding once again. We still have a lot of work to do, but we are back at it again tomorrow."
Donovan had two hits and O'Rourke finished with three singles.
No. 7 Salve Regina (5-1) faces No. 10 Rowan University at 11:30 a.m. on Lake Myrtle Field 1 on Sunday. The time has moved up since severe weather is forecast for later in the day. Mount Union (13-3) returns home after a 6-1 performance in the RussMatt Invitational.
