Wood has five hits, five RBI as Bulldogs throttle BC, 18-6, Wednesday

CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – Senior Zach Wood (Griswold, Conn.) posted a career-high five hits and drove in a career-high five runs as the Bryant University baseball team thumped Boston College, 18-6, on Wednesday afternoon at Pellagrini Diamond.

With the win, the Bulldogs (30-7) have now won 10-straight games for the first time since the 2014 season and have reached the 30-win plateau for the ninth time in the last 10 years. The Eagles (21-16) came into the game with an RPI of 50 and Bryant now has two wins over top-50 RPI teams this season.

All but one of Bryant's nine starters finished with a hit, all but one drove in a run and all but two scored a run for the Black and Gold on Wednesday. Wood led all players with five hits, five RBI and three runs scored, and freshman Nick Angelini (Bedford, N.H.) chipped in three hits, three runs scored and hit his third home run of the season. Senior Robby Rinn (Warwick, R.I.) (2-6, 22B, 3RBI), junior Matt Albanese (East Haddam, Conn.) (3-5, 4R) and senior Buck McCarthy (Saugus, Mass.) (3-4, 2BB, 2RBI, 4R) all finished with multiple hits. Senior Dan Cellucci (Sudbury, Mass.) and sophomore Malik Daley (Northborough, Mass.) each drove in two.

Bryant took the momentum from Tuesday's game and carried it into the first inning on Wednesday, sending 10 men to the plate and scoring six runs. Junior Cole Fabio (Mahwah, N.J.) opened game with a single to center, Angelini walked and Rinn slapped a double into left center to score the first run of the game. Albanese followed with a ground ball to short that scored a run and was also misplayed to allow him to reach. McCarthy then stroked an RBI single to center, junior Brandon Bingel (Peabody, Mass.) laid down a sac bunt and Wood knocked a 1-2 pitch through the right side for an RBI. Cellucci added an RBI single and Daley capped the inning with a sac fly to left.

Boston College attempted to respond in the bottom of the first but the Black and Gold infield turned a huge double play. The first two Eagles reached in the inning but Fabio made a great backhanded play up the middle to start a 4-6-3 double play. A two-out single did bring home a run but the Bulldogs held a 6-1 lead after one.

The Bulldogs went back to work as they plated two with a two-out rally. Albanese singled to center to start the rally and back-to-back walks loaded the bases. Wood then doubled just inside the left field line to score two runs and make it 8-1.

BC answered once again, plating three runs in the bottom of the second. A double, a walk and a hit batter loaded the bases with no outs and ended freshman Craig Lacey's (Westfield, Mass.) afternoon. Sophomore Ross Weiner (Woodbridge, Conn.) was summoned and was able to limit the Eagles to just three runs. A fielder's choice ground out scored the first run, a bunt single scored the second and a sac fly to center made it 8-4.

Bryant extended its lead with a four-run fourth inning. Albanese doubled with one out and came around to score on a sharp single to center from McCarthy. Back-to-back singles loaded the bases and consecutive walks brought home two runs. Fabio made it 12-4 with a sac fly to left. A single to center from Angelini appeared to score another run but the umpire ruled that Daley was thrown out at third before the other runner crossed home.

The Eagles tried to answer in the bottom of the fifth but redshirt-junior Oliver Powers (Newtown, Conn.) came in to shut the door after a single and a double opened the inning. Powers walked the first batter he faced to load the bases but came back to get a strikeout and a weak fly out for the first two outs. He then threw a fastball by Scott Braren to end the inning and leave the bases loaded.

The Black and Gold used the energy to tack on three more runs in the top of the sixth. Fabio hit what looked to be a possible double-play ball but the throw back to first was wild, allowing a run to score. Angelini was then hit by a pitch and Rinn followed with a booming double to dead center to score two and make it 15-4.  

Bryant finishes its scoring with a single run in the eighth and two more in the ninth. Angelini hit a long, solo home run to left field in the eighth inning and Wood drilled a two-run double in the ninth.

Weiner earned his first win of the season with two scoreless innings of relief. He allowed just two hits and didn't walk or strikeout a batter. Sophomore Logan Lessard (Cromwell, Conn.) registered a scoreless inning and Powers delivered three scoreless innings of relief. He walked two and struck out four. Senior Michael Marshall (Maynard, Mass.) blanked the Eagles in the eighth and sophomore Justin Snyder (Georgetown, Mass.) pitched the ninth.

The Bulldogs return to Conaty Park this weekend when they host Sacred Heart in a huge four-game Northeast Conference series. It begins on Friday with a first pitch scheduled for 3:00 p.m.