No. 18 Bulldogs clinch fifth-straight NEC Regular-Season title with 9-2 win in game two

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Freshman Steve Theetge (Cicero, N.Y.) tossed his second-career complete game and the No. 18 Bryant University baseball team captured its fifth-straight Northeast Conference Regular-Season championship with a 9-2 victory over Central Connecticut State in game two of a doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at Conaty Park.

The Bulldogs' (38-10, 21-4 NEC) win coupled with Sacred Heart's two losses to Wagner on Saturday clinched their fifth-straight title and their sixth in the last seven seasons. They are the only program to win five-consecutive regular-season crowns and have earned the No. 1 seed in the NEC Tournament that begins on May 26 at Dodd Stadium in Norwich, Conn.

Bryant also remained the only team in the country to not lose back-to-back games and is now 6-1 against the Blue Devils (20-29, 12-15) this season.

The Black and Gold trailed 2-0 after 3 1/2 innings but tied the game in the fourth and broke the game open with a six-run fifth inning. Junior Brandon Bingel (Peabody, Mass.) singled with one out in the fourth and senior Dan Cellucci (Sudbury, Mass.) was hit by a pitch to put two on with two outs. Classmate AJ Zarozny (Shrewsbury, Mass.) then stepped to the plate and drilled an 0-1 pitch just inside the left field line to tie the game. Bingel scored easily and Cellucci motored around from first to score ahead of the relay throw.

Bryant then erupted in the fifth, sending 10 men to the plate and scoring six runs on six hits. The first six batters of the inning reached, with the first four combining to hit for the cycle. Freshman Nick Angelini (Bedford, N.H.) opened the inning with a sharp single to center and senior Robby Rinn (Warwick, R.I.) stroked a 1-2 pitch into the right-center gap for an RBI triple to break the tie. Junior Matt Albanese (East Haddam, Conn.) then walloped the very next pitch over the left field wall and onto the practice putting green for a two-run home run. It was his 11th home run of the season, one shy of the Bryant DI single-season record.

Senior Buck McCarthy (Saugus, Mass.) completed the team-cycle with a bloop double down the right field line and Bingel advanced him to third with a single. An infield error brought home the fourth run of the inning and Zarozny chased CCSU starter Casey Brown with an RBI single to left-center. Junior Cole Fabio (Mahwah, N.J.) capped the inning with a sac fly to left.

Bingel capped Bryant's scoring with an RBI double in the sixth. Albanese walked and raced around from first as Bingel hit a long fly ball that landed at the base of the fence along the right-field line.

Central Connecticut had grabbed a 2-0 lead with two runs in the fourth. Dean Lockery singled to start the inning and advanced to second on a wild pitch. Andrew Hinckley then laced a single to right field that skipped by Angelini and all the way to the wall in right. Lockery scored on the play and Hinckley stopped at third and later scored on a sac fly from Corey Lerche.

Outside of the fourth, Theetge was dominant in improving to a perfect 7-0 on the year. He allowed two runs (one earned) on six hits, walked one and struck out four. Theetge retired the first seven batters he faced before working out of a jam in the third. He allowed just three baserunners the rest of the game after the fourth, a leadoff single in the fifth and two singles in the sixth.

Bingel finished the game 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored, while Rinn (2-4, RBI, R) and Zarozny (2-3, 3RBI) each added two hits. Rinn clubbed his 20th double of the season, becoming the first player in DI program history to record 20+ doubles in multiple seasons. Albanese chipped in two RBI and two runs scored.

Brown fell to 3-7 after allowing eight runs (seven earned) on nine hits over 4 1/3 innings. He walked one and struck out one. Hinckley and Matt Martinez each finished 2-for-3 in the game.

The Bulldogs and Blue Devils wrap up their four-game series on Sunday with a first pitch scheduled for 1:00 p.m. Bryant will honor its 12-membre senior class prior to the game.