Bulldogs come up short in game one Saturday at Brown

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Brown University right hander Christian Taugner struck out nine over seven solid innings and the Bears held on for a 4-3 victory over the Bryant University baseball team in game one of a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at Murray Stadium.

The Bulldogs (3-11) have now lost four-straight games and saw their five-game winning streak against the Bears (1-6) snapped. Brown scored two runs in the third and fifth innings and JJ Sliepka got a strikeout to strand runners on the corners in the top of the ninth.  

Trailing by two, Bryant attempted to tie the game as seniors Joe Paparelli (Preston, Conn.) and Cole Fabio (Mahwah, N.J.) opened the ninth with singles. After a strikeout and a fly out, freshman Chris Wright (Cumberland, R.I.) dropped a single into shallow right center to score a run and make it 4-3. Sliepka then fell behind 3-0 to the next batter but came back to end the game with a strikeout.

Brown opened the scoring with a pair of runs in the third. Brian Ginsberg opened the inning with a swinging bunt single down the third base line and Rob Henry doubled down the left field line two batters later. A wild pitch scored Ginsberg for the first run and Willy Homza's ground ball to third plated Henry as the throw home was off line.

The Bears extended their lead to four in the fifth inning. Rich Ciufo reached on an infield error with one out and Henry followed with a triple into the right field corner that just alluded the dive of Paparelli. Henry would score two batters later as Sam Grigo beat out a potential inning-ending double play ball.

Bryant cut the deficit in half with two runs of its own in the seventh. Fabio singled through the right side to start the inning and junior Mickey Gasper (Merrimack, N.H.) followed with a double down the left field line. Consecutive ground outs to second from freshman Jimmy Titus (Stafford, Conn.) and Wright brought home Fabio and Gasper for the first two runs.

That was all the offense the Bulldogs could muster, however, as Taugner allowed just two runs on four hits, struck out nine and didn't walk a batter in seven innings. Calvin Farris pitched a scoreless eighth and Sliepka recorded the final three outs to earn the save. Henry finished 3-for-4 with two runs scored and an RBI.

Sophomore Steve Theetge (Syracuse, N.Y.) pitched very well for the Bulldogs, as three of the four runs he allowed were unearned. He surrendered five hits, walked two and struck out a career-high seven batters. Classmate Nathan Wrighter (Windsor, N.Y.) tossed two scoreless innings of relief to close things out for Bryant.

Fabio and Wright each finished with two hits, while Wright added two RBI.