Bulldogs open NEC play with a 6-1 win over CCSU

NEW BRITAIN, Conn. – Sophomore James Karinchak (Walden, N.Y.) struck out eight over seven innings of one-run ball as the Bryant University baseball team defeated Central Connecticut, 6-1, in game one of Friday afternoon's doubleheader at the CCSU Baseball Field.

The Bulldogs (11-4, 1-0 NEC) have now won back-to- back games after opening the league season with a victory. The Blue Devils (5-8, 0-1) have now lost six of their last seven.

After allowing a run in the first inning, Karinchak settled down to earn his fourth win of the season. He allowed one run on seven hits, walked three and struck out eight on the afternoon. Karinchak used some help from his catcher Buck McCarthy (Saugus, Mass.) to escape a jam in the fifth. With the bases loaded, Karinchak struck out Ryan Costello with a breaking ball in the dirt. The ball popped away from McCarthy but he raced after it and then raced back home to tag out Franklin Jennings as he tried to score from third. The play ended the inning and was the last threat the Blue Devils had against Karinchak. Classmate Justin Snyder (Georgetown, Mass.) struck out four and allowed just one hit in two scoreless innings of relief.

Offensively, the Bulldogs were able to manufacture six runs against Central Connecticut senior lefty Casey Brown. In the second, junior Brandon Bingel (Peabody, Mass.) reached on a dropped fly ball by the right fielder and senior Zach Wood (Griswold, Conn.) walked to put two runners on with one out. Freshman Nick Angelini (Bedford, N.H.) then worked a two-out walk and junior Cole Fabio (Mahwah, N.J.) followed with a two-run single through the left side of the infield to give Bryant the lead.

Bingel extended the lead in the third with his first home run of the season. With two outs, Bingel got a pitch out over the plate and drove it over the right field wall for an opposite field home run.

The Black and Gold then tacked on a run in the sixth and two more in the seventh. Wood and senior Dan Cellucci (Sudbury, Mass.) singled to put runners on the corners in the sixth before Angelini delivered a sac fly to make it 4-1. In the seventh, junior Matt Albanese (East Haddam, Conn.) and senior Robby Rinn (Warwick, R.I.) singled to open the inning and Bingel brought home a run with a safety squeeze. Senior AJ Zarozny (Shrewsbury, Mass.) then drove in Rinn with a single to right center.

Rinn finished the game with two hits, Bingel drove in two and scored twice, Wood scored twice and Fabio drove in two for the Bulldogs.

Brown suffered the loss for CCSU, allowing six runs (four earned) on eight hits in seven innings. He walked three and struck out one. Dean Lockery went 2-for-3 with two walks and a run scored and Tyler Coleman finished with two of the Blue Devils' five doubles.