Baseball sweeps up Mount with 5-2 win

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Junior Mike DelPonte (Tewksbury, Mass.) belted a two-run homer while rookie Craig Schlitter (Guilford, Conn.) tossed six K's in 7.0 innings of work, as the Bryant University baseball team toppled Mount St. Mary's, 5-2, Sunday afternoon for the four-game series sweep at the Bryant Baseball Complex.

Despite getting outhit by the Mount, 7-6, Schlitter (1-2) stranded eight Mountaineers (12-20, 6-14 Northeast Conference) on base and walked just five batters in the righty's first win of his career.

After Bryant (17-16, 9-7) took the lead in the first three games, the Mount would be the ones to jump out on top, after lead off man Tommy Flynn belted a solo shot over the right field fence, giving the visitors the 1-0 advantage.

The Bulldogs lineup would respond in the bottom half, as Connor Carignan (Norwich, Conn.) reached first after getting hit by a pitch and would make his way over to third on a David Soltis (Plainville, Conn.) single into centerfield. Carignan would tie things up, 1-1, on a wild pitch.

Schlitter would only allow two hits over the next three innings. Bryant would take its lead in the bottom of the third, as Kevin Brown (Northborough, Mass.) would reach on a fielder's choice and advance to second after English reached base on balls. Delponte would then load the bases with a pop up single in shallow right field, setting up Colin Shepard (Boxford, Mass.) with a two-run single to the right side for the 3-1 lead.

The Mount would threatin in the top of the fifth, as Schiltter issued two walks and a single to load the bases. But the six-foot right handed thrower would pull himself out of the jam with back-to-back strikeouts to end the threat.

The Bulldogs would add two more to their lead, as Mike DelPonte turned on a 1-0 pitch and sent it sailing over the right field wall in the bottom of the fifth for the 5-1 Bryant lead.

That is all the run support the Bulldogs would need, as southpaw Mark Andrews (Hillsborough, N.J.) entered the contest in the eighth inning and earned save No. 8 on the season after dealing two strikeouts and forcing four quick outs. With the W, Bryant claims its first sweep of the season and moves to two games above .500 in league play (9-7) for the first time in 2011.

Dan Muscatello (Hopkinton, Mass.) finished the series 7-for-15 with two extra base hits, four runs and two RBIs, while Brown (5-for-11) and DelPonte (5-for-12 ) combined for nine RBIs in the four-game stand.

On the hill, the Bulldogs pitching staff surrendered a mere six runs in the four-game stretch and held the Mountaineer lineup to a dismal .175 batting average. Peter Kelich (Jackson, N.J.), Salvatore Lisanti (Bronx, N.Y.), Schlitter and John Michael Ryan (Worcester, Mass.) combined for 30 strikeouts in 28.2 innings of work. Andrews add two saves to his resume while dishing 3 K's in 3.1 innings.

The Bulldogs look to continue their winning ways as the team travels to Cambridge, Mass. for a Tuesday, April 19 twinbill against Harvard University. First pitch is scheduled for 2:00 p.m., and fans can follow live stats at www.bryantbulldogs.com.