Lions upset 2nd-place Rams

Junior Cunha fires complete-game four-hitter in win

PROVIDENCE – You want to be at your sharpest as the scene shifts from the regular season to the playoffs. Right now, the Lincoln High baseball team is peaking at the right time.

With Dominic Cunha delivering his customary sharp effort on the mound and the defense behind him once again demonstrating just how far it has come since the start of the season, the Lions notched an important 3-1 win over Division I rival La Salle at soggy Cronin Athletic Complex on Monday afternoon.

Now winners of four straight, the Lions will carry a 9-8 league record into Thursday’s regular-season finale at five-time defending state champion Bishop Hendricken.

“We have a lot of talent, but we went through a lot of injuries early in the year,” said LHS act- ing head coach Dale O’Dell, who’s filling in for head coach Andy Hallam for the season’s duration. “We’re swinging the bats and playing a little more relaxed. We’ve been getting good pitching all season and we haven’t played good defense until recently.

“We’re starting to come together,” O’Dell added. “Hopefully we’re peaking right now.”

A junior, Cunha scattered four hits with nine strikeouts and three walks. The only the run the Rams (12-5, Division I) notched came in the first inning. After that, the right-hander was in complete command.

“Dominic, over the past four games, has become a complete pitcher. Before he was trying to throw the ball by people,” O’Dell said. “Now he’s mixing it up and keeping hitters off-balance.”

“That’s a really good lineup, but I was able to get ahead of the batters,” Cunha said. “I had a few long-pitch at-bats, but the guys played great defense behind me.”

The Lions tied the game at 1-1 in the third behind a leadoff double from sophomore/leadoff batter Tyler McNulty, who came around to score on a double off the bat of senior cocaptain/cleanup hitter Sean Doris.

The deadlock was snapped in the sixth. Connor Benbenek, the junior catcher, put the Lions up 2-1 with a double. Benbenek was lifted for a pinch runner when he advanced to third as

“Dominic, over the past four games, has become a complete pitcher. Before he was trying to throw the ball by people.” – Lincoln coach Dale O’Dell

sophomore Jason Marolla scampered home on a wild pitch.

The insurance run by Marolla proved more than enough for Cunha, who retired the side in order in the seventh after pitching out of a two-on, two-out jam in the sixth. Five of his nine strikeouts came over the final two innings.

“We started off slow, but now we’re getting hot,” Cunha said. “Today was about two great teams going at it. It was a lot of fun.”

File photo by Ernest A. Brown After back-to-back losses to Cumberland and Cranston West two weeks ago, Randall Hien (9) and the Lincoln baseball team have bounced back with four straight wins. After wins over East Providence, Middletown and Johnston, the Lions defeated La Salle,...

File photo by Ernest A. Brown Lincoln junior catcher Connor Benbenek (13) reached base and was replaced by a pinch runner to key a two-run sixth inning to lead the Lions to a 3-1 road win over La Salle Monday afternoon.