The Cranston West baseball team earned a much-needed win when it beat Mt. Hope 5-4 and improved to 3-4 in the DI standings.

The Falcons erased multiple deficits in the win and entered the top of the seventh down 4-3 before getting the go-ahead runs to eventually grab the victory. Dante Piscopiello, Ryan Zarrella, Jack Fontaine and Alex Milano all drove in runs at the plate while Logan Taylor got the win on the mound pitching in relief.

“Had we lost we would have gone 0-3 last week, so it’s good that we battled back because that would have been a big setback,” said West coach Rob Malo.

Milano has enjoyed a breakout season as a sophomore. He has made three starts on the mound, allowing no earned runs and racking up 17 strikeouts in 16 innings of work. Milano tossed a no-hitter in his first outing.

“I didn’t know what to expect from him. He was coming off an injury last year. We had high expectations, high hopes and he’s been living up to the billing,” Malo said.

The West bullpen has also been solid to this point with guys like Alex Cesseretti, Chris Barboza and Corey Blanchette getting regular work.

“All of our guys have been competitive and throwing strikes. When the bleeding had to stop, they’ve been able to stop it. The bullpen has done a great job,” said Malo.

Although the Falcons have been hitting their stride on the mound, they have yet to click at the plate as they have only put up 16 runs. With an experienced group, Malo has seen flashes at the dish and hopes that the offense will get going this week with games against Lincoln and Central.

“Hopefully we can find the right niche for certain guys and everyone can start hitting like they’re capable of. It’s come in spurts, we’ve shown promise at times and our approach has been better at the plate. Pitch selection, the way they’ve been swinging. It’s been better,” said Malo.

Malo has been leaning on captains George Threats and Alex DiLorenzo as the younger players get acclimated, and feels that the team could be on its way to breaking through in short order.

“Our seniors have been great and our captains have been doing a great job. They’ve taken the young kids under their wing. We have good team chemistry. It’s just a matter of those hits starting to fall. We just need the ball to bounce and find the hole,” Malo said.

The Falcons hosted Lincoln on Tuesday afternoon, but the results were not available at press time.