Van Spronsen, Wagner defeat baseball, 3-2

WAGNER TAKES GAME ONE, 3-2, BEHIND VAN SPRONSEN

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Junior Peter Kelich (Jackson, N.J.) struck out eight and allowed just five hits but Wagner benefited from two unearned runs as they held on to defeat the Bryant University baseball team 3-2 in the first game of their Northeast Conference series on Friday afternoon at Conaty Park.

Needing a win to claim their second NEC regular-season championship in three years, the Bulldogs (30-21, 21-8 NEC) fell behind in the second inning and were never able to fully recover against the Seahawks (22-30, 15-14 NEC).

Wagner starting pitcher Ryan Van Spronsen kept the Bulldogs off balance all afternoon, tossing his seventh complete game of the season. He scattered eight hits and struck out eight to earn his eighth win of the season. Kelich matched him pitch-for-pitch, allowing just five hits but he was victimized by two infield errors.

The Seahawks got on the board in the second as Tommy Higgins worked a leadoff walk and moved to second on a sac bunt. Kelich struck out the next batter but Hayden Hunter ripped a first-pitch single through the left side to score Higgins from second for the first run. Advancing to second on the throw home, Hunter scored on the next play as Chris Smith's bunt single down the third base line was thrown away at first.

Wagner pushed the lead to 3-0 with a two-out rally in the fourth. Nick Alfano singled to center with two outs and an infield error kept the inning alive. Smith made the error hurt, doubling inside the bag at third to score Alfano from second.

Following the Smith double, Kelich was dominant and kept the Bulldogs in the game. He did not allow another hit over the next four innings and racked up seven ground ball outs.

With Kelich doing his job, the Bulldogs began chipping away at the lead in the fifth inning. Freshman Carl Anderson (Sudbury, Mass.) reached on a one-out bunt single and moved to second on a single from senior Connor Carignan (Norwich, Conn.). Following a fly out, junior Kevin Brown (Northborough, Mass.) got the Bulldogs on the board with a double down the right field line.

Bryant pulled within a run in the eighth inning. After it appeared the inning would be fruitless following a line-drive double play, senior Mike DelPonte (Tewksbury, Mass.) worked a two-out walk to restart the rally. He moved to third on back-to-back wild pitches and then scored as senior David Soltis (Plainville, Conn.) beat out an infield single up the middle.

The Bulldogs put the tying run on base in the ninth as well but were unable to do anything. Anderson singled with one out but was picked off at first. Van Spronsen ended the game on the very next pitch with his eighth strikeout of the afternoon.

Anderson led the Bulldogs with a career high three hits. Freshman Trevor Lacosse (Watervliet, N.Y.) and sophomore Jonathan Cohen (Norwalk, Conn.) combined to throw a scoreless ninth. Cohen entered the game with runners on first and second and one out and got a 4-6-3 double play to get out of the jam.

The Bulldogs and the Seahawks continue their four-game series on Saturday with a doubleheader starting at 1:00 p.m.