Bulldogs host URI Wednesday; Ranked third in NEIBA

BASEBALL WELCOMES URI ON WEDNESDAY

GAME NOTES

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University baseball team puts its nation-best 13-game winning streak on the line when it hosts intra-state rival Rhode Island on Wednesday, April 10 at Conaty Park.

Wednesday's meeting between the Bulldogs (18-9-1) and the Rams (14-16) will be the fifth in the series since the 2009 season, Bryant's first at the Division I level. URI holds a distinctive advantage in the series, having won each of the last three games, including a 10-3 decision last season in Kingston. The Bulldogs begin the week as the third-ranked team in New England for the second-straight week in the most recent NEIBA poll. Bryant earned two first-place votes and 30 overall points. URI is receiving votes in the poll.

The hottest team in the country, Bryant has been unbeaten since returning from its spring trip to Ohio three weeks ago. This past weekend, it took two comeback wins on Saturday and a dominant effort on Sunday to keep the streak alive. Sophomore John Mullen (Walpole, Mass.) provided the big hit in the first game on Saturday, a two-run double in the eighth, and classmate Jordan Mountford (Guelph, Ont.) hit a walk-off, two-run home run in game two to complete the sweep.

One of the top pitching teams in the country, the Bulldogs are ranked 38^th in ERA, Bryant's offense has really come to life over the last 13 games. They have averaged just under 8.5 runs per game and are hitting a robust .330. Three players are over .400 and three more over .300 during the stretch.

On Wednesday, the Bulldogs will send senior Joseph Michaud (Milford, Conn.) to the mound for his fifth start of the season. Michaud has won his last two decisions and has posted a 2.20 ERA in 28.2 innings. Last start, he struck out a career-high nine batters against Brown.

For the Rams, it's been a tale of two seasons. URI opened the year 0-10 with nine of the losses coming to teams ranked in the top 10 nationally. Since, the Rams have gone 14-6. URI is hitting .247 and averaging just over four runs per game. Jeff Roy, the 2012 A-10 Player of the Year, is hitting just .227 but has scored 21 runs and stolen 14 bases. Mike LeBel is arguably the biggest offensive threat with six doubles, a triple, a home run and 17 RBI. URI has posted a respectable 3.97 ERA and feature a 2:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio of 208:97.

Following Wednesday's game, the Bulldogs will host Quinnipiac in a four-game weekend series beginning on Friday, April 12.