SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Looking to clinch one of the top four spots in the Northeast Conference standings, the Bryant University softball team will wrap up NEC play on Friday when hosts Mount St. Mary's for a doubleheader (1/3 p.m.), before welcoming Stony Brook to Smithfield on Sunday (12/2 p.m.) for Senior Day.
The Bulldogs, who enter weekend competition with a 25-18 overall record, currently sit atop the NEC standings with an 11-3 mark against league opponents. Bryant has put together back-to-back 3-1 weekends against NEC foes to put them in a power position with just two conference games remaining.
Standing between the Bulldogs and their first NEC regular season title in program history are the Mountaineers, who come to Smithfield with a 7-3 league record, good for second place in the standings. After somewhat of a pedestrian start, Mount St. Mary's has put itself in a strong place to contend for an NEC Title. After taking a pair from LIU Brooklyn on Friday, the Mount split with Wagner and have just three NEC doubleheaders remaining on their Schedule. Leading the way is senior pitcher Nicole Pagano who is putting together a spectacular season, allowing only 17 earned runs in 143 innings (0.83 ERA) this season. At the dish, Jessica Greenewald paces the team with a .285 average, while Rachel Gavigan enters the weekend with four homeruns and 18 RBI. As a team, the Mountaineers average just above three runs per game (compared to Bryant's nearly 5/game), but give up less than three per contest.
On Sunday, the Bulldogs welcome America East leader Stony Brook to Smithfield for Senior Day. The Seawolves (28-14) enter weekend action on a 13-game win streak and a 13-1 conference record. Senior Olivia Mintun leads the charge with a .325 average on a team-best 40 hits while junior Bria Green paces Stony Brook in the power category with nine homers and 30 RBI. Junior Allison Cukrov and sophomore Jane Sallan handle the pitching duties for the Seawolves, combining for a sub-2.80 ERA in over 265 innings this season.
For all the latest news on the Bryant University softball team, visit BryantBulldogs.com.
