Weekend baseball series shifted due to weather

BASEBALL PLAYS HOST TO QUINNIPIAC IN FOUR-GAME NEC SERIES

GAME NOTES

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Sitting in first place in the Northeast Conference and riding a 14-game winning streak, the Bryant University baseball team hosts Quinnipiac in a four-game weekend series beginning on Saturday, April 13 at Conaty Park.

**Due to impending rain the Bulldogs (19-9-1, 8-0 NEC) and the Bobcats (10-16, 5-7) will start their series on Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at 1:00 p.m. They will play a nine-inning game followed by a seven-inning game. On Sunday, a seven-inning game will start at noon and be followed by a nine-inning game to wrap up the series.**

Bryant has owned the Quinnipiac at the Division I level, winning 11 of the 12 games over the past three seasons. Last year, the Bulldogs swept the Bobcats in Hamden, Conn., completing the sweep with a 22-4 victory. Quinnipiac's only victory in the series came during the 2011 season when they earned a victory in the series finale in Smithfield.

Quinnipiac, however, has enjoyed a resurgent season in 2013. The Bobcats have already topped their win total from last year with 10 this season and are right in the middle of the NEC standings at 5-7. Their pitching has been a big reason as Friday starter Derek Lamacchia leads a staff that has posted a 4.67 team ERA. He is 3-3 with a 1.35 ERA in 46.2 innings and is the only pitcher to defeat the Bulldogs in the past three seasons. Spencer Kane (2-2, 4.68), Nicholas Fabrizio (2-3, 4.59) and Justin Thomas (2-1, 4.95) will start the final three games of the series. Offensively, Scott Donaghue has been the most consistent, hitting .295 with five doubles and 11 RBI. Chris Migani is hitting .273 with team-highs in doubles (6) and runs scored (16).

For the Bulldogs, sophomore Carl Anderson (Sudbury, Mass.) has been a viking of late, hitting .593 (16-27) with three doubles, 11 RBI and 10 runs scored in his last seven games. The surge has helped Anderson boost his average to a season-high .362 and he is now third on the team with 20 RBI. Senior Dan Muscatello (Hopkinton, Mass.) has been just as much of a savage, hitting .520 (13-25) with two doubles, 11 RBI and three runs scored. He's been even more impressive defensively, fielding 32 chances without an error.

On the mound, Bryant will turn to a pitching staff that currently leads the NEC and ranks 32^nd in the country with a 2.98 ERA. Senior Peter Kelich (Jackson, N.J.) is fresh off his program-record 27^th-career victory last Saturday against Siena. He is 4-2 this season with a 2.01 ERA. Graduate student John Healy (Cranston, R.I.), junior Craig Schlitter (Guilford, Conn.) and sophomore Kevin McAvoy (Syracuse, N.Y.) round out Bryant's starting rotation. Healy has allowed just four runs (two earned) over his last 25.2 innings. He has struck out 29 and walked just 10. Schlitter has won his last three outings and McAvoy will look to return to form after a tough outing last weekend against Siena.

This weekend's four-game series wraps up an eight-game homestand for the Bulldogs. They head on the road for five-straight games beginning with a Tuesday trip to Stony Brook, N.Y., to face the Seawolves.