Theetge's 3-hit shutout completes Thursday sweep for No. 16/24 Bulldogs

EMMITSBURG, Md. – Freshman lefty Steve Theetge (Cicero, N.Y.) tossed a three-hit shutout to lead the No. 16/24 Bryant University baseball team to a 8-0 win and a doubleheader sweep of Mount St. Mary's on Thursday afternoon at E.T. Straw Family Stadium.

The Bulldogs (42-10, 24-4 NEC) shutout the Mountaineers (11-35, 8-22) in both games of Thursday's doubleheader and have now won 24-straight games in the series. It was the first back-to-back shutouts for the Black and Gold since May 15, 2014 when they blanked Wagner in both games of a twinbill. Bryant pitchers allowed seven hits, walked four and struck out 18 in 16 innings of shutout baseball. 

Theetge was brilliant for the Bulldogs, posting five strikeouts and issuing just two walks to improve to a perfect 8-0 on the year. It was his second-straight complete game, his third overall, and is first-career shutout. Theetge allowed a one-out infield single in the first and walked the first two batters in the second but was untouchable after that. He got a pop up and back-to-back strikeouts to end the second inning and start a string of 13-straight batters retired. He didn't allow another baserunner until a throwing error and an infield single put two on in the sixth. A line drive to first resulted in a double play and ended the Mount threat.

The Bulldogs jumped out quickly in game two, scoring three runs in the first inning. Two walks and a single loaded the bases and sophomore Mickey Gasper (Merrimack, N.H.) drew a bases-loaded walk to bring in the first run. Senior Zach Wood (Griswold, Conn.) then hit a routine ground ball to second base that was thrown away at second, allowing two runs to score.

Bryant would later add two runs in the third and three more in the fifth. In the third, senior Robby Rinn (Warwick, R.I.) slapped a single through the left side and classmate Buck McCarthy (Saugus, Mass.) followed with a double down the left field line to start the inning. Gasper then drove in a run with a single to right and Wood capped the inning with a sac fly to right.

In the fifth, a walk, single and a hit by pitch loaded the bases with one out. Junior Joe Paparelli (Preston, Conn.) then laced a two-run double just inside the left field line to make it 7-0. Classmate Cole Fabio (Mahwah, N.J.) drove in the final run of the inning with a fielder's choice ground ball to third.

Gasper and Wood each finished the game with two RBI and eight different Bulldogs had a hit in the game. Rinn extended his on-base streak to 48 games and also scored twice, becoming the second Bryant player this season to record 50+ RBI and 50+ runs scored.

The Bulldogs and Mountaineers wrap up their four-game series with a doubleheader on Friday. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.