Bulldogs sweep Delaware in dominant fashion

BEL AIR, Md. – The Bryant University baseball team combined to score 25 runs on 23 hits on its way to 14-2 and 11-0 victories over Delaware on Friday afternoon at Harford Community College.

The Bulldogs (9-7) pounded out 14 hits in game one and nine more in game two to move above .500 for the first time this season. The Blue Hens (9-11) made nine errors in the two games.

GAME ONE

Delaware seemed to have all the momentum early on as it worked out of a bases-loaded jam in the first and scored in the bottom of the first to take a 1-0 lead. The Bulldogs, however, responded with their first four-run inning in the second. Buck McCarthy (Saugus, Mass.), Dan Cellucci (Sudbury, Mass.) and Zane Smith (Ilion, N.Y.) started the inning with three-consecutive singles to tie the game at 1-1. Brandon Bingel's (Peabody, Mass.) fielder's choice ground ball made it 2-1 and Carl Anderson (Sudbury, Mass.) followed with a two-run home run to dead center to complete the scoring. It was his first home run of the season.

Bryant used a two-out rally to plate two runs in the fourth. Bingel singled and Anderson reached on an error to extend the inning before John Mullen (Walpole, Mass.) plated both with a single up the middle.

The Bulldogs put the game away with four runs in the fifth and four more in the eighth. In the fifth, Jordan Mountford (Guelph, Ont.) led off with a monstrous solo home run to right center to make it 7-2. McCarthy followed back-to-back singles with an RBI double to right-center and the final two runs came around to score on an infield ground ball from Bingel. A run scored on the fielder's choice and the second scored on a throwing error.

In the eighth, an error and a single opened the inning before Matt Albanese (East Haddam, Conn.) delivered an RBI single up the middle. Robby Rinn (Warwick, R.I.) followed by smashing a two-run double into the right field corner and capped the scoring as he crossed the plate on a McCarthy ground out.

Senior right-hander Craig Schlitter (Guilford, Conn.) was the recipient of the offensive outburst, moving his record to 3-1 on the year. He allowed two runs on five hits and struck out five over seven innings. Delaware put runners in scoring position in each of the first four innings but only had two runs to show for it. After a two-out RBI single in the fourth, Schlitter retired the next 10 batters in a row before allowing a two-out single to EJ Stoltzfus in the seventh. Alex Lagos (Wrentham, Mass.) tossed two scoreless innings to close out the victory for the Black and Gold.

Mullen, Albanese, Rinn, McCarthy and Cellucci all finished with two hits and Anderson scored three runs. Anderson, Mullen, Rinn, McCarthy and Bingel all drove in two.

GAME TWO

Bryant continued its offensive onslaught in game two, scoring multiple runs in four of the seven innings. The Bulldogs opened the flood gates in the second inning, scoring four runs for the second-straight game. Tom Gavitt (North Stonington, Conn.) doubled to base of the center field wall, Daniel St. George (Shelton, Conn.) and Cole Fabio (Mahwah, N.J.) were both hit to load the bases and Cellucci scored all three with a bases-clearing double to right center. Cellucci came around to score on an Anderson bunt to cap the scoring.

The Bulldogs went on to score two runs in third and fourth innings. Fabio drove home Albanese with an RBI single to left and Gavitt scored on an errant pickoff throw to make it 6-0 in third. Albanese was then hit by a pitch with the bases loaded in the fourth and Rinn hit into a double play to make it 8-0.

Bryant closed its scoring in the sixth with a long ball. Anderson singled and Mullen was hit to start the inning, and Mountford followed with a three-run home run to right center. It was his second home run of the day.

While the offense was doing its job, junior Kevin McAvoy (Syracuse, N.Y.) was putting together one of the most dominant outings of his career. The third-year Bulldog tossed his second career complete-game shutout, allowing just three hits and striking out six. He faced the minimum over the first three innings and retired six of the final seven batters he faced.

Anderson and Mullen both had two hits and two runs scored. Gavitt finished with two runs scored and Mountford and Cellucci each drove in three.

The Bulldogs and Blue Hens wrap up their weekend series with a doubleheader on Saturday. Game one is scheduled to start at 12:00 p.m.