East Providence, R.I. -- The Johnson & Wales University baseball team swept Albertus Magnus in Great Northeast Athletic Conference double header at Pierce Field on Sunday afternoon. JWU posted a hard fought 5-4 win in the opener before completing the sweep with a commanding 20-3 win in the nightcap.

Albertus Magnus jumped out to the lead in the top of the first on an RBI single by senior Erik Saruci (West Haven, Conn.). Saruci later scored on a double by senior Peter Rogan (Middletown, Conn.) to put the Falcons up 2-0. Johnson & Wales responded in the bottom of the first when senior Jonathan Melendez led off with a triple and scored on a double by junior Nick Alosco (Mahopac, N.Y.). A two run homer by junior Teddy Katz (Pittsburgh, Pa.) then gave JWU the 3-2 advantage after one inning of play. The Wildcats extended their lead to 4-2 in the bottom of the second on an RBI double by Melendez. JWU tacked on an unearned run in the fourth for the 5-2 lead. Albertus Magnus rallied in the top of the seventh when an RBI double by Rogan and a run scoring single by freshman Malcom Mendez (Lower East Side, N.Y.) cut the lead to just one run. That would be as close as the Falcons would get, however as JWU held on for the 5-4 victory. Rogan went 2-for-4 with two RBI for Albertus Magnus while Saruci was 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI in the setback. Melendez was 2-for-3 with a run and an RBI for the Wildcats while Katz went 1-for-3 with a run and two RBI in the victory. Senior Nick Marine (Bristol, R.I.) notched the complete game victory for JWU, allowing four runs on 11 hits with four strikeouts.

In the nightcap, JWU took the early lead when they exploded offensively in the first, including a two run single by sophomore Joe Coppola (Ridgewood, N.J.) to take the 5-0 lead. An RBI single by junior Matt Yaeger (Glendale, Ariz.) put the Wildcats up 6-0 after two innings of action. Albertus Magnus chipped away at the lead in the top of the third when an RBI single by sophomore Jon Almonte (Lower East Side, N.Y.). The Wildcats broke the game open in the bottom of the third when they put up eight runs, including a three run home run by Alosco to take the 14-1 lead. JWU then cruised to the 20-3 victory. Junior Mike Murphy (Pawtucket, R.I.) was 3-for-5 with three runs and an RBI while Alosco went 4-for-4 with three runs and five RBI while Yaeger recorded five hits, three runs and three RBI in the victory for the Wildcats. JWU had 26 hits in the contest. Melendez picked up the win on the mound, allowing two hits with six strikeouts in four innings of work

With the sweep Johnson & Wales is now 9-22 and 6-4 in the GNAC while Albertus Magnus falls to 8-18 overall, 4-6 in league play. The Wildcats will return to action on Wednesday, April 14th when they travel to Rhode Island College for a non-conference contest, starting at 3:30 p.m.