Wright homers twice as Bryant beats LIU, 10-2

BROOKLYN – Junior Chris Wright (Cumberland, R.I.) homered twice and senior Steve Theetge (Syracuse, N.Y.) tossed seven innings of one-run ball to lead the Bryant University baseball team to a 10-2 victory over LIU Brooklyn in the first game of a Northeast Conference series on Friday afternoon at LIU Field.

The Bulldogs (15-9, 3-1 NEC) have now won four-straight games for the first time this season.

Wright was one of five players to record multiple hits on the afternoon, finishing with a pair of two-run home runs and four RBI. Freshman Jake Gustin (Peabody, Mass.) had two hits and two runs scored, redshirt sophomore Jimmy Titus (Stafford, Conn.) had three knocks, classmate Ryan Ward (Millbury, Mass.) went 2-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored and junior Bryan Hart (Franklin, Mass.) had two hits, including a two-run home run.

Theetge took the hill with a four-run lead and went on to allow three runs or less for the 10th consecutive start. He allowed one run on six hits, walked three and struck out eight. The victory was the 27th in his career, moving him into sole possession of third place in program history.

Game Information
Bryant 10, LIU Brooklyn 2
Records: Bryant (15-9, 3-1 NEC), LIU Brooklyn (7-14, 1-3 NEC)
Location: LIU Field (Brooklyn, N.Y.)
W|L|S: Steve Theetge (4-1) | Zach Pederson (2-4)

Coach Owens' Comments

"Steve was excellent again today. He continued to pitch from ahead with good command. He minimized two jams into one run and that was very important. Really good offensive days from Jake, Jimmy, Ryan and Bryan, and a huge day from Chris. Jimmy and Bryan also made above-average defensive plays when we needed them. Will did a good job of finishing out the game for us."

Key Moments

• Wright punctuated Bryant's four-run first inning with a mammoth home run over the building in right field.
• LIU loaded the bases with no outs in the fourth inning but Theetge buckled down. He struck out back-to-back batters looking before getting a weak pop to second to end the inning.    

How it Happened

• Bryant got things going quickly on Friday as it plated four runs in the first. Titus and Ward stroked back-to-back RBI doubles before Wright hit a moonshot over everything in right field for a two-run home run.
• It remained 4-0 until Wright came up again in the third. Wright laced a 1-1 pitch into the short porch in right for his second two-run home run of the game.
• Hart then joined the part in the fourth as he launched a two-run home run to the deepest part of the ballpark to make it 8-0.
• The Blackbirds plated their first run in the sixth on a double into the left field corner from Alex Briggs.
• Bryant answered in the top of the seventh as Gustin singled to start the inning, went to third on a Titus single and scored on a Ward ground out.
• The Blackbirds plated their final run of the game in the eighth. Two singles put runners on the corners and Briggs brought home his second run with a ground out.   
• Junior James Ciliento (Mahwah, N.J.) capped Bryant's scoring in the ninth with an opposite field home run over the short porch in right.

Stats

• Bryant outhit LIU Brooklyn, 12-8.
• Gustin finished 2-for-5 with two runs scored.  
• Titus was 3-for-5 with a double, an RBI and a run scored.
• Ward finished 2-for-5 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored.
• Wright went 2-for-4 with two home runs, four RBI and two runs scored.
• Hart finished 2-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and a run scored.
• Ciliento's lone hit of the game was a solo home run.  
• Theetge allowed one run on six hits, walked three and struck out eight.
• Sophomore Will Treuel (Wolfeboro, N.H.) pitched the final two innings. He allowed one run on three hits. Treuel walked one and struck out three.

Notes and Notables

• Bryant improves to 32-13 all-time against LIU Brooklyn.
• The Bulldogs have now scored 10+ runs in six of their last seven games and eight times this year.
• Bryant is averaging 13.3 runs per game over the last seven.
• Bryant has hit 34 home runs in the first 24 games. The Bulldogs have hit 13 in their last four games.
• Ward has hit safely in 13-straight games and has 25 hits during the streak.
• Angelini has now had a hit and a run scored in each of Bryant's last 10 games.
• Angelini now has 194 career hits, sixth-most in DI program history. He's also fourth in runs scored (154).
• Angelini now has hit safely in each of his last 10.  
• Angelini had his stretch of three-straight games with a home run snapped.
• Titus posted multiple hits for the third time in his last four games.
• Titus has now driven in 19 runs in the last seven games.
• Ciliento has now hit safely in each of his last 13 games.
• Ciliento has at least one RBI and one run scored in each of the last seven.
• Ciliento's home run was his fifth of the year, a new career high. He has nine in his career.   
• Wright posted his first-career multi-home run game on Friday. He now has five on the year and 14 in his career.
• Wright also tied a career-high with four RBI. He has driven in eight runs in three games this week and has 25 on the year.
• Hart's home run was his first of the year and the sixth of his career. It was his first since last year's NEC Tournament.
• Theetge allowed three runs or less for the 10th-straight start.
• He improved to 4-1 on the year and 27-13 in his career. Theetge's 27 career wins are the third-most in program history.
• Theetge also improved to 20-1 in 23 regular-season starts against NEC opponents.
• Theetge has now allowed two runs (one earned) over his last 27 innings. He's struck out 36 in that span.

Up Next

Bryant and LIU Brooklyn continue their three-game series on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.