Baseball hosts Monmouth in NEC showdown

TOP TWO TEAMS IN NEC MEET IN SMITHFIELD

GAME NOTES

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – With first place in the Northeast Conference standings on the line, the Bryant University baseball team hosts Monmouth in a four-game series this weekend at Conaty Park. The series begins on Friday, May 10 with a first pitch at 3:00 p.m.

The Bulldogs (33-14-1, 20-4 NEC) enter the weekend with a three-game lead over the Hawks (28-18, 17-7). Bryant can wrap up its third regular-season title in four years if it wins three-of-four against Monmouth.

If history repeats itself, however, this weekend will be a split. In each of the previous four meetings, the Bulldogs and Hawks have split four games, taking an 8-8 all-time record into this weekend. Last season, the Black and Gold were able to take the opener in 12 innings before splitting Saturday's doubleheader in West Long Branch, N.J. Looking for the series victory, Bryant jumped out to a 3-1 lead after 4 ½ innings but Monmouth scored two runs in the seventh and held on for a 4-3 win to split the series.

Like last year's Friday game, tomorrow's series opener will feature one of the top pitching matchup of the season as senior right-hander Peter Kelich (Jackson, N.J.) will face Monmouth left-hander Andrew McGee. The two are 1-2 in the league in ERA with McGee at 1.92 and Kelich at 2.23. McGee has throw an NEC-leading 84.2 innings, six complete games and is a perfect 5-0 in league play. Kelich is 7-3 on the year, 22-5 in NEC play in his career and just became the first pitch in program history to record 30 career victories last Friday.

The rest of the series could be decided by the offenses. Monmouth is hitting a league-leading .299 and features the top hitter in the league in Owen Stewart. The senior is hitting .414 with 67 hits, 29 RBI and 30 runs scored. All-NEC second baseman Jake Gronsky is hitting .318 with 11 doubles, four triples, three home runs, 23 RBI and 33 runs scored. On the mound, Frank Trimarco and T.J. Hunt will follow McGee. Trimarco is 5-0 with a  1.78 ERA as a freshman and Hunt is 4-2 with a 3.96 ERA in 38.2 innings.

For the Bulldogs, they bring the league's third-best average into the weekend at .282. They lead the conference with 90 doubles and 181 walks. Senior Kevin Brown (Northborough, Mass.) had a tough weekend against Central Connecticut but is still third in the conference with a .377 average and is third in the nation with a .509 on-base percentage. After a career-high four hits on Sunday, sophomore Daniel St. George (Shelton, Conn.) is hitting .400 in conference play with five doubles and 15 RBI. Freshman AJ Zarozny (Shrewsbury, Mass.) is also enjoying a strong conference season, as he leads the league with 10 doubles and has also driven in 17 and scored 18.

What follows after Kelich on the mound is the most dominant pitching staff in the conference. Bryant has posted a 1.89 ERA against league opponents, allowing just 12 runs the last two weekends. Graduate student John Healy (Cranston, R.I.) allowed one run on five hits over six innings, sophomore Kevin McAvoy (Syracuse, N.Y.) allowed one run on two hits in a complete game and junior Craig Schlitter (Guilford, Conn.) struck out eight over six innings last weekend against CCSU. Out of the bullpen, sophomore Trevor Lacosse (Watervliet, N.Y.) has a 1.67 ERA in 23 appearances and senior Salvatore Lisanti (Bronx, N.Y.) is tied for the league-lead with seven saves.

The series opens on Friday, continues on Saturday with a doubleheader and ends with a single game on Sunday.