NO. 2 BRYANT TAKES ON NO. 5 DOWLING IN OPENING ROUND OF NCAA NORTHEAST REGIONAL THURSDAY AT 2:30 P.M.

May 15, 2008

NO. 2 BRYANT TAKES ON NO. 5 DOWLING IN OPENING ROUND OF NCAA NORTHEAST REGIONAL THURSDAY AT 2:30 P.M.

Live Stats / Live Audio / Postseason Notes / NCAA Regional Website  

RINDGE, NH -- The Bryant University baseball team makes its return to NCAA Tournament action for the second-straight year, entering the 2008 double-elimination tournament as the No. 2 seed in the Northeast Regional hosted by Franklin Pierce University at Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field, May 15-18, 2008.

The Bulldogs (39-19), regular-season champs of the Northeast-10 Conference, take on East Coast Conference tournament winners No. 5 Dowling College (28-17), Thursday, May 15 at 2:30 p.m.

Bryant and Dowling haven't met since 2004, when the Bulldogs took 2-of-3 games from the Golden Lions, including the Regional Final, to earn their first-ever trip to the College World Series.

Click the links above to listen live or follow along play-by-play with Live Stats. 

2008 NCAA Division II Northeast Regional
Hosted by Franklin Pierce University
Dr. Arthur and Martha Pappas Field
May 15-18

Thursday, May 15
Game 1: #6 C.W. Post (29-25, 16-11 ECC) at #1 Franklin Pierce (39-12, 20-10 NE-10), 11 a.m.
Game 2: #5 Dowling (28-17, 17-10 ECC) vs. #2 Bryant (39-19, 25-5 NE-10), 2:30 p.m.
Game 3: #4 Caldwell (32-17, 19-8 CACC) vs. #3 So. Connecticut (36-17, 24-6 NE-10), 6 p.m.

Friday, May 16
Game 4: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser, 11 a.m.
Game 5: Game 1 winner vs. Game 3 loser, 2:30 p.m.
Game 6: Game 2 winner vs. Game 3 winner, 6 p.m.

Saturday, May 17
Game 7: Game 5 winner vs. Game 6 winner, 3 p.m.
Game 8: Game 4 winner vs. Game 6 loser, 6:30 p.m.
Game 9: Game 7 loser vs. Game 8 winner, 10 p.m.

Sunday, May 18
Game 10: Game 7 winner vs. Game 9 winner, 2 p.m.
Game 11: if necessary, 5:30 p.m.

If five teams remain after Game Six and two after Game Nine:

Saturday, May 17
Game 7: Game 5 loser vs. Game 6 loser, 3 p.m.
Game 8: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 6:30 p.m.
Game 9: Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 winner, 10 p.m.

Sunday, May 18
Game 10: Game 8 winner vs. Game 9 winner, 2 p.m.
Game 11: if necessary, 5:30 p.m.

If five teams remain after Game Six and three after Game Nine:

Saturday, May 17
Game 7: Game 5 loser vs. Game 6 loser, 3 p.m.
Game 8: Game 4 winner vs. Game 5 winner, 6:30 p.m.
Game 9: Game 6 winner vs. Game 7 winner, 10 p.m.

Sunday, May 18
Game 10: Game 9 loser vs. Game 8 winner, 2 p.m.
Game 11: Game 9 winner vs. Game 10 winner, 5:30 p.m.

BRYANT IN THE NCAAs

The Bulldogs return to NCAA Tournament action for the second-straight season, after qualifying for the 2007 NCAA Northeast Regional as the fifth seed last year.

In 2007, Bryant took a loss in the first round before ripping off three-straight wins to advance into the regional finals. There, the Bulldogs faced off against host and NE-10 rival Franklin Pierce, but fell to the Ravens, 5-2.

In 2004, the Bulldogs advanced out of the Northeast Regional, where they were the top seed, earning Bryant's first-ever trip to the College World Series. The 2008 Bulldogs look to repeat this feat, and this season's appearance marks the sixth in program history (1986, 1998, 2002, 2004, 2007, 2008).

BULLDOGS AGAINST THE FIELD 

The Bulldogs have faced three of the five other teams in the Northeast Regional during the 2008 regular season.

No. 1 Franklin Pierce: Bryant is 1-2 against the Ravens this season, with host Franklin Pierce eking out a 10-9 win in their last meeting at the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament, May 10. The Bulldogs and the Ravens split their regular-season doubleheader back on April 3 in Rindge, NH, with Franklin Pierce taking a 7-5 win in Game One and Bryant coming back to even the score with a 6-5 win under the lights in the nightcap. Sophomore 1B Dylan Stone (Portsmouth, RI) is batting .455 against FPU, with five hits in 11 at-bats, including a double. Five Bulldogs are hitting .300 or better against this year's top seed.

No. 3 Southern Connecticut: The Bulldogs are also 1-2 against the Owls in 2008. Bryant recorded an 10-0 thrashing of SCSU on April 15 before falling to the Owls, 1-0, two days later in a loss that would jumpstart Southern Connecticut's 16-game winning streak that rounded out the regular season. Bryant would fall again to the Owls, 1-0, in the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament semifinals, when sophomore closer Eric Polvani (Wallingford, Conn.) walked in the winning run in the top of the ninth. Starter Brent Almeida (Fairhaven, Conn.) is 0-2 against SCSU, despite a pair of strong outings.

No. 4 Caldwell: While Bryant did not face Caldwell this season, the Cougars are 0-1 against the NE-10 in 2008. Caldwell fell to the College of Saint Rose, 2-1, on April 30. This is the second-consecutive NCAA appearance for the Cougars.

No. 5 Dowling: While Bryant did not face Dowling this season, the Golden Lions are 4-2 against the NE-10 in 2008. The teams will matchup in the first round game, Thursday, May 15 at 2:30 p.m. Dowling last appeared in the NCAAs in 2006, but advanced to the regional finals in 2004, where they fell to Bryant, 4-2.

No. 6 C.W. Post: The Bulldogs are 1-0 against the Pioneers in 2008. Bryant took a 10-4 win in Brookville, NY on April 11 behind a 2-for-4, three RBI day from Stone. Sophomore CF Nick Campbell (Raynham, Mass.) and junior LF Pat O'Connor (Mattapoisett, Mass.) each recorded a pair of RBI in the win.

2008 NORTHEAST-10 TOURNAMENT RECAP

May 7 - First Round - Single Elimination
Game 1: #6 Bentley 2 at #3 Franklin Pierce 10 (Bentley Eliminated)
Game 2: #5 Pace 7 at #4 UMass Lowell 1 (UMass Lowell Eliminated)

May 9 - Double Elimination
Hosted by Franklin Pierce
Game 3: #3 Franklin Pierce 5 vs. #2 Southern Connecticut 2
Game 4: #5 Pace 3 vs. #1 Bryant 4

May 10
Game 5: #2 Southern Connecticut 6 vs. #5 Pace 1 (Pace Eliminated)
Game 6: #3 Franklin Pierce 10 vs. #1 Bryant 9
Game 7: #2 Southern Connecticut 1 vs. #1 Bryant 0 (Bryant Eliminated) 

May 11
Game 8: #3 Franklin Pierce 6 vs. #2 Southern Connecticut 4 (S. Conn. Eliminated)