April 3, 2010

BRYANT BASEBALL WINS SIXTH-STRAIGHT AS BULLDOGS DOWN HARTFORD 7-4 SATURDAY
Baseball –  Bryant 7, Hartford 4

boxscore

Junior Tim Norton (Barnstable, Mass.) drove in four runs for the second time this season as Bryant defeated Hartford 7-4 Saturday.  www.dspics.com

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. – Third baseman Tim Norton (Barnstable, Mass.) went 2-for-4 with four RBIs as the Bryant University baseball team scored seven runs on 12 hits in picking up a 7-4 win over the University of Harford Saturday afternoon at the Fiondella Field.

The win, Bryant's sixth in a row, improves the Bulldogs' record to 9-13 on the year heading into Tuesday's game at Harvard. 

After scoring 14 runs in a 14-1 win over the Hawks Friday at Smithfield, R.I., the Bulldogs struck quickly on a beautiful day in West Hartford, Conn., pushing across three runs on five hits in the top of the second to take a 3-0 lead.

Dylan Stone (Portsmouth, R.I.) got things started for the Bulldogs against Hawk pitcher Steve Sobocinski with a one out solo home run, his first of the season, to put Bryant up 1-0 early.   Zakary Cianciolo (Prospect, Conn.) followed Stone's round tripper with a triple down the right field line and came across to score Bryant's second run on a double to left center by Jamie Skagerlind (Holden, Mass.).  Skagerlind would move to third on a wild pitch and come home to score on a double down the left field line by Tim Norton (Barnstable, Mass.). 

Hartford would even things up in the bottom of the inning with three runs keyed by an RBI double by Matt Walker and RBI single by Jon Ricco. 

The Bulldogs would regain the lead again with a run in the fourth but the Hawks quickly answered with a run of their own in the bottom of the fourth to tie the game up again at 4-4.  

But a three-run sixth by the Bulldogs would prove to be the difference.

Mark Andrews pitched a perfect ninth against Hartford Saturday to pick up his fourth save of the season. www.dspics.com

Stone worked a leadoff walk to begin the inning and moved to second on a single by Cianciolo.  Skagerlind moved the runners into scoring position with a perfect sacrifice bunt, setting up Norton who would drive in what would prove to be the game-winning runs with a triple to deep center to put Bryant in front 6-4.  

Dan Muscatello (Hopkinton, Mass.) would get Norton home with a sacrifice fly out to center to make it 7-4 Bryant.

Norton's two hits extended his season-high hit streak to seven games.  It was also Norton's second 4-RBI game this season as the junior drove in four runs in a 3-for-6 performance in Bryant's 16-4 win at Northeastern two weeks ago. Stone also had two hits and drove in a run and scored three times. 

Starter Peter Kelich (Jackson, N.J.) pitched well through six innings to improve to 4-0 on the season. The freshman allowed four runs (two earned) on eight hits while striking out six and walking none.

John Michael Ryan (Worcester, Mass.) came on to pitch a perfect seventh and eighth, retiring all six batters in order while closer Mark Andrews (Hillsborough, N.J.) came on in the ninth and retired the side in order to pick up his fourth save of the season.

Freshman Kevin Brown (Northborough, Mass.), who has now hit in seven-straight games, had two doubles on the afternoon to give a team-best 10 for the year while Skagerlind also had a pair of doubles on the afternoon.

Bryant will travel to Harvard University on Tuesday and Boston College Wednesday before returning home next Friday to open a four-game weekend Northeast Conference series with Central Connecticut at the Bryant Baseball Complex.