Ciliento's throw helps Bulldogs hang on in game one Saturday

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Sophomore James Ciliento (Mahwah, N.J.) threw out the tying run at the plate in the top of the seventh inning to help the Bryant University baseball team hang on for a 4-3 victory over Sacred Heart in game one of Saturday's Northeast Conference doubleheader.   

Less than 24 hours after his single gave Bryant a walk-off win in game one of the series, Ciliento used his arm to preserve the victory in game two of the series. With the tying run on base and one out in the seventh, Ciliento charged a single and threw a perfect, one-hop strike to the plate to get the out.

Game Information

Bryant 4, Sacred Heart 3

Records: Bryant (21-14-1, 12-4 NEC), Sacred Heart (9-22, 4-7 NEC)

Location: Conaty Park (Smithfield, R.I.)

W|L|S: Tyler Mattison (4-1) | Brent Teller (2-5) | Justin Snyder (1)

Key Moments

• Leading by a run in the bottom of the sixth, sophomore Bryan Hart (Franklin, Mass.) tripled to left center. The throw to third got away, allowing Hart to score a huge insurance run.
• Sacred Heart's Jake Frasca tried to scoring the tying run in the top of the seventh but Ciliento threw him out at the plate.

How it happened

• Bryant struck for two in the bottom of the first inning. Redshirt freshman Ryan Ward (Millbury, Mass.) walked on five pitches and Ciliento followed with a double to left field. Brent Teller struck out the next two hitters before walking sophomore Chris Wright (Cumberland, R.I.) on four pitches. Classmate Gaby Cruz (Miami, Fla.) then fell behind 1-2 but lined the next pitch back up the middle to drive in two runs.
• Sacred Heart threatened in the second and fourth against freshman Tyler Mattison (Fort Ann, N.Y.). After two singles in the second, Mattison got a strikeout-throw em out double play. In the fourth, Mattison struck out back-to-back batters before a fly out stranded runners on second and third.
• The Pioneers got on the board in the fifth. With two outs and runners on second and third, Frasca hit a slow roller to third that he beat out for an RBI infield single.
• Bryant pushed its lead to 3-1 with three-straight hits to open the bottom of the fifth. Ciliento scored the run with a single down the right field line.
• Sacred Heart cut the deficit to one in the top of the sixth with an unearned run.
• In the bottom of the sixth, Hart drilled one to left center. He raced around to third and the ball hit him as he slid in. He got up and scrambled home to make it 4-2.
• Three-straight walks loaded the bases with no outs for SHU in the top of the seventh and DeFilippo made it 4-3 with a sac fly. Bobby Garbuio then singled through the right side and Ciliento threw out Frasca trying to score. Redshirt junior Justin Snyder (Georgetown, Mass.) finished the game with a strikeout.

Stats

• Mattison earned the win with 4 2/3 innings of one-run ball. He struck out four, allowed seven hits and didn't walk a batter.
• Senior Logan Lessard (Cromwell, Conn.) threw just one pitch as he ended the fifth with a pop out.
• Junior Craig Lacey (Westfield, Mass.) allowed one unearned run in an inning of relief.
• Snyder picked up the save as he recorded the final three outs.
• Ward went 1-for-2 with a run scored.
• Ciliento went 2-for-3 with a double, an RBI and a run scored.
• Cruz had two hits and two RBI.
• Hart tripled and scored.
• Owens picked up a double and scored.
• Sacred Heart's Brent Teller pitched all six innings, allowing four runs (three earned) on seven hits. He walked three and struck out six.  

Game Notes

• The Bulldogs are now 28-15 against Sacred Heart at the DI level.
• Bryant improved to 6-2 in one-run games.
• The Bulldogs have now won seven-straight games.
• Mattison has won each of his last three starts.
• He has not walked a batter in each of his last three starts.
• Snyder picked up his first save since May 28, 2016. It is the 11th of his career.
• Ward extended his hitting streak to 22 games and his on-base streak to 32 games. Both are the longest of his career. He has reached safely in all but one game this season.
• Wright's hitting streak ended at 13 but he extended his on-base streak to 16.
• Cruz posted his 10th multi-hit game of the year and his 6th multi-RBI game of the year.