March 15, 2009

BULLDOGS SPLIT DOUBLE-HEADER WITH JMU; FALL, 9-4, IN GAME ONE, COME FROM BEHIND TO TAKE GAME TWO, 8-7

March 15, 2009

BULLDOGS SPLIT DOUBLE-HEADER WITH JMU; FALL, 9-4, IN GAME ONE, COME FROM BEHIND TO TAKE GAME TWO, 8-7

NEW MARKET, VA. - Freshman Mike DelPonte (Tewksbury, Mass.) drove a two-out, two-run go-ahead homerun to right field as part of a seven run seventh inning as the Bryant University baseball team completed a dramatic comeback in an, 8-7, win over James Madison in game two of a double-header on Sunday. The Bulldogs took two-out-of-three from the defending Colonial Athletic Association champions, after dropping game one, 9-4. The squad finished their spring break trip with a tremendous 9-2 record, as they return to the northeast to play Holy Cross on Tuesday.

The Dukes (11-7) used a six-run third inning to help take control of game one on their way to the victory. David Herbek and Matt Browning had three hits apiece to power the home team from the plate, while starting pitcher Turner Phelps improved to 3-0, allowing four runs in six innings.

Bryant (9-4) grabbed a lead early, with two runs in the first and another in the second, as they held a 3-0 advantage after two innings. Jeff Vigurs (South Windsor, Conn.) drove in two of the runs with an RBI double in the first and a run scoring single in the second. The senior catcher was two-for-four in the game while pushing his team-leading RBI total to 28.

McKinnon Langston started the third inning rally with a single up the middle that scored two, and Browning tied the contest with an RBI single of his own. With two out in the inning, Bryan Lescanec hit a three-run homer to right field off of Bulldog starter John Michael Ryan (Worcester, Mass.) to put the Dukes on top, 6-3. Matt Griswold (Berlin, Conn.) came in for Ryan to get the final out of the inning, as Ryan took the loss after going 2.2 innings and giving up six runs on six hits.

James Madison tallied three more times in the fourth to put the Bulldogs in a, 9-3 hole. Dylan Stone (Portsmouth, R.I.) knocked in a run in the top of the sixth on a double down the left field line, but Kevin Munson shut the door in the seventh to clinch the victory for the Dukes. Stone went two-for-three in the game with two RBI.

An exhilarating ending to game two finished the road trip to Virginia just the way the Bulldogs and head coach Jamie Pinzino could have hoped. Pat McKenna (Orange, Conn.) and Jamie Skagerlind (Holden, Mass.) got the scoring started, as they each slugged solo homeruns to give Bryant a 2-0 lead after four innings.

Senior starting pitcher Dan Lozeau (Pelham, N.H.) was solid in his 5.1 innings of work, allowing one earned run on seven hits. He was replaced after running into trouble in the sixth.

The Dukes were held at bay until exploding for seven runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a, 7-2, advantage heading into the final inning. Herbeck, Trevor Knight and Langston all homered in the inning to lead the rally, as the Dukes collected six hits in the frame.

The Bulldogs needed five runs to stay alive in the game, and went right to work in the top of the seventh with five straight hits to start the frame, including McKenna's second long bomb of the game and RBI from Nick Campbell (Raynham, Mass.) and Vigurs to quickly cut the deficit to two at 7-5.

Later in the inning, Skagerlind brought home a run with a ground out, putting a runner on third with two down in the inning. Pinzino then made the call to pinch-hit with the lefty DelPonte against right-handed pitcher Knight. The freshman hammered a pitch over the right field fence to complete an improbable comeback, and give the Bulldogs an, 8-7, lead going into the bottom of the last inning.

Mark Andrews (Hillsborough, N.J.) continued to impress out of the bullpen, picking up the win after going 1.1 innings and allowing just one hit. The sophomore stranded the tying run at third base in the seventh, getting a ground out to close out the contest.

The win was the ninth in the last 11 games for the black and gold, who were nothing short of outstanding on their ten-day road trip. Bryant rolled through the state of Virginia with a 6-2 record, including the two wins against James Madison, a team that was picked to win their conference this year.

The Bulldogs will look to continue their hot streak as they play a twin bill at Holy Cross on Tuesday (3 p.m. and 5 p.m.).

Game 1
James Madison 9, Bryant 4 (Mar 15, 2009 at New Market, Va.) (Game 1)
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Bryant.............. 210 001 0 - 4 8 1 (8-4)
James Madison....... 006 300 X - 9 13 1 (11-6)
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Pitchers: Bryant - Ryan; Griswold(3); Laude(5). James Madison - Phelps; Munson(7).
Win-Phelps(3-0) Loss-Ryan(2-1) T-219 A-150
HR JMU - Lescanec (2).
Weather: 45/Light rain

Game 2
Bryant 8, James Madison 7 (Mar 15, 2009 at New Market, Va.) (Game 2)
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Bryant.............. 001 100 6 - 8 12 2 (9-4)
James Madison....... 000 007 0 - 7 12 3 (11-7)
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Pitchers: Bryant - Lozeau; O'Neil(6); Almeida(6); Andrews(6). James Madison - Valadja;Munson(4); Weiner(6); Scott(6); Kuhn(7); Knight(7).
Win-Andrews(1-2) Loss-Knight(1-1) T-2:33 A-150
HR BRY - McKenna 2 (3); Skagerlind (3); DelPonte (1).
HR JMU - Herbek (4); Knight (4); Langston (2).
Weather: 43/light rain
Almeida faced 3 batters in the 6th
Kuhn faced 2 batters in the 7th.