Ciliento, Rodriguez take home NEC weekly honors

SOMERSET, N.J. – Bryant University baseball senior James Ciliento and freshman Damaurys Rodriguez were named Northeast Conference Player and Rookie of the Week, respectively, on Tuesday.

The duo helped the Bulldogs outscore Merrimack 42-1 in a three-game sweep over the weekend.

Ciliento went 7-for-14 on the week with two home runs, eight RBI and seven runs scored. He was at his best against the Warriors, going 7-for-10 with a double, two home runs, eight RBI and seven runs. Ciliento had three hits, including a three-run home run in the first game of the series, and then went 3-4 with a home run in the series finale.

Rodriguez 3-for-11 over the final two games of the series with Merrimack, starting both games of Sunday's doubleheader. He hit his first-career home run in the first game of the doubleheader and added an RBI in the nightcap.

In addition, Derek Smith and Tyler Mattison were named NEC Prime Performers. Smith went 7-for-13 with a double, six RBI and four runs scored in four games last week. Mattison tied a career-high with nine strikeouts over 6.0 scoreless innings vs. Merrimack.