Wright, Titus lead Bulldogs to Friday sweep of Sacred Heart

NEW BRITAIN, Conn. – Freshman Jimmy Titus (Stafford, Conn.) broke a 2-2 with an RBI single in the top of the ninth to lead the Bryant University baseball team to a 3-2 victory and a doubleheader sweep of Sacred Heart on Friday afternoon at the CCSU Baseball Field.

With the win, the Bulldogs (28-23) wrap up their Northeast Conference season with a 20-6 record. Bryant will now await the results of Central Connecticut's final six games to see if it has claimed its sixth-straight NEC Regular-Season title. The Bulldogs need the Blue Devils to lose at least one of their remaining six NEC games in order to lock up the regular-season title and the No. 1 seed in the NEC Tournament. The Pioneers fall to 11-12 in NEC play with the loss.

Bryant's ninth-inning rally started with a one-out walk by senior Jacob Marotta (Bridgewater, Mass.). Classmate Cole Fabio (Mahwah, N.J.) hit the next pitch through the right side, sending Marotta sprinting towards third. Sacred Heart right fielder Dan Schock threw to third and it looked like he might get Marotta but the throw hit Marotta's helmet and bounced away, sending Fabio to second.

The Pioneers then decided to intentionally walk sophomore Nick Angelini (Bedford, N.H.) and bring Titus to the plate with the bases loaded. SHU righty Mike Lembo fell behind Titus 3-1 and Titus took advantage, hitting the next pitch through the left side for an RBI single.

In the bottom of the ninth, freshman Chris Wright (Cumberland, R.I.) retired the first two Pioneer batters before issuing back-to-back walks. Junior Logan Lessard (Cromwell, Conn.) was called out of the bullpen and the lefty struck out Ted Shaw looking to end the game and earn his seventh save of the year.

Wright, who earned his first collegiate victory thanks to Titus's single in the ninth, tossed 2 2/3 scoreless innings of relief after making the move from first base to the mound with a man on in the seventh. He walked two, struck out four and didn't surrender a hit in one of the best outings of the season.

Friday's series finale with tooth-and-nail, as was the case for a majority of the four-game set. Bryant struck first with a run in its first at-bat. Fabio opened the game with a single and raced all the way around from first as Titus doubled into the left field corner two batters later.

Sacred Heart quickly answered, tying the game in the bottom of the first. Anthony Capozziello, Keith Klebart and PJ DeFilippo recorded three-consecutive singles, with DeFilippo's single through the left side tying the game.

It remained tied until the Pioneers took the lead in the sixth. DeFilippo was hit with two outs, took second on a wild pitch and scored on a two-out single to left center from Austin Markmann.

Bryant had an answer though. Marotta singled to left field and then showed off his speed two batters later. Angelini roped a double into the left field corner and Marotta hurried around the bases, sliding head first into home just ahead of the relay throw, tying the game at 2-2.

The Pioneers tried to respond but Wright was brilliant in the seventh. Elijah Brown led off the frame with a single, ending the day for junior Jack Patterson (Suffield, Conn.). Stephen Thibault greeted Wright with a sac bunt, putting the lead run in scoring position for the top of the SHU lineup. Wright, however, got Shaw to pop out and then struck out Capozziello to strand Brown at second.

Patterson saw his scoreless streak snapped at 21 innings but was still able to give the Black and Gold six solid innings on Friday. He allowed two runs on five hits, walked four and struck out four in a no decision.

Fabio and Titus both went 3-for-5, with Titus driving in two runs. Angelini and Wright both had two hits and Marotta scored two runs for the second-straight game. Titus finished the weekend with 10 hits and leads all NEC rookies in RBI (38) and runs scored (38).

James Taubl gave the Pioneers six innings of one-run baseball just hours after he threw 1 1/3 scoreless innings of relief during Thursday's 17-inning marathon. He walked one, struck out one and allowed nine hits. Lembo suffered the loss, allowing one run on three hits in 1 2/3 innings.

The Bulldogs will now return home to finish finals week before wrapping up the 2017 regular season with a non-conference home-and-home with in-state rival Rhode Island next Thursday and Friday.