Historic day for Karinchak as No. 16/24 Bulldogs take opener from Mount, 6-0

EMMITSBURG, Md. – Sophomore James Karinchak (Walden, N.Y.) set the single-season program record for strikeouts with 11 over five shutout innings to lead the No. 16/24 Bryant University baseball team to a 6-0 victory over Mount St. Mary's in game one of a doubleheader on Thursday afternoon at E.T. Straw Family Stadium.

The Bulldogs (41-10, 23-4 NEC) collected just eight hits in the game but drove in four of their runs with situational hitting. Bryant has now won 23-straight games against the Mountaineers (11-34, 8-21).

It was a historic afternoon for Karinchak as he tied the single-season program record for victories with 11 and broke the single-season record strikeouts with 97. He allowed just two hits, walked two and struck out double-digit batters for the third time this season. Karinchak struck out two batters in the first, second, third and fifth innings and struck out the side in the fourth. His 11th victory also sets a Bryant DI record.

Bryant broke a scoreless game with two runs in the third. Freshman Nick Angelini (Bedford, N.H.) singled through the left side to start the inning and senior AJ Zarozny (Shrewsbury, Mass.) followed with a double down the right field line to put runners on second and third with no outs. Bryant then came through with some great situational hitting as Senior Robby Rinn (Warwick, R.I.) plated the first run with a ground ball to first base and junior Brandon Bingel (Peabody, Mass.) made it 2-0 with a sac fly to right.

The Bulldogs tacked on two more runs in the fourth with one swing of the bat. Senior Dan Cellucci (Sudbury, Mass.) led off the inning with a double down the right field line and classmate Zach Wood (Griswold, Conn.) hammered a hanging breaking pitch over the wall in left center for a two-run home run. It was his sixth home run of the season.

More situational hitting led to Bryant's final two runs in the ninth. Zarozny walked and Rinn laced a double inside the first base line to put runners on second and third with no outs. Senior Buck McCarthy (Saugus, Mass.) scored Zarozny with a ground out and Bingel picked up his second sac fly of the game to make it 6-0.

Sophomore Ross Weiner (Woodbridge, Conn.) pitched 2 1/3 scoreless innings of relief and classmate Justin Snyder (Georgetown, Mass.) recorded the final five outs to pick up his league-leading ninth save.

Hitting 7-8 in the lineup, Cellucci and Wood combined to go 5-for-9 with two RBI and two runs scored in the game. Cellucci went 3-for-5 with a run scored, while Wood finished 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored. Zarozny scored twice, Bingel drove in a pair without a hit and Rinn tied the single-season DI program record with his 23rd double. He is now just one shy of tying the single-season program record.