BASEBALL DEFEATS HARVARD 5-0 FOR SEVENTH-STRAIGHT WIN

April 6, 2010

BRYANT BASEBALL WINS SEVENTH IN-A-ROW AS BULLDOGS DOWN HARVARD 5-0 TUESDAY

BOXSCORE

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Senior pitcher Eric Polvani (Wallingford, Conn.) won his 16th career game and improved to 2-4 on the season with another strong performance in leading Bryant University to a 5-0 baseball win over Harvard Tuesday afternoon.  The win, Bryant’s seventh-straight, improves the Bulldogs’ record to 10-13 on the year heading into Wednesday’s game at Boston College (3:00 pm).

The Bulldogs (10-13) struck first in the top of the fourth as Dylan Stone (Portsmouth, R.I.), who worked a two-out walk, advanced to second on a wild pitch and came around to score on a Zakary Cianciolo (Prospect, Conn.) double to right center.  For Cianciolo, who has been swinging a hot bat as of late, it was his second double of the year and 11th RBI. Cianciolo would finish with two hits in the game.

The Bulldogs would add another run in the fifth thanks to Kevin Brown’s (Northborough, Mass.) team-best fourth home run of the year, a solo shot to right to make it 2-0 Bryant.  Brown also had a pair of hits plus drove in two runs and scored once.

Cianciolo would have a hand in getting Bryant’s third run across in the sixth. With two outs and senior Nick Campbell (Raynham, Mass.) standing at third courtesy another wild pitch, Cianciolo reached second safely on a failed pickoff attempt at first, allowing Stone to trot home and make it 3-0.

Third baseman Tim Norton (Barnstable, Mass.) would lead off the seventh with a double and after Connor Carignan (Norwich, Conn.) popped up following a sacrifice bunt attempt, Brown lined a double down the right field line to score Norton from second.

Polvani would allow just four hits through seven innings before giving way to reliever John Michael Ryan (Worcester, Mass.) in the middle of the eighth after two Crimson reached. With two outs already in the inning, Ryan would get the Bulldogs out of the jam by getting Harvard (8-15) shortstop Sean O’Hara to line out to center to end the inning.

Postgame Notes …

* The game marked the 200th career game played for senior Nick Campbell (Raynham, Mass.).  Campbell also recorded his 287th career hit in the game.