March 31, 2009
BRYANT MAKES IT SEVEN-STRAIGHT
WITH, 9-3, WIN OVER MAINE
Box Score
SMITHFIELD, R.I. - Chris Foundas (Needham,
Mass.) improved to 3-0 on the mound this season, as the
Bryant baseball team took out Maine, 9-3, Tuesday afternoon at the
Bryant Baseball Complex. All three wins for Foundas have come in
Smithfield, as the senior scattered eight hits over six innings
while striking out four to help the Bulldogs to their
seventh-straight victory.
Pat McKenna (Orange, Conn.) continues to swing
a hot bat, going two-for-five with two triples and three RBI to
power the offense. Dylan Stone (Portsmouth, R.I),
Pat O'Connor (Mattapoisett, Mass.) and
Jordan English (Windsor Locks, Conn.) also had two
hits apiece as part of a nine run, eleven hit attack by the
Bulldogs. Junior catcher Jeff Vigurs (South Windsor,
Conn.) wasted no time in this one to push his streak to
25-straight games reaching base safely, hitting a single through
the left side in the first inning.
Bryant (19-7) jumped on the Black Bears in the first inning,
putting a three spot on the board to take a, 3-0, lead after one
inning of play. Maine helped out by committing two errors in the
inning, one to start the frame allowing McKenna to reach first, and
another on a pick-off throw to first, moving the senior shortstop
up to second. After moving over to third on a sacrifice bunt by
stone, McKenna came around to score on a wild pitch to put Bryant
in the run column without a hit. Four-straight singles with two
outs pushed two more runs across for the home team, as English and
Mike DelPonte (Tewksbury, Mass.) both collected an
RBI.
Ian Leisenheimer got the Black Bears (13-12) back into the game
in the top of the third, launching a two out, two-run home run to
right center field, cutting the deficit to, 3-2. That would be all
Maine would get against Foundas, who was able to get the visitors
to strand seven runners on base over his six innings of work. The
Black Bears would strand 11 total for the game.
The Bulldogs wasted no time in responding, plating two runs of
their own in the bottom of the third, with DelPonte knocking in his
second RBI of the game on a grounder to first base that brought in
Connor Carignan (Norwich, Conn.) from third, as he
beat the throw to the plate. Carignan was brought in as a
pinch-runner earlier in the inning for O'Connor. Jamie
Skagerlind (Holden, Mass.) laid down a perfect squeeze
bunt later in the frame to score the fifth run of the game for the
black and gold, extending the lead back to three at 5-2.
McKenna hit his first triple of the game in the bottom of the
sixth inning, bringing in one RBI and extending his hit streak to
six games. The shot sliced down the line in right field, allowing
Skagerlind to score from second and give Bryant a, 6-2, advantage
after six innings.
Head coach Jamie Pinzino used four different relievers to close
out the final three innings. Brent Almeida (Fairhaven,
Mass.) allowed one run in a third of an inning of work in
the seventh, as Matt Griswold (Berlin, Conn.)
finished the frame, stranding Black Bears runners at first and
second.
Brian O'Neil (North Reading, Mass.) allowing
one hit while getting two men out to set things up for Mark
Andrews (Hillsborough, N.J.) to come in for the four-out
save. Andrews struck out Billy Cather to end the eighth inning, and
then mowed down two of the three batters in the ninth to get his
eighth save of the year in as many chances.
McKenna added some insurance for Bryant in the bottom of the
eighth, driving in two more runs with his second triple of the
game. Nick Campbell (Raynham, Mass.) brought in a
third run in the inning with a sacrifice fly to center to round out
the scoring, and help Bryant to a, 9-3, victory.
The Bulldogs will play host to intrastate rival Brown University
on Thursday afternoon at 3:30 p.m., before taking a trip to New
York for a weekend series with NJIT and NYIT.
Bryant University 9, Maine 3 (Mar 31, 2009 at Smithfield,
R.I.)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Maine............... 002 000 100 - 3 13
4 (13-12)
Bryant University... 302 001 03X - 9 11
0 (19-7)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Pitchers: Maine - Bilodeau, K.; Balentina, J(6). Bryant University
- Chris Foundas;
Brent Almeida(7); Matt Griswold(7); Brian O'Neil(8); Mark
Andrews(8).
Win-Chris Foundas(3-0) Save-Mark Andrews(8)
Loss-Bilodeau, K.(1-4) T-2:24 A-100
HR UM - Leisenhei, I (3).
Weather: sunny, 50
