AUBURNDALE, Fla. (March 15, 2026) - #7 Salve Regina University Seahawks baseball rallied late to defeat the #8 Rowan University Profs, 7–5, on Sunday, March 15, at the RussMatt Invitational in Auburndale, Florida, erasing a late deficit with a three-run ninth inning to improve to 6-1 on the season.
Rowan struck first in the fifth inning when
Brayden Davis (Shamong, N.J.) launched a three-run home run to center field, giving the Profs a 3–0 lead and momentarily shifting momentum.
Salve Regina answered immediately in the sixth.
Jake Harring (Portsmouth, N.H.) and
Shea Donovan (Milton, Mass.) opened the inning with back-to-back singles before
Shane Williams (Georgetown, Mass.) lined an RBI double to put the Seahawks on the board.
Evan O'Rourke (Arlington, Mass.) then drove in Donovan on a fielder's choice, and
Danny Rogers (New Canaan, Conn.) followed with a sacrifice groundout to tie the game. Salve Regina grabbed a 4–3 advantage moments later when
Nick Russo (Cedar Grove, N.J.) reached on an infield error that allowed another run to score.
Rowan reclaimed the lead in the seventh as Davis struck again, drilling a two-run double to center field that pushed the Profs ahead 5–4.
The Seahawks delivered the decisive rally in the ninth. After an error and a Harring single set the stage, Donovan tied the game with an RBI single. Williams then reached on another Rowan error to plate the go-ahead run, and Rogers capped the surge with an RBI single to left, extending the lead to 7–5.
Dominic Carollo (West Warwick, R.I.) earned the win in relief for Salve Regina after tossing one and a third scoreless innings, while
James Tobin (North Haven, Conn.) closed the door with a scoreless ninth for his first save. Starter
Brady Shea (Worcester, Mass.) allowed three runs over five innings with four strikeouts.
Offensively, Donovan led the Seahawks with a 4-for-5 performance and two runs scored, while Harring added two hits and Rogers contributed two RBIs off the bench. Davis drove in all five runs for Rowan with a home run and a double.
Salve Regina finished with 10 hits and capitalized on four Rowan errors in the comeback victory, overcoming a 5–4 deficit entering the final inning to secure the win.
Seahawk head coach
Eric Cirella '05 on the victory: "One of the best team wins I have been a part of in my time at Salve. Rowan is a perennial powerhouse and they are coming off a College World Series appearance. We battled all game and were able to get contributions from a lot of players to give us a W. Now we have to come back out and do it again tomorrow."
Seventh-ranked Salve Regina typically has an off day on Monday during its spring trip but decided to add a game against Southern Maine after the Seahawks and Huskies were unable to play their three-game series last weekend. The additional contest will now be March 16 with a 1:30 p.m. first pitch on Lake Myrtle Field 2.
