Ward extends hitting streak to 30 but Bulldogs fall to Northeastern

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Redshirt freshman Ryan Ward (Millbury, Mass.) extended his hitting streak to 30 games and his on-base streak to 40 games but the Bryant University baseball team fell to Northeastern, 10-3, on Wednesday afternoon at Friedman Diamond.  

Ward's hitting streak is the longest in program history and he is just fourth Division I player this season to record a hitting streak of 30 or more games. He's also one of only 10 players in the country with an active on-base streak of 40 or more games.

On Wednesday, however, Ward's 21st double was one of only four hits for the Black and Gold. Junior Tyler Panno (Rivervale, N.J.) chipped in two hits and drove in a run.

Game Information

Bryant 3, Northeastern 10

Records: Bryant (26-17-1), Northeastern (28-13)

Location: Friedman Diamond (Brookline, Mass.)

W|L|S: Sam Jacobsak (2-0) | Logan Lessard (1-2) | Josh Winkler (1)

Coach Owens' Comments

"We pitched very poorly. We walked 12 and let the leadoff hitter reach in all eight innings. That's pretty much the bottom line. You can't win a game when you do that. Offensively, there was some good at-bats by the guys at the top of the order but we didn't get enough throughout the lineup to get back into the game."

Key Moment

• Northeastern turned a 1-0 lead into a 4-0 lead with a three-run third inning.

How it happened

• Northeastern struck for a run in the first. Charlie McConnell struck out to lead off the game but reached on a wild pitch. He came around to score on a ground out.
• The Huskies extended their lead with three runs in the third. A walk and a single put the first two runners on and a throwing error on a ground ball back to the mound brought home the first run. Back-to-back ground outs scored the final two runs of the inning.
• Bryant plated its first run of the game without the benefit of a hit in the fourth. Senior Mickey Gasper (Merrimack, N.H.) walked and went to third on a throwing error. Panno scored him with a sac fly to center.
• The Huskies would extend their lead with two runs in the fourth, two in the fifth and one in sixth. A bases-loaded walk and a double-play ball scored two in the fourth, a two-out single and a wild pitch scored two in the fifth and a sac fly scored a run in the sixth.
• Bryant picked up its first hits of the game with back-to-back singles in the seventh from sophomore Chris Wright (Cumberland, R.I.) and Panno. A hit batter loaded the bases and a walk scored a run to make it 9-2. Reliever Josh Winkler ended the threat by inducing a 1-2-3 double play and a fly out.
• The Huskies made it 10-2 with a sac fly in the bottom of the seventh.
• Ward opened the eighth with a double to right center and came around to score on a wild pitch to make it 10-3.

Stats

• Bryant was held to just four hits in the contest.
• Senior Logan Lessard (Cromwell, Conn.) was saddled with the loss after allowing one run in the first. He struck out two.
• Freshman Will Treuel (Wolfeboro, N.H.) pitched a scoreless second inning.
• Redshirt sophomore Mason Palmieri (Lincoln, R.I.) induced a double play in a scoreless eighth inning.
• Ward doubled and scored.
• Gasper walked twice and scored a run.
• Panno had a two hits and an RBI.
• Wright singled and scored a run.
• Sam Jacobsak pitched the first three innings for Northeastern to earn the win.   

Game Notes

• The loss snaps Bryant's seven-game winning streak against Northeastern. Bryant now holds a 9-3 lead in 12 meetings at the Division I level.
• Ward extended his hitting streak to 30 games and his on-base streak to 40 games. Both are the longest of his career. He has reached safely in all but one game this season.
• Ward's hitting streak is the third-longest in the nation this season. It is also the third-longest active streak.
• Ward now has 81 hits on the season, tied for the fifth-most in a single season in DI program history. He is just the sixth player to have 80+ hits in a single season and just the second freshman.
• Ward's 21 doubles are tied for the fourth-most in a single season in DI program history.
• Panno posted multiple hits for the 13th time this year. He has multiple hits in two of his last three games.
• Gasper has now reached safely in a career-high 22-straight games.

Up Next

Bryant will spend its Northeast Conference bye week on Long Island. The Bulldogs will face Stony Brook on Friday, UMass on Saturday and the Seawolves again on Sunday. All three games will be played at Joe Nathan Field on Stony Brook's campus.