Posted: Mar 21, 2010

BASEBALL RACKS UP 21 HITS IN 16-4 WIN OVER NORTHEASTERN SUNDAY

March 21, 2010

BATS COME ALIVE AS BRYANT BASEBALL DEFEATS NORTHEASTERN 16-4 SUNDAY

Tim Norton went 3-for-6 and drove in four runs in Bryant's 16-4 win over Northeastern Sunday. www.dspics.com

SMITHFIELD, R.I.—Backed by a season-high 21-hit attack, the Bryant University baseball offense awoke in a big way Sunday as the Bulldogs broke open a two run game with a six-run fourth en route to a 16-4 win over Northeastern University in Brookline, Mass. Sunday afternoon.

Nick Campbell (Raynham, Mass.) and Tim Norton (Barnstable, Mass.) each had three hits and junior Zakary Cianciolo (Prospect, Conn.) belted his first home run to lead the Bulldogs. The runs were more than enough to support starter Peter Kelich (Jackson, N.J.).

Bryant (3-11) led 5-0 after scoring four times in the second, keyed by a Campbell double – the 50^th double of his career putting him just four behind the all-time school record of 54 held by Scott Yankee.

Northeastern (6-4) would score four runs of its own in the bottom of the inning to pull to within 5-4, but Kelich and the Bryant bullpen would settle down after that, holding Northeastern scoreless and to just three hits through the rest of the game.

Kelich, the NEC rookie of the week after a brilliant performance in a win over Virginia Tech last week, allowed four runs on five hits while striking out six Huskies through seven innings to pick up his second victory of the season (2-1). Matt Griswold (Berlin, Conn.) pitched a scoreless eighth and freshman lefty Tim Bessette (Waterbury, Conn.) finished things up in the ninth.

Bryant put the game away with six runs in the fourth inning. Campbell got things going with an RBI single to right scoring Jordan English (Windsor Locks, Conn.). Cianciolo would later add an RBI single to center to score Campbell to make it 8-4. Later, Norton would line a double down the left field line to score two and the Bulldogs never looked back.

Bryant will officially open Northeast Conference play this weekend when the Bulldogs travel to Monmouth University for a four-game series with the Hawks in West Long Branch, N.J. starting Friday at 3 p.m. Bryant and Monmouth met last year for the first time with the Bulldogs and Hawks splitting the four-game series.