May 19, 2010
REGULAR SEASON CHAMPS
BOXSCORE
2010 NEC REGULAR SEASON CHAMPS !
BRYANT BASEBALL DEFEATS SACRED HEART 9-0 TO CLINCH
CONFERENCE REGULAR SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP
Baseball – Bryant 9, Sacred Heart 0 - Boxscore
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SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Senior right hander Brent
Almeida (Fairhaven, Mass.) allowed just six hits while
striking out a career-high eight batters as the Bryant University
baseball team defeated Sacred Heart University 9-0 to clinch
the 2010 Northeast Conference regular season title Wednesday
afternoon.
With a three-game lead heading into this week's highly
anticipated four game series with second place Sacred Heart, Bryant
(32-21, 23-6 NEC) needed only one win to clinch the conference
regular season title in just its first year competing in the NEC.
Sacred Heart, coming off a sweep against Monmouth last
weekend, drops to 28-23 overall, 19-10 in the NEC.
The game, played in a constant drizzle for much of the
afternoon, was exactly what fans expected with both Almeida and
Pioneer senior pitcher Chris Zaccherio locked into a
pitcher's duel for most of the game.
The Bulldogs pushed a run across in the bottom of the first on a
sacrifice fly to center by senior Jeff Vigurs
(South Windsor, Conn.) to score Kevin Brown
(Northborough, Mass.) from third.
The score would stay that way for most of the game as Zaccherio
would retire 13 straight Bryant batters before a leadoff bunt down
the third base line by Nick Campbell (Raynham,
Mass.) broke the string in the bottom of the seventh.
Campbell would eventually score on a sacrifice fly to right by
Tim Norton (Barnstable, Mass.) to make it
2-0.
After retiring the Pioneers in order in the top of the eighth,
the Bulldogs finally got through to Zaccherio in the bottom of the
inning, scoring seven times with the big blow coming on a two-run
double to left by Zakary Cianciolo (Prospect,
Conn.). Jamie Skagerlind (Holden,
Mass.)would single in Cianciolo to make it 6-0 and after
moving into scoring position after an errant throw, Norton would
make it 7-0 with a single up the middle to score Skagerlind.
The Bulldogs weren't through just yet though as sophomore Mike DelPonte (Tewksbury, Mass.)
belted his first home run of the season, a two-run shot to
right field to make it 9-0.
Almeida, who managed to get out of some earlier jams with solid
defense and some key strikeouts, would come back out in the top of
the ninth and retired the Pioneers once again in order for his
sixth win of the season (6-0) and third-straight complete game
victory.
Almedia threw 112 pitches and walked only one batter in the
game.
Vigurs, whose first inning RBI would prove to be the
game-winning run, added his 61st career double, a Bryant record, in
the seven-run eighth. He was also solid behind the plate,
picking off SHU's Rob Griffith at first to end a
fourth-inning Pioneer threat and throwing out a stolen base attempt
by Griffith in the seventh.
Norton went 2-for-3 on the day with two RBIs while Campbell had
two runs for the Bulldogs who have now won six in-a-row and 18 of
their last 21 games. The 32 victories this season matches
last year's win total in the team's first year
competing at the Division I level as an Independent. The
Bulldogs were picked to finish fifth in the preseason NEC coaches
poll.
However, the team is not eligible for postseason play until the
school completes its four-year reclassification to Division I.
Bryant and Sacred Heart will play a doubleheader on Thursday
starting at 1 pm and close out the series Friday with a single game
starting at 1 pm at the Bryant Baseball Complex.
