Bulldogs beat Hartford, 8-6, Tuesday afternoon

Bulldogs beat Hartford, 8-6, Tuesday afternoon

WEST HARTFORD, Conn. –  The Bryant University baseball team raced out to a 5-0 lead but had to hold off a late rally from the University of Hartford to pick up an 8-6 victory on Tuesday afternoon at Fiondella Field.

Freshman Matthew Stansky (Douglas, Mass.) pitched three scoreless innings in his first-career start and junior Nathan Wrighter (Windsor, N.Y.) recorded the final six outs as the Bulldogs snapped a three-game losing streak to the Hawks.

Redshirt freshman Ryan Ward (Millbury, Mass.) posted three hits and drove in two, while junior Nick Angelini (Bedford, N.H.) finished with three RBI to pace the Bryant offense.

Game Information

Bryant 8, Hartford 6

Records: Bryant (7-10), Hartford (2-14)

Location: Fiondella Field (West Hartford, Conn.)

W|L|S: Matthew Stansky (2-0) | Jarod Norcross Plourde (0-2) | Wrighter (2)

Coach Owens' Comments

"It was good to get to play a midweek game. We tried to get into somewhat of a regular routine. We came out and scored runs early in the game but didn't pitch as effectively or play good enough defense in the middle as I would have liked. Ryan Ward had a really good day offensive, Nick Angelini had three RBI and Nate Wrighter was really good at the end. We are looking forward to the start of Northeast Conference play."

Key Moment

  • Trailing 8-5 in the eighth, the Hawks loaded the bases with no outs. Wrighter was summoned and got a line out, a sac fly and a fly out to right to limit Hartford to just one run.  

How it happened

  • Ward laced the first pitch of the game into the left field corner for a double to ignite a three-run first for the Black and Gold. A hit batter and a walk loaded the bases before junior Tyler Panno (Rivervale, N.J.) beat out an infield single to make it 1-0. Freshman Shane Kelly (Sewell, N.J.) and Angelini added sac flies to make it 3-0.
  • The Bulldogs extended the lead to 5-0 with two more runs in the third. With runners on second and third and two outs, Angelini delivered a two-run single to left.
  • Hartford cut into the Bryant lead with three unearned runs in the fourth. With two outs and a man on third, a ground ball was misplayed to allow a run to score. After an errant pickoff throw, Nick Campana doubled to left center to score a run. A third run came home on a throwing error from Ward.  
  • With two outs and no one on in the sixth, Bryant put together a two-out rally to plate a pair of runs. Sophomore Gaby Cruz (Miami, Fla.) walked, freshman Sam Owens (Scituate, R.I.) was hit by pitch and Ward roped a 2-1 offering from reliever Jack Rose to right field for a two-run triple.
  • The Hawks picked up two more unearned runs in the bottom of the inning to make it a two-run game again. With two outs, Ashton Bardzell laced a two-run home run to left field.
  • Bryant added a crucial insurance runs in the top of the eighth thanks to a passed ball. Owens reached on a fielder's choice, went to third on a Ward single and scored on a passed ball to make it 8-5.
  • Three-straight walks then loaded the bases with no outs in the bottom of the eighth. Wrighter then came on to face the middle of the Hartford lineup and got a lineout for the first out. Bardzell drove in a run with a sac fly to right but Wrighter got pinch-hitter TJ Ward to fly out to right to end the inning.

Stats

  • Hartford out-hit the Bulldogs, 10-8.
  • Bryant committed four errors in the game.
  • The Black and Gold scored their final five runs with two outs.  
  • Stansky tossed three scoreless innings in his first-career start. He allowed four hits and walked two.
  • Redshirt junior Justin Snyder (Georgetown, Mass.) allowed three unearned runs on four hits over two innings. He struck out two.
  • Sophomore Jack Ipsen (Eatontown, Mass.) allowed two unearned runs on two hits in two innings.
  • Wrighter walked one and struck out one over two scoreless innings.
  • Ward went 3-for-5 with a double, triple, two RBI and a run scored.
  • Gasper walked twice and scored twice.
  • Kelly went 1-for-3 with an RBI, a run scored and an outfield assist.
  • Angelini finished 1-for-2 with three RBI.
  • Owens scored two runs.
  • Jarod Norcross Plourde allowed three runs on two hits and recorded just one out in the start. Four Hartford hitters finished with two hits, while Bardzell drove in three.

Game Notes

  • Bryant is now 6-3 against Hartford at the DI level. It is the Bulldogs' first win over Hartford since Mar. 29, 2015.
  • The Bulldogs' four errors were a season high.
  • Stansky's outing was his longest of the season.
  • Wrighter and Ipsen also registered their longest outings of the season with each throwing two.
  • Wrighter has now recorded five-straight scoreless outings, spanning 6 1/3 innings.
  • Ward posted his third three-hit game of the season and of his career. He has eight multi-hit games this season.
  • Ward has now tripled in back-to-back games after going 25 career games without one. He also extended his on-base streak to a team-high 13 games.
  • Sophomore James Ciliento (Mahwah, N.J.) extended his hitting streak to 11 games with a single.
  • Gasper extended his on-base streak to 11 games with a pair of walks.
  • Kelly extended his on-base streak to 10 games.
  • Angelini's three RBI were a season high.

Up Next

Bryant opens Northeast Conference play this weekend with a three-game series at Wagner. Game one of the series is scheduled to be played Friday at 3:00 p.m.