Bulldogs take series opener from Stony Brook, 14-5, Friday

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Senior Buck McCarthy (Saugus, Mass.) went 3-for-3 and reached base five times, while classmate Robby Rinn (Warwick, R.I.) and junior Matt Albanese (East Haddam, Conn.) each hit home runs as the Bryant University baseball slugged its way to a 14-5 victory over Stony Brook on Friday afternoon at Conaty Park.

The Bulldogs (26-7) have now won a season-high six-straight games and improve to 3-1 all-time against the Seawolves (17-16). SBU actually out-hit Bryant, 15-14, but the Black and Gold were able to put the game way with a six-run sixth inning.

After Stony Brook scored four times in the top of the third to take a lead, the Bulldogs responded with the next 13 runs to blow the game open. It all started with two outs and none on in the third as freshman Nick Angelini (Bedford, N.H.) ripped a single past the shortstop. Rinn then worked a 2-2 count before depositing his third home run onto the top of the softball batting cages in right field to make it 4-3.

Bryant took the lead for good with four more runs in the bottom of the fourth. McCarthy singled to open the inning and senior Zach Wood (Griswold, Conn.) walked with one out to put runners on first and second. Classmate Dan Cellucci (Sudbury, Mass.) followed with a flare down the right field line that scored McCarthy easily from second to tie the game. Cellucci greedily tried to take second and the throw was on line but it went by the shortstop and then scooted away from the third baseman that was backing up the play, allowing Wood to score and Cellucci to go to third. Junior Cole Fabio (Mahwah, N.J.) then delivered a perfect safety squeeze and Rinn made it 7-4 with a sac fly to left.

An RBI single from Wood added a run in the fifth before the Black and Gold sent 11 men to the plate and scored six runs in the decisive sixth inning. A single and two walks loaded the bases with no outs before Albanese, McCarthy and junior Brandon Bingel (Peabody, Mass.) all delivered run-scoring singles to make it 12-4. An RBI single from Cellucci and a wild pitch brought home the final two runs of the inning.

After missing out on chances in the first and second, Stony Brook finally got to Bryant sophomore James Karinchak (Walden, N.Y.) in the third, plating four runs on three hits. Jack Parenty doubled to open the inning and advanced to third on the first of four wild pitches in the inning for Karinchak. Parenty would eventually score on a wild pitch to tie the game at 1-1 and Casey Baker and Dylan Resk registered consecutive run-scoring hits to make it 3-1. Johnny Caputo drove in the final run of the inning with a ground out.

Karinchak labored through the first three innings but was able to battle into the sixth inning to earn his eighth win of the year. He allowed four runs on a season-high 10 hits, walked four and struck out six. Karinchak walked the bases loaded in the first but got a strikeout and a pop out to end the threat. He hit trouble again in the second after back-to-back singles opened the inning but got back-to-back strikeouts to end the frame. After allowing the four runs in the third, he held the Seawolves off the board until handing the ball to sophomore Ross Weiner (Woodbridge, Conn.) with two outs and two on in the sixth.

Weiner induced an inning-ending ground out to second and went on to work the final 3 1/3 innings to earn his second save of the year. He allowed one run on five hits and didn't walk or strikeout a batter.

Every player in Bryant's lineup finished with a hit in the game, with Albanese, Wood and Cellucci all registering two. Albanese hit his league-leading ninth home run in the second and reached the 40-RBI plateau for the first time in his career with his infield single in the sixth. Rinn finished the day with three RBI and also scored twice.

Connor Doyle suffered the loss for Stony Brook, allowing seven runs on six hits over 3 1/3 innings. Parenty, Baker and Bobby Honeyman all finished with three hits, while Resk went 2-for-5 with two RBI, two runs scored and hit his first-career home run.

The Bulldogs and Seawolves continue their series on Saturday with a first pitch scheduled for 1:00 p.m.