SOUTH KINGSTOWN, R.I. (Interstat) — Richard Beggy’s three-run home run in the top of the ninth inning capped a five-run outburst that lifted Saint Joseph’s to a 14-12 victory over Rhode Island on Saturday at Bill Beck Field.

The Hawks trailed 12-9 entering the final frame before rallying for five runs on five hits, with Beggy delivering the decisive blow. Beggy finished 2 for 5 with a homer and four RBIs, and his blast to deep right field scored Kelsey and Primrose ahead of him, turning a one-run deficit into a four-run lead.

Saint Joseph’s had built a 14-0 cushion after the top of the first, but Rhode Island chipped away steadily and eventually grabbed its first lead of the game in the bottom of the eighth. The Rams scored six runs in the third, two in the seventh and two more in the eighth to surge ahead 12-9 heading into the final half-inning.

Rhode Island’s Jack Hopko singled twice and drove in two runs, finishing 4 for 6. Evan Maloney pitched two innings of one-hit relief for the Rams, allowing no earned runs. Ryan Henschel drove in three runs with a sacrifice fly and a triple. Blake Primrose was 2 for 5 with two RBIs for Saint Joseph’s, including a run-scoring double in the third. Joey Pagano went 4 for 5 with an RBI, and Joey Gale walked three times and collected two RBIs on a sacrifice fly and a ninth-inning single.

The game featured a wild sequence in the top of the ninth. After Beggy’s homer, Pagano walked and advanced to second on a wild pitch, but Janesko struck out to end the inning. Saint Joseph’s then turned to pitcher Micah Wells, who worked a perfect bottom of the ninth. Wells induced a ground-ball double play from King and then got Leikus to fly out to right field to secure the victory.

Saint Joseph’s coach Fritz Hamburg was ejected in the top of the second inning after arguing a call, but the Hawks responded immediately. In the top of the third, Primrose doubled home Applegate, and then a wild pitch scored Gale. Beggy doubled to bring in Primrose, and Pagano singled to score Beggy, putting Saint Joseph’s ahead 6-1. The Rams answered with five runs in the bottom of the third, highlighted by Henschel’s two-run triple and Penney’s RBI triple.

Rhode Island’s Scott Penney went 3 for 5 with an RBI and a triple. The Rams grounded into two double plays, while Saint Joseph’s executed two sacrifice flies.

Saint Joseph’s improved to 35-17 overall, while Rhode Island fell to 23-29. The Hawks have now won two of three in the weekend series after splitting extra-inning games Thursday and Friday.

Beggy entered Saturday in a slump, having gone 0 for 5 in Friday’s 4-3 loss and 1 for 6 with a homer in Thursday’s 11-inning win. His ninth-inning blast marked his second home run in three games against Rhode Island.

The game lasted more than four hours as the teams combined for 29 hits and 11 walks. Saint Joseph’s starter Peter Bashore threw 2.2 hitless innings but was charged with two earned runs, striking out two.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Saint Joseph’s 7, Rhode Island 6, and its ELO system gave the Rams a 53.00 percent probability to win.