Bulldogs, Huskies meet on Wednesday

GAME NOTES

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University baseball team opens the northern portion of its schedule as it travels to Boston to face Northeastern on Wednesday afternoon at Friedman Diamond. First pitch is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.

The Bulldogs (6-7) and the Huskies (7-8) were not suppose to meet this week but due to cancellations on both teams schedules the open date became available. They will meet again on April 30 at Conaty Park. Wednesday's meeting will be the ninth all-time between the two teams with Bryant holding a 5-3 advantage and a three-game winning streak. The game will also pit a pair of coaches that have recently joined the 700-win club. Steve Owens won his 700th game last week, while NU's Neil McPhee won his two weeks ago.

Last season, Bryant trailed 2-0 after 3 1/2 innings but erupted for 10 runs over its last five at-bats to earn a 10-3 victory at Conaty Park. Kevin Brown gave the Bulldogs a lead it would not relinquish with a two-run double inside the bag at first as part of a four-run fifth inning. Joe Michaud tied a career-high with nine strikeouts and then-sophomore Carl Anderson (Sudbury, Mass.) had three hits.

Bryant enters the mid-week matchup coming off another heartbreaking extra-inning loss. The Bulldogs held a 4-0 lead heading into the sixth inning before East Tennessee State rallied to tie the game before eventually winning a bunt single in the 12th inning. The extra-inning loss was the fourth of the season and the third of the spring trip alone. Bryant also dropped a pair of 11-inning games against Radford and has blown a five-run lead in the ninth inning on two occasions.

The Bulldogs are clicking on the offensive side of the baseball, hitting .295 with 29 doubles and 26 stolen bases. Freshman Cole Fabio (Mahway, N.J.) has made the most of his opportunities, hitting .474 (9-for-19) with an OPS of 1.261. Sophomore Robby Rinn (Warwick, R.I.) is coming off a strong spring trip that saw him score eight runs and he currently leads the team with eight walks and has posted a .509 OBP. Freshman Matt Albanese (East Haddam, Conn.) leads the team in hits (18) and RBI (11).

Senior Vaughn Hayward (Glendale, R.I.) will get the start for Bryant and will look to build upon a great outing last week against North Carolina A&T. Against the Aggies, Hayward worked six scoreless innings to earn his first victory as a Bulldog. He allowed just five hits and struck out five in the win.

Northeastern is coming off a weekend sweep of Niagara in which it allowed just three runs and struck out 38 batters. The Huskies currently sport a 3.62 team ERA and will send sophomore James Mulry to mound on Wednesday. Mulry's numbers – 19 runs on 18 hits in 10 innings – don't tell the whole story however. He gained notoriety earlier this year after he struck out both David Ortiz and Dustin Pedroia in Northeastern's annual game with the Boston Red Sox in Florida. He also went 3-3 as a freshman, earning CAA All-Rookie team honors.

Offensively, the Huskies are hitting .266 as a team. Connor Lyons leads the team with a .349 average and has also scored 12 runs. Brad Burcroff is the team leader in doubles (4), home runs (3), runs (14) and RBI (12), while Michael Foster has 10 RBI, 12 runs scored and a team-leading six stolen bases.

The Bulldogs will travel south following Wednesday's contest, taking on Delaware in a three-game series. The series will be played at Harford Community College in Bel Air, Md.