Theetge tosses 4-hit shutout, Titus nearly hits for cycle as Bulldogs win game one Saturday

NEW BRITAIN, Conn. – Sophomore Steve Theetge (Syracuse, N.Y.) tossed a four-hit shutout and freshman Jimmy Titus (Stafford, Conn.) finished a double shy of the cycle as the Bryant University baseball team defeated Central Connecticut, 7-0, in the first game of a Northeast Conference doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at the CCSU Baseball Field.

With the win, the Bulldogs (17-19, 10-2 NEC) have now won 14 of their last 16 games. The Blue Devils (19-16, 10-5) have lost three-straight.

Titus hit a solo home run in the first, singled home two runs in the third and hit a triple to right center to lead off the 6th. It is his third three-hit game of the season. Titus grounded out in the seventh, falling a double shy of becoming the first Bulldog since Matt Albanese in 2015 to hit for the cycle.

On the mound, Theetge was marvelous in earning his NEC-leading fifth win of the season. He allowed just four hits, walked two and struck out three on the afternoon. It is his second-career complete game shutout. Theetge worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the second before and stranded two with strikeout in the third. It started a stretch in which Theetge retired 13-of-14 to finish the game.

CCSU starter Brendan Smith recorded the first two outs of the game before Titus homered to center field to make it 1-0 in the first. In the third, the Mahwah Boys got things started as freshman James Ciliento (Mahwah, N.J.) singled and senior Cole Fabio (Mahwah, N.J.) walked. Both advanced on a balk and Titus scored them with a two-out single through the left side.

Bryant increased its lead with three runs in the sixth inning and one more in the seventh. Titus opened the inning with a triple and junior Mickey Gasper (Merrimack, N.H.) scored him with a sharp single to left. Freshman Chris Wright (Cumberland, R.I.) was then hit by a pitch and sophomore Tyler Panno (Rivervale, N.J.) scored both with a two-out triple into the right field corner to make it 6-0. It was Panno's team-leading fourth triple of the year.

In the seventh, Fabio led off with a single to center, took second on a ground out and scored on a two-out single to left from Gasper.

Titus finished 3-for-4 with three RBI, Gasper went 2-for-4 with two RBI and Fabio scored twice.

Smith suffered the loss, allowing six runs on seven hits over six innings. He walked one and struck out three. Four different Blue Devils contributed hits on the afternoon.