HIGH 5 OF THE WEEK: Butler makes Weekly Honor Roll after solid play at plate, on mound

It should come as no surprise that Butler did the same thing for Salem State University last week, and it earned him a spot on the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference Weekly Honor Roll.

Butler fired a seven-inning, complete-game shutout in the first half of an April 24 doubleheader against the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts. He gave up five hits, struck out five, walked three and hit a batter. Butler got seven outs on the ground and seven more in the air and improved his record to 1-2.

Butler wasn’t done tormenting MCLA. In the second game of the doubleheader, Butler smashed a bases-clearing double in the first inning to put Westfield State ahead 3-0.

Butler showed some flair for the dramatic in a 3-2 win in the second game of an April 28 doubleheader against Bridgewater State. Butler was called on to pinch hit in the bottom of the seventh, and he delivered a walk-off single down the left field line.

Butler, a junior, has appeared in 12 games on the mound and has a solid 2.13 ERA to go along with four saves. He has pitched 25 1/3 innings this season. 

Butler has made the most of his limited chances at the plate. He is hitting .571 (8-for-14) with a double, triple and seven RBI.

Rinaldi (U. of Bridgeport athletics)

Tom Rinaldi, University of Bridgeport baseball

It’s been a tough season for the Purple Knights as a team, but the graduate student-athlete Rinaldi has done what he can to keep the offense going.

Through 43 games played, Rinaldi leads Bridgeport in RBI with 40. He is hitting a solid .296 with four home runs, a team-high 11 doubles and a robust .447 slugging percentage. The 11 doubles account for nearly 25 percent of Rinaldi’s 45 hits.

Despite the tough season to date, Bridgeport could still make the East Coast Conference postseason tournament. It has three games left this season, all against Mercy College. The first game was Thursday, and Rinaldi added to his team-leading total with two more RBI.

Ileish Burney, Salem State University baseball

Burney (Salem State athletics)

The senior from Bristol Central picked a terrific time to throw a no-hitter.
Burney tossed five innings of no-hit ball in Salem State’s 8-0 win over MCLA. She struck out three and walked none. Burney got seven outs on grounders and four on fly balls. The only blemish on her effort came on the game’s first batter. Kaitlyn Berg reached on an error in the outfield and made it to third base, but was thrown out trying to score on the same play.
Burney retired 14 straight without a blemish after the wild opening play.
Burney also got a chance to hit in the game, and her final at bat at home helped the Vikings close out the game. Burney doubled to right field to move teammate Gabryanna Cardenas to third base. Cardenas scored on a fielder’s choice to end the game.
Burney pitched 1 1/3 innings in a 9-1 loss to Bridgewater State on Tuesday in the MASCAC Tournament. She pitched in 17 games in her senior season, including 13 starts, and threw eight complete games. Burney was 5-8 with a 3.79 ERA.

Banulski (Molloy College athletics)

Olivia Banulski, Molloy College softball
The Lions face an East Coast Conference Tournament loser’s bracket game today at 12:30 p.m. against the University of Bridgeport at LIU Post.
Banulski, a senior from Bristol Central, helped Molloy secure its first run on Thursday in the 4-3 loss to Mercy College. The Lions went ahead 2-0 after the first inning, and Banulski’s sacrifice bunt moved Kaitlyn Snyder up to second base. Snyder scored on Courtney Green’s single for a 1-0 lead.
Banulski singled in the top of the seventh inning, then Brianna Dalton doubled to put runners on second and third. The Lions had a chance with one out, but back-to-back strikeouts ended the game.
Banulski has played in and started all 51 games for Molloy. She is hitting .302 with a team-high 13 sacrifice hits, plus six stolen bases in eight attempts. Banulski has six doubles, a triple, nine RBI and 25 runs scored.

Alessandra Milardo, University of Saint Joseph softball

Milardo (USJ athletics)

The freshman from St. Paul continued her strong regular season with a tremendous performance in the second game of a April 29 doubleheader against Regis College.
Milardo threw a five-inning no-hitter in an 11-0 victory over Regis. She struck out five, walked one, and faced one batter above the minimum. The no-hitter improved Milardo’s record to 11-5. She also drove in a run and scored a run during the game.
Milardo pitched 1 2/3 innings and gave up one run on two hits, struck out four and walked one in a 5-2 loss to Emmanuel College in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Tournament to end the season.
Milardo appeared in 24 games, with 18 starts. She was 11-5 with one save and a 3.92 ERA. At the plate, Milardo hit .293 with three doubles, a home run, 19 RBI, 16 runs scored and 18 walks. She stole two bases without getting caught and had a .426 on-base percentage.

Statistics and information compiled from the team website of each athlete.