Baseball travels to FDU for weekend set

GAME NOTES

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – With the regular season winding down, the Bryant University baseball team will play its final road series of the season as it travels south to take on Fairleigh Dickinson this weekend at the Naimoli Family Baseball Complex.

The Bulldogs (33-12, 13-3 NEC) head into the weekend with a four-game lead over second-place Sacred Heart with just conference weekends remaining. The Knights (13-26, 4-12) will be playing the final home series of their season.

Bryant holds a commanding lead in the all-time series with FDU, having won 14 of the 16 meetings. The Knights swept the Saturday doubleheader two years ago in Smithfield but the Bulldogs responded with a victory on Sunday and a four-game sweep last season in Hackensack.

One of the most potent offenses and one of the top pitching staffs in the league, the Bulldogs enter the final two weekends looking to solidify the top seed in the 2014 Northeast Conference baseball championships. Bryant took a step towards that last weekend as they were able to rebound to earn a series split with Sacred Heart after dropping both games on Saturday. The Bulldogs received a strong start from sophomore Kyle Wilcox (Sandy Hook, Conn.) and a three-hit performance from freshman Cole Fabio (Mahwah, N.J.). Fabio currently leads the Bulldogs with a .362 average and a .464 on-base percentage.

The Bulldogs also feature the potent trio of Carl Anderson (Sudbury, Mass.), John Mullen (Walpole, Mass.) and Matt Albanese (East Haddam, Conn.). All three are tied for the team lead with 33 RBI, while Anderson and Albanese have both scored 39 times. Add in the return of sophomore AJ Zarozny (Shrewsbury, Mass.) (.404, 52B, 3HR), and the Black and Gold have one of the most feared lineups in the league.

On the mound, the Bulldogs will look to rebound from a tough weekend against the Pioneers. Bryant allowed 30 runs over the course of the weekend, the most of any weekend this season. The Bulldogs also allowed double-digit runs for the first time this year as Sacred Heart became the first league team to do it against the Bulldogs since March of 2011.

For the Knights, Zach Tondi is the only regular hitting over .300 at .306. Ryan Brennan leads the team with 23 runs scored, while Joel Roman and Dylan Sprague are tied for the team lead with 13 doubles. Despite hitting just .259, Riley Moonan has provided some pop with seven doubles, two triples, three home runs and a team-leading 23 RBI.

FDU's pitching staff currently sports a 5.21 team ERA and is led by Ryan MacDonald. He is 1-1 with a 3.25 ERA in 27.2 innings. Junior closer Eric Snyder is one of the best in the league and he is currently 2-1 with six saves and a 3.18 ERA in 19 appearances.

The Bulldogs and Knights will open the weekend with a 3:00 p.m. first pitch on Friday. They will play two games Saturday and wrap up the series at 1:00 p.m. on Sunday.