The Emerson baseball team battled the No. 13 nationally ranked and NEWMAC-leading Salve Regina University Seahawks in a Sunday doubleheader in Rhode Island. The Lions fell to the Seahawks on the home team’s senior day, losing 13-1 in Game 1 and 10-0 in Game 2.
Game 1
The Lions began scoring in the top of the second inning. With graduate infielder Chris Ferara at third, senior catcher Jake Okamoto at second, and senior outfielder Nick Favazzo at first, the stage was set for sophomore outfielder Tobey Roberts. He walked on ball four to score Ferara and give the Lions a 1-0 lead.
The Seahawks then soared for six runs in the second inning, including a two-run RBI double that made it a 4-1 ball game. They increased their lead in the bottom of the third, recording five more runs—including a pair of two-run RBI singles—and took an 11-1 lead after three innings. A sacrifice fly in the bottom of the fourth gave the Seahawks a commanding 12-1 advantage.
Salve Regina hit another RBI single in the bottom of the sixth inning, making it a 13-1 ball game. With the Seahawks up by double digits and the NCAA’s “mercy rule” in effect (where a game ends early if the deficit is ten or more runs), the game was called after seven innings.
Game 2
The Seahawks struck first in the opening inning, recording a two-RBI single for a 2-0 lead. A two-run over-the-fence homer in the bottom of the third made it a 4-0 ball game. Salve Regina scored again on a sacrifice fly in the fourth, leading 5-0.
The Lions had opportunities to score in the top of the sixth inning, as first-year outfielder Ethan Gorman stole second base and advanced to third during a ground out by first-year infielder John Churchward. However, Salve Regina’s defense recorded two more outs to retire the side and foil the Lions’ chances of cutting the deficit.
In the bottom of the sixth, with the bases loaded, the Seahawks added another run with an RBI single. Later on, a two-run RBI double and another RBI single put them up 9-0. In the bottom of the seventh—and needing one more run for the “mercy rule”—Salve Regina got it with an RBI single. The Seahawks completed the sweep, handing the Lions their seventh consecutive loss.
Postgame
“[The Seahawks were a] really tough opponent, for sure,” head coach Nick Vennochi said. “You don’t go down to Salve and play like we did and expect to get any Ws out of it.”
He also cited the Lions’ mistakes and lack of offense as factors in the losses.
Still, Vennochi highlighted the contributions of senior pitcher Jake Smith, who came in during the bottom of the fourth inning and recorded two strikeouts and gave up two runs in three innings.
“[Smith] honestly saved the day, saved the pen,” he said. “He had success against them last year, so I was confident that he was going to come in and do his thing. That was huge for Jake and for us in that first game.”
He also commended the work of graduate pitcher Aidan Rice, who started the second game and finished with three strikeouts in six innings.
“[The] box score probably doesn’t say that, but [Rice] executed really well,” Vennochi said. “[Salve Regina is a] really aggressive team on fastballs, and they got to them, so that was tough.”
Going forward, Vennochi says the keys to getting back on track and having all three phases—offense, defense, and pitching—back in sync are to “keep working.”
They will face the MIT Engineers in Northborough on April 29 at 3:30 p.m.
“From an approach standpoint, have better at-bats and start with good at-bats,” he said. “[Last] Tuesday against MIT, we played solid [in] all three phases—didn’t win, but played a really good nine-inning game.”
The Lions will conclude the 2025 regular season this weekend, facing Gordon College on May 2, followed by a NEWMAC doubleheader against Coast Guard Academy on May 3.
“We still want to get all of them,” Vennochi added. “We’re still going to go after all of them. Just [having] confidence and being able to push back and provide resistance is going to be key.”
