April 2, 2009
SKAGERLIND'S FOUR HITS LIFTS BRYANT
PAST BROWN, 4-3
Box Score
SMITHFIELD, R.I. - Freshman Jamie Skagerlind (Holden,
Mass.) went four-for-four with two RBI as the Bryant
baseball team won their 20th game of the year, taking
down Brown, 4-3, Thursday afternoon. The win improved the Bulldogs
to a perfect 4-0 mark at home while claiming their eighth-straight
victory.
The Bulldogs (20-7) trailed, 2-0, heading into the bottom of the
sixth inning before putting together a three-run rally to take a
3-2 advantage. Bryant loaded the bases with one down in the frame,
scoring their first run on a wild pitch, as Dylan Stone
(Portsmouth, R.I.) hustled home to put the home team on
the board. Skagerlind stepped up with runners on second and third
and roped a hard-hit single past the first base bag that plated
Nick Campbell (Raynham, Mass.) and Jordan
English (Windsor Locks, Conn.) to give Bryant the lead
late in the game.
Campbell had his team-leading 11th multi-hit
performance of the season, singling in both the sixth and seventh
innings while knocking in one run.
Eric Polvani (Wallingford, Conn.) got the start
on the hill, and was solid while picking up his third win of the
year. The junior went seven innings while surrendering five hits
and two runs, with just one earned. He gave way to Brian
O'Neil (Lynnfield, Mass.) and Mark Andrews
(Hillsborough, N.J.) who closed out the final two innings.
Brown (7-12-1) had to work hard for the runs they were able to
muster against Polvani. The visitors got on the board first with a
run in the third, scoring on an RBI groundout by Steve Daniels to
grab a 1-0 edge after three. Daniels hit a hard, one-hopper to
first base that Skagerlind made a diving play on to stop it from
getting into the outfield.
The Bears tacked on another in the fourth inning, this time
aided by two Bulldog errors while, once again, scoring without
hitting a ball out of the infield to grab a 2-0 lead after four
innings. Matt Nuzzo, who reached on an error, came around to score
on an infield single by Robert Parenhause to the shortstop
Pat McKenna (Orange, Conn.). McKenna made a great
play on the ball, ranging to his right and firing off-balance to
first, but the throw was just off-target.
Polvani worked out of a jam in the sixth to keep Bryant within
striking distance, getting Nuzzo to ground into a double play with
runners on first and second and nobody out. After hitting a batter,
Polvani then got Parenhause to strike out swinging, leaving men
stranded on first and third.
Bryant was able to pick up a big insurance run in the seventh,
sparked by a lead-off single from McKenna to extend his hitting
streak to seven games. Tim Norton (Barnstable,
Mass.) advanced McKenna to second with a sacrifice bunt,
and Campbell would later drive him in with a line drive single to
right field to extend the Bryant lead to, 4-2. Norton also
extended his hitting streak to four games with a single to left in
the first inning.
O'Neil surrendered one run in the eighth, but was able to end
the inning by getting Nick Punal to hit into a 4-6-3 double play,
keeping the Bulldogs up one at 4-3.
Andrews once again came out of the bullpen to get the save,
allowing one hit while striking out one to improve to a perfect
nine-for-nine in save opportunities.
The Bulldogs will look to continue their winning way as they
travel to NYIT for a four-game series starting Saturday afternoon
(12 p.m.).
Bryant University 4, Brown 3 (Apr 02, 2009 at Smithfield,
R.I.)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Brown............... 001 100 010 - 3 7
1 (7-12-1)
Bryant University... 000 003 10X - 4 9
2 (20-7)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Pitchers: Brown - Boylan, Matt; Backowski, A(3); Sellers, Jer(6).
Bryant University -
Eric Polvani; Brian O'Neil(8); Mark Andrews(9).
Win-Eric Polvani(3-2) Save-Mark Andrews(9)
Loss-Backowski, A(0-1) T-2:30 A-62
