Bulldogs fall to #5 Oregon State, 2-1

BASEBALL NEARLY SHOCKS FIFTH-RANKED BEAVERS

CORVALLIS, Ore. – The Bryant University baseball team played fifth-ranked Oregon State even through the first nine innings but could not find a second run as the Beavers earned a walk-off victory with a 10^th inning single to center field on Friday night at Goss Stadium.

Facing their highest-ranked team in the Division I era, the Bulldogs (0-3-1) led the fifth-ranked Beavers (9-0) 1-0 heading into the bottom of the seventh but could not hold the lead. The teams will play a doubleheader on Saturday beginning at 3:05 p.m. EST. 

With the game tied 1-1 in the bottom of the tenth, Jake Rodriguez led off with a single to left and consecutive bunts put runners on second and third with one out. Tyler Smith came through for the Beavers, drilling a single to center field to end the game.

The Bulldogs put the leadoff runner on in each of the first two innings but finally broke through in the fifth thanks to a leadoff double from Jordan Mountford (Guelph, Ont.). He knocked the first pitch of the inning off the wall in right and then scored on a one-out single up the middle from Daniel St. George (Shelton, Conn.). Kevin Brown (Northborough, Mass.) followed with his 200^th-career hit to put runners on first and second with one out but Boyd worked out of further trouble with a strikeout and a ground ball.

Bryant had Boyd on the ropes all night but could not produce more than a run. The Bulldogs put two runners on with one out in the first but back-to-back strikeouts ended the inning. They left St. George stranded at third after he doubled with one out in the third inning and then stranded a leadoff single in the fifth. In the seventh, Bryant chased Boyd as Dan Muscatello (Hopkinton, Mass.) worked a leadoff walk but reliever Scott Schultz stranded a pair of runners with a strikeout and a ground ball.

Oregon State was finally able to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh. Jerad Casper's one-out line drive to right field was dropped allowing him to reach second. Bryant reliever Trevor Lacosse (Watervliet, N.Y.) struck out the next batter but Rodriguez stroked a two-out single to center to score pinch-runner Nick Rulli to tie the game at 1-1. Rodriguez tried to take second on the throw home but he was tagged out as he slid past the bag.

The Beavers had chances for big innings in the sixth and eighth but the Bulldogs escaped unharmed thanks to a pair of line drive double plays. Smith walked to start the sixth but he was doubled off at first as Michael Conforto hit a line drive right to first baseman Robby Rinn (Warwick, R.I.). In the eighth, OSU put runners on the corners with no outs against Salvatore Lisanti (Bronx, N.Y.) but the senior was able to work out of the jam. A fielder's choice ground ball to short recorded the first out, and then following an intentional walk to load the bases, Dylan Davis hit a line drive to short that Muscatello caught and flipped to second to double off the runner, ending the inning.

After being knocked out after four innings against Houston Baptist, Peter Kelich (Jackson, N.J.) rebounded with a dominant start on Friday. He scattered three hits over five scoreless innings, striking out four without issuing a walk. Kelich struck out a pair in the first before working out of his biggest jam of the night in the third. Peterson doubled inside the bag at third to start the inning and moved to third on a fly ball to right. Kelich bore down, getting a soft liner to second for the second out and ground ball to second for the final out to leave Peterson at third. He ended his night with a 1-2-3 fifth, throwing just 76 pitches on the night. Lacosse worked two innings, allowing an unearned run on one hit while striking out a pair. Lisanti suffered the loss, allowing a run on four hits over 2.1 innings of relief.

Oregon State entered the game with a 1.12 ERA and it showed why. Boyd allowed just one run on eight hits over six innings. He struck out seven and issue two walks in the no decision. Schultz was just as good in relief, striking out four and allowing just two hits over 3.2 scoreless innings.

St. George, Rinn and Mountford each has two hits for the Bulldogs and Brown became just the 15^th player in program history to record 200 career hits.

Bryant will send Craig Schlitter (Guilford, Conn.) and Kevin McAvoy (Syracuse, N.Y.) to the mound in the doubleheader tomorrow afternoon.