Schiltter, Soltis combine to upend SHU

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – With the bases loaded in the bottom of the first, junior shortstop David Soltis (Plainville, Conn.) belted a bases-clearing triple down the left field line which proved to be the difference, as the Bryant University baseball team upended Sacred Heart, 4-2, Sunday evening in Bridgeport, Conn.

Bryant (23-21, 12-11 Northeast Conference) outhit the Pioneers (23-20, 15-9), 8-7, as five different Bulldogs recorded a knock. With the W, Bryant split the four-game series with SHU and manages to stay one game above .500 in league play with two more weekends remaining in the season.

Connor Carignan (Norwich, Conn.) recorded a leadoff walk before Kevin Brown (Northborough, Mass.) bumped him over to second on a single to centerfield. Jordan English (Windsor Locks, Conn.) followed up with a single and with ducks on the pond, Soltis notched his 22nd, 23rd and 24th RBI on the season with a triple down the left field line for the 3-0 lead.

After Mike DelPonte (Tewksbury, Mass.) got hit by a pitch, Jamie Skagerlind (Holden, Mass.) grounded out to the pitcher, but by doing so allowed Soltis to come across for the 4-0 advantage.

On the mound, freshman Craig Schlitter (Guilford, Conn.) mowed down the Pioneer's lineup, retiring the side in the first, allowing one hit in the second, and tossing two strikeouts in the third and fourth.

Schiltter (2-2) would get tagged with a run on two hits in the bottom of the fifth, after Steve Tedesco knocked a RBI single to left field.

Despite allowing the home side to cut the lead to three, Schlitter found his command, retiring the side in order in the bottom of the sixth. After surrendering another run in the bottom of the eighth, the rookie would give way to Jonathon Cohen (Norwalk, Conn.), who then hurled two hitless innings to secure the 4-2 Bryant win.

With the victory, Cohen picked up his first save in 2011 and the Black and Gold move to 13-15 on the road this season. At the plate, Soltis's three-RBI performance paced the lineup while Brown finished the outing 2-for-5 with a run scored.

The Bulldogs return to action with a non-league tilt at Siena College Tuesday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 4:00 p.m., and fans can follow live stats at www.bryantbulldogs.com.