Bulldogs drop game two marathon, 5-4, in 12 innings

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – Sacred Heart's Victor Sorrento hit a walk-off single in the bottom of the 12th inning send the Pioneers to a 5-4 victory over the Bryant University baseball team in game two of Saturday's doubleheader at Harbor Yard.

The loss drops the Bulldogs (19-20, 10-5 NEC) back below .500 and into a tie with Wagner for first place in the league standings. The Pioneers (15-25-1, 8-7) snapped a six-game losing streak with the victory.

Trailing 4-1 in the top of the seventh, the Bulldogs rallied with two outs and no one on base. Junior Buck McCarthy (Saugus, Mass.) worked a walk to start the rally and sophomore pinch-hitter Joseph Paparelli (Preston, Conn.) singled to left center to put two runners on. Senior Jordan Mountford (Guelph, Ont.) then fouled off a pair of two-strike pitches before singling to left to load the bases. Sophomore Brandon Bingel (Peabody, Mass.) then knocked a two-strike single into right field to plate two runs, making it 4-3. SHU brought in closer Dan Wertz but sophomore Matt Albanese (East Haddam, Conn.) greeted him with a game-tying single through the right side.

Neither team was able to score until the 12th. Jesus Medina collected a one-out single, P.J. DeFilippo singled with two outs and Keith Klebart walked to load the bases. Sorrento then drove a single into left-center to end the game.

Overshadowed by the loss is the dominant effort from freshman Ross Weiner (Woodbridge, Conn.). The rookie came on in the third inning and went on to throw 6.2 scoreless innings of relief for the Black and Gold. He allowed just two hits, walked three and struck out five. James Davitt (Wallingford, Conn.) suffered the loss, allowing one run over 2.2 innings of work.

SHU received a great performance from James Cooksey and Wertz. Cooksey allowed four runs over 6.2 innings in just his second start of the year and Wertz struck out four and didn't walk a batter over 4.1 scoreless innings of relief. Medina earned the win by pitching a scoreless top of the 12th. Wertz and Medina held the Bulldogs to just two hits over the final 5.1 innings.

Bryant grabbed an early lead in game two with a run in the second. Junior Robby Rinn (Warwick, R.I.) roped a triple to right-center to start the inning but was still standing at third with two outs. Junior Daniel Palazzo (Rocky Hill, Conn.) drew a two-out walk and then took off for second. The Pioneers threw directly to the shortstop and Rinn broke for home and slid in safely as the throw was off the mark.

The Pioneers rallied to take the lead with a four-run third inning. Keaton Flint walked to start the inning and came around to score on a one-out single from Jayson Sullivan. An infield single and a walk loaded the bases before DeFilippo delivered a two-run single to right field. The final run of the inning scored as Klebart's ground ball to short took a weird hop into left field.

Offensively, Mountford and Rinn each finished with two hits. Mountford now has two hits in each of the last four games.

The Bulldogs and Pioneers wrap up their series on Sunday with a single game scheduled for 12:00 p.m.