Bulldogs fall to UTSA in series finale on Sunday

SAN ANTONIO, Texas – UTSA scored in each of the first six innings and went on to an 10-4 victory, completing a three-game sweep of the Bryant University baseball team on Sunday afternoon at Roadrunner Field.

The Bulldogs (0-3) hit a home run for the third-straight game but issued eight walks, hit four Roadrunners (5-2) and committed three errors on the day.

The Bulldogs were able to score first for the second time in the series on Sunday, plating a run in their first at-bat. Matt Albanese (East Haddam, Conn.) doubled to start the game and AJ Zarozny (Shrewsbury, Mass.) doubled down the right field line two batters later bring home the first run.

UTSA would respond with the next six runs to take a commanding lead. It started with a four-run first inning. An infield single and a walk opened the inning for the Roadrunners before John Bormann tied the game with a single through the left side. A sac fly brought home the second run and Geonte Jackson capped the inning with a two-run bloop single down the right field line.

The Roadrunners then added single runs in the second and third innings. A walk and a single put the first two on in the second and Skyler Valentine flew out to center to bring home a run. Jackson then doubled off the wall in left field to make it 6-1 in the third inning.

Bryant cut into the deficit thanks to a Buck McCarthy (Saugus, Mass.) home run in the fourth. John Mullen (Walpole, Mass.) singled with one out and McCarthy followed with his first home run of the season, a wall-scraping drive to left-center, to make it 6-3.

UTSA answered with runs in each of its next three at-bats to put the game away. A pair of hit batters opened the fourth inning before Trent Bowles hit a chopper to short. The Bulldogs were able to get the first out at second but the relay to first went wide, allowing Valentine to score from third. In the fifth, with runners on first and third, UTSA pulled a trick play. Straub purposely fell at first base, while Valentine raced home from third for a run. Trent Bowles's RBI double and an infield error in the sixth made it 10-3.

The Black and Gold scored their final run of the game in the eighth inning. Albanese reached on an infield single and junior Zach Wood (Griswold, Conn.) followed with a single of his own in his first-career at-bat for the Bulldogs. Mullen then delivered an RBI single to right field to make it 10-4.

Sophomore Jack Patterson (Suffield, Conn.) started for the Black and Gold and was saddled with the loss. He allowed six runs on four hits, walked three and struck out one in 2.1 innings. Junior James Davitt (Wallingford, Conn.) gave up one unearned run on one hit, two strikeouts and one walk over 1.2 innings. Justin Snyder (Georgetown, Mass.) made his collegiate debut in the fifth, allowing a run on no hits. Alex Lagos (Wrentham, Mass.), Michael Marshall (Maynard, Mass.) and Ryan Johnson all tossed an inning of relief. Johnson tossed a scoreless eighth in his collegiate debut.

A day after earning the save against the Bulldogs, UTSA's Cody Brannon allowed just three runs on four hits and struck out three over 6.1 innings. He retired nine-straight twice during the game. Jeremy Filipek tossed 2.2 innings to close the door for the Roadrunners. Straub and Jackson each had three hits, with Jackson driving in three.

For the Bulldogs, Albanese (2-5, 2 R) and Mullen (2-4, RBI, R) each collected a pair of hits.

The Bulldogs return to the diamond on Friday, Feb. 27 when they begin a four-game series against Liberty in Lynchburg, Va. First pitch is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.