• Sun, 05/13 | Baseball vs. Wagner W, 2-1 (Final) BX | RC
  • Sat, 05/12 | Baseball vs. Wagner W, 3-0 (Final) BX | RC
  • Sat, 05/12 | Baseball vs. Wagner W, 3-1 (Final) BX | RC
  • Fri, 05/11 | Baseball vs. Wagner L, 3-2 (Final) BX | RC
  • Sun, 05/06 | Baseball at Monmouth L, 4-3 (Final) BX | RC
  • Sat, 05/05 | Baseball at Monmouth W, 6-2 (Final) BX | RC
  • Sat, 05/05 | Baseball at Monmouth L, 3-0 (Final) BX | RC
  • Fri, 05/04 | Baseball at Monmouth W, 6-5 (Final - 12 innings) PR | BX | RC | LS | V
  • Tue, 05/01 | Baseball vs. Siena L, 8-3 (Final) BX | RC
  • Sun, 04/29 | Baseball vs. Fairleigh Dickinson W, 5-1 (Final) BX | RC
 
March 23, 2009

BASEBALL GAME WEDNESDAY MOVED TO THE BRYANT BASEBALL COMPLEX AGAINST URI; BULLDOGS TRAVEL TO LONG ISLAND FOR FOUR-GAME SET STARTING FRIDAY

March 23, 2009

BASEBALL GAME WEDNESDAY MOVED TO THE BRYANT BASEBALL COMPLEX AGAINST URI;  BULLDOGS TRAVEL TO LONG ISLAND FOR FOUR-GAME SET STARTING FRIDAY

Live Stats vs. URI

SMITHFIELD, R.I. - The Bryant baseball team will return home on Wednesday to take on URI, after going 4-3 last week including an, 8-5, upset win in their home opener against Boston College last Wednesday. Bryant also split a double-header against Holy Cross and then took two of four from Monmouth over the weekend as the team continues to play great baseball in their first season at the DI level. The squad enters the week with an outstanding 13-7 record, only losing one series thus far this season when they dropped their first two games of the year to Mercer.

Bryant will play five games this week, as they host intrastate rival, Rhode Island, on Wednesday afternoon, before heading to Long Island to battle the Blackbirds in a four-game series over the weekend.

BULLDOGS EARN WEEKEND SPLIT AGAINST THE BEST IN THE NEC
With all the impressive wins so far this year, including beating two ACC opponents in Virginia Tech and Boston College, splitting a very competitive weekend series with Monmouth may have been the most encouraging sign for head coach Jamie Pinzino and his first year Division I program. The Hawks have been tabbed as the preseason favorite to win the Northeast Conference this season after winning the regular season title in 2008. After taking an, 8-1, loss in game one of the series, the Bulldogs bounced back to claim a, 5-1, win in game one on Saturday and a hard-fought, 2-1, victory Sunday to gain the split. Dan Lozeau (Pelham, N.H.) went the distance on the mound in the, 5-1, win to get his second victory of the year, while Kevin Cobb (Acton, Mass.) improved to 4-0 with his eight inning performance on Sunday. Tim Norton's (Barnstable, Mass.) squeeze bunt single with the bases loaded in the top of the ninth in the final game of the series was the difference in the game, as Bryant tallied once in the eighth and one more in the ninth to gain the thrilling victory.

WELCOME TO CLUB 200
Junior Nick Campbell (Raynham, Mass.) hit a double down the right field line in the sixth inning in the first game against Monmouth on Friday, giving him 200 hits for his career. Campbell is just the sixth player all-time in the history of the program to register 200 hits for his career, and he is only in his junior season.

ENTER SANDMAN
Mark Andrews (Hillsborough, N.J.) has gone a perfect four-for-four in save opportunities this year, only allowing one earned run in his last 7.2 innings of work. Since a rough outing in his first appearance against Mercer, the sophomore closer has been lights out, giving up only four hits while striking out five in 7.2 innings. He allowed one hit and struck out one while getting the save against Monmouth on Sunday.

SIGH OF RELIEF
The Bryant Bullpen has not surrendered an earned run over the last seven games, a span that has covered 13 innings. Pinzino used six different pitchers out of the bullpen, with Matt Griswold (Berlin, Conn.) getting the most work with 3.2 innings. Together, the relievers only allowed eight hits while striking out 11 and walking only two. Opponents have hit just .178 against the Bryant ‘pen over the last seven games, totaling eight hits in 45 at-bats.

STREAK STOPPERS
The Hawks were able to put an end to some impressive Bulldog offensive streaks, as Vigurs was held without a hit in game two of the double-header on Saturday, putting an end to his 17-game hitting streak. The junior has continued to get on base, reaching in each of his last 19 games. Dylan Stone (Portsmouth, R.I.) also had his 14-game hit streak halted in the series.

HOW SWEEP IT IS
Bryant was nothing short of impressive in their ten-day road trip through Delaware and Virginia, starting off with a three-game sweep of Delaware State where the black and gold outscored the Hornets 36-10. Jordan English (Windsor Locks, Conn.) sparked the offense in game one, slugging three homeruns to help Bryant take its first Division I victory. The sophomore batted .667 in the series while scoring six runs. Senior catcher Jeff Vigurs (South Windsor, Conn.) drove home 12 runs in the series to go along with four doubles. The pitching staff was led by a complete game performance by Eric Polvani (Wallingford, Conn.) to get his first win of the year, with John Michael Ryan (Worcester, Mass.) and Kevin Cobb (Acton, Mass.) each picked up victories as well.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
URI
Originally scheduled as a road game, the Bulldogs will take on the University of Rhode Island at home on Wednesday afternoon at the Bryant Baseball Complex because of renovations being done to the field at URI.  The Rams will be traveling to Smithfield after having played Northeastern on Tuesday afternoon. URI is 12-6 so far this season and are led by Dan Rhault, who is hitting .435 with five homeruns and 18 RBI.

Rhody has played some tough opponents, with five games so far against top-25 teams, posting a 3-2 record in those contests. The squad has a, 3-0, win against eighth ranked Miami, an, 8-0, win over number 25 Ohio State, and a 5-4, victory over 11th ranked Oklahoma State. Right-hander Dan Rossignol will get the start on the mound, posting a 1-0 record in two starts this season, with 11 strikeouts and a 2.51 ERA in 14.1 innings.

Long Island
The Blackbirds of Long Island were tabbed to finish sixth in the NEC this season and return a very strong lineup from last season as they finished second in the conference with a .287 team batting average in 2008. LIU has struggled to start the season, compiling a 3-11 record going into this week. The squad will take on Army on Wednesday before taking on the Bulldogs in a weekend series.

Frank Dimasi leads the Blackbird offense with a .421 batting to go with two homers and 17 RBI. Dimasi along with junior outfielder James Jones were both all-NEC selections a year ago. The team has continued to show its offensive prowess, hitting .318 as a team to start the season, but has allowed their opponents to hit .384.

FOLLOW THE BULLDOGS
Follow the Bryant baseball team as they take on URI at home Wednesday at 3:30 p.m. through game tracker here.

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