Bulldogs swept on Saturday; Sunday's series finale moved to 12pm

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Sacred Heart became the first team this season and the first Northeast Conference team in over three years to score double-digit runs against the Bryant University baseball team as it swept a doubleheader, 10-6 and 10-3, on Saturday afternoon at Conaty Park.

**SUNDAY'S GAME HAS BEEN MOVED TO NOON DUE TO RAIN IN THE FORECAST.**

With the sweep, the Pioneers (22-21, 9-6 NEC) have now won six of the last seven regular-season meetings with the Bulldogs (32-12, 12-3). Bryant saw its 10-game winning streak come to a close as they lost back-to-back games for the first time since losing three-straight to open the season.

GAME ONE

Trailing 6-5 in the top of the sixth in game one, the Pioneers staged a two-out rally and Matt Charmello capped it with a bases-clearing triple to make it 8-6. SHU went on to score twice more in the seventh to finish out the victory.

With two outs and one on, Zack Short singled to center and Jayson Sullivan walked to load the bases against reliever Michael Marshall (Maynard, Mass.). Charmello then roped a 1-0 offering off the top of the wall in left field to score all three runners and put the Pioneers ahead for good. A safety squeeze and a sac fly provided the two insurance runs in the top of the seventh.

For the second-straight day the Pioneers jumped ahead in the first inning. A pair of singles and walk loaded the bases and Charmello delivered a two-run single to right-center.

The Bulldogs responded with five runs in the bottom of the second. Sophomore's Robby Rinn (Warwick, R.I.) and Buck McCarthy (Saugus, Mass.) opened the inning with a single and a double before freshman Cole Fabio (Mahwah, N.J.) brought home the first run with a single through the left side. Sophomore Dan Cellucci (Sudbury, Mass.) followed with a line drive back to the mound that SHU starter Jeff Stoddard knocked down but then threw it down the right field line, allowing two runs to score and sending Cellucci to third. Junior Carl Anderson (Sudbury, Mass.) and freshman Matt Albanese (East Haddam, Conn.) added back-to-back RBI singles to close the scoring.

Sacred Heart rallied back to tie the game with three unearned runs in the fourth. Derick Horn reached on an error to open the inning and then was able to avoid the tag at home to score on a two-out singled from Ted Shaw. Kenny Byram followed with a single, stole second and then Jesus Medina tied the game with a two-run single down the right field line.

The tie was short-lived, however, as Bryant responded in the bottom of the inning. Fabio led off with a single to center, stole second, advanced to third on an error and then scored on an Anderson sac fly to left.

That was all the Bulldogs would muster against SHU reliever James Cooksey. The right-hander came on in relief in the second inning and pitched the final 5.2 innings, allowing one unearned run on one hit to earn the win.

Senior Craig Schlitter (Guilford, Conn.) had his shortest outing of the season as the Pioneers chased him with two outs in the fourth. He allowed five runs (two earned) on nine hits in 3.2 innings. Jonathan Cohen (Norwalk, Conn.) followed with 1.2 hitless innings but allowed a run. Marshall suffered the loss, allowing two runs on two hits in 0.2 innings.

Anderson finished the day with two RBI and Fabio added two hits and two runs scored.

GAME TWO

The Pioneers completed their sweep with a dominant performance in game two. They scored seven runs over the course of the fifth and sixth innings and freshman Jason Foley allowed just three runs on nine hits in 6.1 innings to earn the win.

SHU opened the scoring with three unearned runs in the third. A dropped pop up started the inning and Shaw made it hurt as he tripled two batters later to make it 1-0. He later scored on a wild pitch and Short's infield single brought the final run of the inning home.

The Pioneers put it away with four runs in the fifth and three more in the sixth. Short knocked home two with a single to highlight the fifth inning and Medina's two-run double was the big hit during the sixth.

Bryant put together one final push in the seventh as it plated its only three runs. Freshman Brandon Bingel (Peabody, Mass.) singled to start the inning, senior Jonathan Scott (Princeton, N.J.) walked and junior Daniel St. George (Shelton, Conn.) delivered a pinch-hit single to right-center to bring home the first run. Sophomore AJ Zarozny (Shrewsbury, Mass.) and McCarthy added RBI singles in the inning to account for the final score.

Foley held the Bulldogs off the scoreboard until the seventh thanks to some good escape tactics. The Bulldogs loaded the bases with two outs in the second on a pair of singles and a walk but Foley came back to get a strikeout to end the inning. He then allowed back-to-back one-out singles in the third but was able to strand runners on the corners with a pair of fly outs.

Senior Vaughn Hayward (Glendale, R.I.) saw his personal eight-game winning streak snapped as he allowed seven runs (four earned) on six hits in 4.2 innings. Junior Alex Lagos (Wrentham, Mass.) tossed the final 2.1 innings, allowing three runs on five hits in the longest outing of his career.

Zarzony finished with three hits, while Bingel reached base all three times with two singles and a walk.

The Bulldogs and Pioneers wrap up their series on Sunday with a first pitch scheduled for 12:00 p.m.