March 27, 2004

Box Score

Kingston , Rhode Island - Duquesne University's baseball team held on for a 3-2 win in the nightcap to grab a split in Saturday's double header at Rhode Island's Bill Beck Field. URI won the opener 7-4.

Senior Pete Maropis, who was a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBI to lead the Dukes to their first conference win, was 5-for-7 this afternoon. Senior Luke Taggart drove in the third run. Sophomore Scott Chisholm (2-3) gave up just one earned run while striking out seven for the complete game win.

Redshirt freshman Joe Berletic and senior Dan Schwartzbauer joined Maropis also going 2-for-4 in the opener. Senior Jonathan Kelly was 1-for-3 with DU's lone RBI. Sophomore Adam Haun was charged with the loss.

• In the opener, Duquesne got on the board in the first inning when Maropis scored on URI's misplay of Steve Maiolo's grounder. The Rams scored three runs in the bottom of the inning kicked off by Scott Brown's leadoff home run.

  Rhode Island added a run in the bottom of the third to stretch their lead to 4-1. Duquesne cut the lead to 4-3 in the fourth inning when Andy Gallina drew a two-out walk and Berletic singled to move Gallina to third. Berletic's steal of second scored Gallina as the catcher's throw got away into shallow center. The freshman moved to third on the play and scored on John Kelly's infield single.

  The Dukes put the tying run in scoring position in the top of the fifth on Schwartzbauer's one-out double, but Dan Frederick, who earned the win allowing one earned run came in 5 2/3 innings, was able to pitch out of the frame.

  URI again responded, this time adding three runs in the bottom of the inning, helped by two Duquesne miscues.

  Schwartzbauer added the final score, doubling to lead off the seventh and then scored on his steal of third when the catcher's throw was off the mark.

• In the second inning of the nightcap, Mike Duganich was hit by a pitch and scored on a Taggart's RBI-double. The Dukes made it 2-0 in third after Schwartzbauer was hit by a pitch and scored on a Maropis' RBI double.

  Duquesne added another run in the fifth when Schwartzbauer hit an infield single, stole second, and went to third on a passed ball. The senior scored on a bloop single to center by Maropis.

  Chisholm, who had a three-hit shutout going into the bottom of the seventh inning, retired 11 in a row until surrendering a one-out walk in that frame. Josh Nestor's pinch-hit RBI double ended the shutout. Nestor advanced to third on a wild relay throw and scored on a wild pitch to bring the tying run to the plate with one out. But Chisholm retired the next two batters on a strike out and groundout to end the game.

The DU-URI weekend series, which had been moved to Dodd Stadium in Norwich, Conn. because of poor conditions at Rhode Island's home field, Bill Beck Stadium, was actually played in Kingston after a Thursday night accident on I-95 east of Bridgeport, Conn. closed the road in both directions. Fortunately, Beck's conditions improved enough for the games to be played.

The Dukes (7-9, 1-1 Atlantic 10) and Rams (8-10-1, 1-1) will wrap up the three-game series Sunday at noon.