Bryant beats Delaware, 6-5, wins series

NEWARK, Del. –  Redshirt freshman Ryan Ward (Millbury, Mass.) and senior Mickey Gasper (Merrimack, N.H.) both posted four hits and junior Craig Lacey (Westfield, Mass.) tossed three scoreless innings of relief as the Bryant University baseball team earned a 6-5 victory over the University of Delaware on Sunday afternoon.  

With the win, the Black and Gold won the weekend series, 3-1, against the Blue Hens and finished their spring break trip with a 4-3 record.

Ward and Gasper combined to go 8-for-9 with three RBI and four runs scored, with Ward scoring the game-winning run on a wild pitch in the top of the ninth inning. Lacey earned his first win of the year with three innings of one-hit relief. He walked one and struck out one to finish the game.

Game Information

Bryant 6, Delaware 5

Records: Bryant (6-10), Delaware (10-8)

Location: Bob Hannah Stadium (Newark, Del.)

W|L|S: Craig Lacey (1-1) | Cole Benjamin (0-2) | -

Coach Owens' Comments

"We Talked about how important Sunday's are in our program and how important it is to come out with high energy on Sunday and I was really pleased with how our team was able to come out and found a way to win today. We got great offensive days from Ryan and Mickey, and Tyler [Panno] was tremendous defensively. Vito gave us a solid start and Craig came in and was a ground ball machine."

Key Moments

• With the game tied, 5-5, in the top of the ninth, Delaware reliever Cole Benjamin uncorked a wild pitch that allowed Ward to scamper home from third with the eventual winning run.
• In the bottom of the ninth, Kevin Mohollen singled with one out but Lacey induced a ground ball to second that Ward fielded to start a game-ending 4-6-3 double play.

How it happened

• Bryant opened the game with four-straight singles to score a run. Gasper drove in the run with a single up the middle.
• Delaware answered with three runs on four hits in the bottom of the first. Mohollen doubled, went to third on a fly out and scored on an infield single. After an out, Calvin Scott doubled and Zach Miller singled to make it 3-1.
• The Bulldogs closed the deficit to one with a run in the top of the third. Ward singled, went to second on a sac bunt from sophomore James Ciliento (Mahwah, N.J.) and scored on a Gasper single up the middle.
• Bryant then took the lead with two runs in the top of the fourth. Junior Nick Angelini (Bedford, N.H.) tripled to left center with one out and scored as sophomore Gaby Cruz's (Miami, Fla.) fly ball to left was lost in the sun and dropped for a single. Two batters later, Ward drove one off the right field wall that caromed away from the outfielder and resulted in an RBI triple to make it 4-3.
• The Blue Hens regained the lead in the bottom of half of the inning as Tyler Callender hit a high fly ball to right that got caught in the wind and carried over the wall for a two-run home run.
• The Black and Gold were able to tie the game in their next at-bat. Gasper singled to start the inning, went to second on a balk and scored on a single up the middle from freshman Shane Kelly (Sewell, N.J.).
• It remained tied until the top of the ninth inning when Ward led off with his fourth hit of the game. He took second on a ground out to first and to third on a fielder's choice ground out. Benjamin then uncorked a wild pitch and Ward raced home with the winning run.

Stats

• Bryant out-hit Delaware, 14-9.
• The Bulldogs did not commit an error.
• Sophomore Vito Morgese (Warwick, N.Y.) allowed five runs on eight hits, walked two and struck out one over six innings. He earned a no decision.
• Lacey allowed one hit, walked one and struck out one over three scoreless innings to earn the win. He retired five of the 10 batters he faced via ground outs.
• Ward went 4-for-5 with a triple, an RBI and three runs scored.
• Gasper finished 4-for-4 with an intentional walk and two RBI.
• Angelini went 1-for-4 with a triple.
• Cruz finished 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
• Junior Tyler Panno (Rivervale, N.J.) posted a career-high seven assists at third base.
• James Meeker started for Delaware and allowed five runs on 12 hits over five innings. Three Blue Hens finished with two hits.

Game Notes

• Bryant is now 7-2 all-time against Delaware after winning three of the four games this weekend.
• The Bulldogs became the first team since UNC Wilmington in May of 2016 to win a series against Delaware at home.
• Bryant posted double-digit hits for the third time in the series and for the ninth time in 12 games.
• The Black and Gold finished the weekend with 52 hits. It is the most in a four-game series since they posted 53 against Mount St. Mary's last May.
• The Black and Gold did not commit an error for the eighth time in 16 games.
• Ward extended his on-base streak to a team-high 12 games. He now has seven multi-hit games this year. Ward's four hits were a career-high and his triple was the first of his career. He also scored three runs for the second time this season.
• Ward made his second-straight start at second base on Sunday.
• Ciliento extended his hitting streak to 10 games with his first-inning single. He has now reached safely in 12-straight games.  
• Gasper posted his second four-hit game of the weekend and extended his on-base streak to 10 games. He finished the weekend 10-for-18 (.556) with three RBI and four runs scored.
• Kelly extended his on-base streak to nine games with his RBI single. He's driven in a run in six of the last nine games.
• Cruz posted his second-straight multi-hit game and now has 12 in his career.
• Lacey's outing was his longest relief outing of the year.
• Morgese worked at least six innings for the sixth time in 12 career starts.
• Angelini's triple was the seventh of his career.

Up Next

Bryant is scheduled to open its home schedule on Wednesday against Hartford. First pitch is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.