FROM STAFF REPORTS Rhode Island College seniors Shayna Cousineau (Cranston) and Bryana Mullin (Warwick) finished first and second, respectively, at the Little East Virtual Women’s Cross Country Invitational. RIC finished second (four teams) with a team score of 50. 

The race was conducted at each institution’s home campus on various dates over the past two week. RIC ran its race to kick off Maroon & Gold Week on Friday, Oct. 23. 

 Eastern Connecticut (35) finished first. Keene State (64) and Southern Maine (66) placed third and fourth, respectively. UMass Dartmouth and Western Connecticut did not score as a team. 

37 runners took part in the invitational. Cousineau finished first (19:43.4). Mullin finished second (20:41.9). Sophomore Allison Raposo (Cumberland) placed sixth (21:07.6). Junior Saramarie Cerullo (Smithfield) finished 23rd (24:25.0). 

Freshman Alexis Rei (Cranston) placed 24th (24:33.3).  MANZO FINISHES FIFTH IN LITTLE EAST VIRTUAL MEN’S CROSS COUNTRY INVITATIONAL 

Rhode Island College senior Raffaelo Manzo (North Smithfield) finished fifth (16:27.8) at the Little East Conference Virtual Men’s Cross Country Invitational. The Anchormen finished fourth (five teams) with a team score of 89. 

The race was conducted at each institution’s home campus on various dates over the past two week. RIC ran its race to kick off Maroon & Gold Week on Friday, Oct. 23. 

Eastern Connecticut (23), Southern Maine (42) and Keene State (85) rounded out the top three. Western Connecticut (134) finished fifth and UMass Dartmouth did not score as a team. 

43 runners took part in the invitational. Senior Andre Solomon-Messier (North Providence, RI) finished 15th (17:03.09).  Sophomore Austin Michael (Swansea, MA) placed 27th (18:33.8). Freshman Dylan Maples (Cranston, RI) finished 29th (18:43.2). 

Junior Matt Russom (Port Kent, NY) placed 32nd (18:57.8). 

GOLD DOWNS MAROON, 8-3, IN SOFTBALL EXHIBITION ACTION 

Sophomore third baseman Katrina Kazen (Warwick) went 2-for-3 with two walks, three runs scored, a double and an RBI as Gold defeated Maroon, 8-3, at the Rhode Island College Softball Maroon & Gold Exhibition Game played at the Dayna A. Bazar Softball Complex on Friday afternoon. 

Gold 8, Maroon 3 

Gold (eight runs, 10 hits, 0 errors) 

Maroon (three runs, nine hits, 0 errors) 

Kazen doubled to lead off the game and eventually scored on a wild pitch in the top of the first to give Gold a 1-0 advantage. 

Maroon evened the contest in the bottom of the second on freshman left fielder Julie Vincent’s (Norwich, CT) sacrifice fly. 

Gold plated three runs in the third inning as Kazen singled in a run, sophomore right fielder Shannon McDonald (Saunderstown) knocked in a run with a fielder’s choice and freshman pitcher Tatiana Burcy (Boston, MA) registered a sacrifice fly. 

Senior first baseman Amber Wainwright (Taunton, MA) brought Maroon within two, 4-2, with an RBI ground out in the bottom of third. 

In the fourth, Gold tacked on two runs on a freshman catcher Alexis Boyce (Wolcott, CT) RBI double and a McDonald RBI groundout. In the fifth, freshman first baseman Kate Ashe (Colchester, CT) had an RBI single and Boyce doubled in another run to put Gold ahead by six, 8-2. 

Maroon scored the club’s final run on a sophomore second baseman Reilly Clancey (Narragansett) RBI triple in the sixth frame. 

Ashe went 3-for-4 with three runs scored, a walk and one RBI for Gold. Boyce went 2-for-4 with a walk, two doubles and a pair of RBI. 

Junior right fielder Erica Fluskey (Trumbull, CT) led Maroon, going 3-for-3 with two runs scored and a double. Clancey went 2-for-3 with a double, triple and an RBI. 

RIC used three pitchers who threw to both teams. Burcy had the strongest outing, allowing one run on four hits and struck out two in five innings of work.