Baseball falls at Central Connecticut, 10-9

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Despite a seven-run offensive showing in the third inning, the Bryant University baseball team could not hold off Central Connecticut's six-run rally in the seventh as the Bulldogs dropped a heartbreaker, 10-9, in the first of a four-game set to open Northeast Conference play Friday in New Britain, Conn.

Bryant (5-8, 0-1 NEC) outhit Central Connecticut (3-5-1, 0-1 NEC) by a margin of 13 to 12, led by junior Mike DelPonte (Tewksbury, Mass.) who went 2-for-4 at the plate with a game-high four RBIs. Sophomore Adam Claire (Litchfield, Conn.) added a perfect 3-for-3 performance while Jordan English (Windsor Locks, Conn.) drove in a pair of runs.

Peter Kelich (Jackson, N.J.) gave up five earned runs and struck out five in 6.0 innings on the mound for the Bulldogs while Jonathan Cohen (Norwalk, Conn.) took the loss in relief. Harry Glynne picked up the win for the Blue Devils and Nick Boyd came in for the final six outs to earn the save.    

The Blue Devils wasted no time getting on the board in the opening frame, touching up Kelich for three runs as an early error and three hits led to a 3-0 advantage for the home side.

The visitors answered in the top of the second on the bat of DelPonte as the junior belted a two-run shot to right, driving in Claire to trim the lead to 3-2, but the Blue Devils came right back in the bottom half of the inning on a sacrifice fly by Jake Matuszak, pushing the lead back up to two.

Bryant continued the offensive outburst in the top of the third, exploding for seven runs on seven hits to establish a strong lead. Kevin Brown (Northborough, Mass.) started off the impressive showing with a one-out double to right center, setting the table for David Soltis (Plainville, Conn.) who drove in Brown with a single through the right side. The Bulldogs followed with a pair of consecutive hits to load the bases for DelPonte, who drove in two more runs on an RBI single to right. With the bases loaded again after a walk, Joseph Carcone (New Hartford, N.Y.) picked up an RBI on a single through the left side followed by English, who doubled in a pair for the four-run lead. The visitors added one more in the frame on a sacrifice bunt by Tim Norton (Barnstable, Mass.), stretching the advantage to five, 9-4.

The Blue Devils would enjoy their big inning in the seventh, scoring six runs on five hits to take back control of the game. After three consecutive RBI singles pulled the home lineup within two, J.P. Sportman drilled a three-run homer over the right field fence to put the Blue Devils on top, 10-9.  

Boyd came in to get the final six outs to preserve the 10-9 victory for his first save of the season.

The Black and Gold take on the Blue Devils again tomorrow in a doubleheader with first pitched set for 1:00 p.m. in New Britain, Conn.