BULLDOGS TRAVEL TO CCSU FRIDAY (2/4 P.M.), HOST WAGNER SATURDAY (12/2 P.M.)
SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University softball team will look to get back on track over the weekend with a pair of Northeast Conference doubleheaders at Central Connecticut State on Friday (2/4 p.m.) and vs. Wagner Saturday in Smithfield (12/2 p.m.)
The Bulldogs enter weekend action with a 5-12 overall mark, 1-3 through four games in NEC play. The Bulldogs will look to get back in the win column after a tough loss in extra innings against Boston College, 4-3, Wednesday afternoon. Despite outhitting the Eagles, 11-8, the Black and Gold were unable to overcome the ACC-foe in eight innings in their home opener. An Aubrey Mable (Aurora, Colo.) RBI single in the bottom of the seventh inning knotted the score, 3-3, but BC quickly responded with a run of their own in the top of eighth which proved to be the game-winner.
Through 17 games, Mable leads the Bulldogs with a .327 batting average amassing a team-best 12 RBI on 17 hits (one home run). Junior catcher Kendall Corder (Carmichael, Calif.) sits just behind her classmate with a .325 average (.471 OBP), posting eight RBI and a Bryant-best 11 walks. Junior outfielder Lauren Guy (La Habra, Calif.) ranks second on Bryant with 16 hits (.308 average) and first with 11 runs scored. On the hill, senior Brittany Hart (North Andover, Mass.) has thrown 56.1 innings (twice as many as any other Bulldog), posting a 4-5 record and a 3.36 era.
Central Connecticut enters Friday with a 14-9 overall mark, 4-0 in the NEC. Sophomore outfielder Kat Malcolm paces the Blue Devils in almost all offensive categories with a .403 batting average (21-for-72), four doubles, four homers and 16 RBI. Senior Nicole Springer has also racked up four home runs to go along with 13 RBI and a 3.12 average. Sophomore Laura Messina has pitched more than 83 innings, posting a 1.93 ERA and in 13 games started (8-5). Last May, Central Connecticut swept the Bulldogs in Smithfield on Senior Day, winning 6-2 in Game 1 and 14-3 in Game 2.
Wagner enters weekend play with a 4-17 overall record, 0-2 in NEC play. Freshman outfielder Abigail Beasley leads the Seahawks with a .345 average, tallying 20 hits in just 19 games. Junior infielder Kristen Matteoni sits second on the Wagner leaderboard with a .309 average to go along with her three home runs and seven RBI. Senior Judy Betz and sophomore Samantha Bedker have each thrown over 50 innings for the Seahawks, posting a 4.29 and a 4.89 era, respectively. Last season, the Bulldogs swept Wagner in Staten Island, picking up a pair of April victories.
For links to live stats of weekend action and all the latest news on the Bryant University softball team, visit BryantBulldogs.com.
