Offensive explosion leads Bulldogs past Delaware, 16-5, Wednesday

NEWARK, Del. – The Bryant University baseball team pounded out a season-high 19 hits and scored a season-high 16 runs on its way to a convincing 16-5 victory over the University of Delaware on Wednesday afternoon at Bob Hannah Stadium.

With the win, the Bulldogs continue their best start in Division I program history as they improve to 10-4. The loss snaps a seven-game winning streak for the Blue Hens (12-5). Every Bryant starter had a hit, eight drove in a run and eight scored a run as Bryant scored in every inning but the ninth.

Junior Cole Fabio (Mahwah, N.J.), classmate Matt Albanese (East Haddam, Conn.) and senior Buck McCarthy (Saugus, Mass.) all had three hits, while senior Robby Rinn (Warwick, R.I.) and classmates AJ Zarozny (Shrewsbury, Mass.) and Dan Cellucci (Sudbury, Mass.) each finished with two. Rinn drove in four with a two-run triple and a two-run homer, while McCarthy and Zarozny each finished with three RBI.

Freshman lefty Steve Theetge (Cicero, N.Y.) was the beneficiary of the outburst as he earned his first-career win, allowing three runs on four hits in the first two innings. Sophomore Ross Weiner (Woodbridge, Conn.) followed with two perfect innings, redshirt junior Oliver Powers (Newtown, Conn.) tossed two scoreless and sophomore Justin Snyder (Georgetown, Mass.) and senior Michael Marshall (Maynard, Mass.) each tossed a scoreless inning of relief. Freshman righty Nathan Wrighter (Windsor, N.Y.) made his first-career appearance in the ninth and allowed two runs.

Bryant jumped on the Blue Hens immediately Wednesday as Fabio opened the game with a hustle double to left. A walk to Albanese followed and McCarthy brought both home with a booming double to the base of the 410' sign in center field.

The Bulldogs added to the lead in the second with a two-out rally. Freshman Nick Angelini (Bedford, N.H.) drew the first of his three walks with two outs and no one on and Fabio and Albanese knocked consecutive singles through the right side to make it 3-0.

Delaware answered in the bottom of the second with three runs to tie the game. Dan Trimble singled with one out and Nick Patten followed with a double to right center to make it 3-1. Calvin Scott then took Theetge deep, homering over the high left field wall to tie the game at 3-3.

It was all Bulldogs from there, however, as they responded with a three-run third and never looked back. Senior Zach Wood (Griswold, Conn.) and Cellucci picked up RBI singles in the third to highlight the big inning and Zarozny's first home run of the year in the fourth made it 8-3. Zarozny's 12th career home run cleared the 20' high left field fence.

Bryant went back to work in the fifth, scoring four runs. Albanese doubled home a run before Rinn greeted reliever Colman Vila with a two-run triple to the right-center gap. McCarthy capped the inning with an RBI single.

Angelini brought home a run in the sixth with a single through a drawn in infield, while Zarozny picked up his third RBI with a sharp single to right in the seventh. Rinn's second home run of the season, a monstrous two-run shot that bounced into the woods behind the right field wall, put an end to Bryant's scoring and made it 16-3 in the eighth.

The Bulldogs will now head back to New England to open Northeast Conference play against Central Connecticut on Friday, Mar. 18. The four-game series opens with a first pitch at 3:00 p.m. on Friday afternoon.