Late rally lifts Bryant to 9-4 win at Winthrop

ROCK HILL, S.C. – The Bryant University baseball team scored seven times in its final three at-bats to defeat Winthrop, 9-4, on Tuesday night at The Winthrop Ballpark.

Trailing 3-2, the Black and Gold scored three times in the seventh and four times in the eighth to improve to 7-6 on the year. Bryant, which posted a season-high 15 hits, received three-hit games from junior James Ciliento (Mahwah, N.J.), redshirt sophomore Jimmy Titus (Stafford, Conn.) and junior Gaby Cruz (Miami, Fla.).

Junior Chris Wright (Cumberland, R.I.) and sophomore Sam Owens (Scituate, R.I.) provided the pop as each homered and combined to drive in six. Wright went 2-for-4 with four RBI, while Owens was 2-for-5 with two RBI and two runs scored.

Bryant's pitching staff kept the game close, allowing just four hits in the contest. Sophomore Tyler Schoff (Lee Center, N.Y.) allowed three runs on one hit over three innings in his first career start, while five relievers combined to allow one run on six hits. Redshirt senior Justin Snyder (Georgetown, Mass.) tossed 2 1/3 scoreless, while redshirt junior Jack Owens (Scituate, R.I.) earned the win.

Game Information
Bryant 9, Winthrop 4
Records: Bryant (7-6), Winthrop (6-9)
Location: Winthrop Ballpark (Rock Hill, S.C.)
W|L|S: Jack Owens (1-0) | Jason Crumley

Coach Owens' Comments

"We did a solid job of pitching at the start and out of the bullpen. We played good defense. Gaby threw out a guy in a key situation and Cilly made a big catch in right field. We weren't very good offensively at the beginning of the game but the top of our lineup did a really good job of changing the game in the 7th and 8th inning. We got good at-bats in a row and were able to put up crooked numbers. Sam had two key hits and Chris Wright put the game away with his home run. I was very pleased to get three hits from Jimmy, Cilly and Gaby."

Key Moment

• Bryant entered the seventh down a run but Owens' two-out RBI single up the middle broke the 3-3 tie.     

How it Happened

• Bryant grabbed the first run of the game in the top of the second. Two walks and a hit batter loaded the bases and redshirt sophomore Ryan Ward (Millbury, Mass.) scored a run with a ground ball to first.
• The Eagles tied the game with an unearned run in the bottom of the second. An errant pickoff throw put a runner on third before a sac fly tied it.
• Bryant and Winthrop then traded solo home runs in the third. Owens launched his third of the year in the top of the inning and Jake Sullivan tied it with his second in the bottom half.
• Winthrop then took the lead in the bottom of the fourth on an RBI double from Grant English.
• It stayed that way until the Bulldogs scored three runs in the seventh and four more in the eighth. In the seventh, Ward was hit by a pitch and Ciliento singled to put two on. Wright tied the game with a sac fly before three-straight singles plated two more runs. Owens and freshman Jake Gustin (Peabody, Mass.) both drove in runs.
• In the eighth, Ciliento brought home Ward with the first run of the inning and Wright capped the inning with a three-run home run to right field. The laser was his second home run of the year.   

Stats

• Bryant outhit the Eagles, 15-7.
• Schoff allowed three runs (two earned) on just one hit over three-plus innings. He walked three and struck out one.
• Snyder allowed three singles over 2 1/3 scoreless innings.
• Owens recorded the final two outs of the sixth.
• Redshirt sophomore Nash Eppard (Essex, Conn.) tossed a perfect seventh.
• Freshman John MacDonald (Stamford, Conn.) pitched a perfect eighth.
• Ward finished 1-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored.
• Ciliento went 3-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored.
• Titus finished 3-for-5 with a run.
• Wright went 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBI.
• Owens finished 2-for-5 with a home run, two RBI and two runs scored.
• Cruz reached safely all five times with three hits, a walk and an HBP.
• Gustin went 1-for-2 with an RBI and two walks.

Notes and Notables

• Bryant and Winthrop were meeting for the first time in program history.
• Each of Bryant's last seven games had been decided by two runs or less prior to Tuesday.
• Bryant won for just the second time in two years and only the 21st time under Coach Owens when trailing after six.
• Cruz now has eight hits in his last three games. He's 7-for-8 in his last two games.
• Titus registered his second-straight three-hit game and the seventh of his career.
• Wright hit his second home run of the year and the 11th of his career.
• Wright also drove in a career-high four runs.
• Sam Owens hit his third home run of the year and the fifth of his career.
• Jack Owens picked up his second-career victory and his first since Apr. 16, 2017.
• MacDonald has now tossed four scoreless innings over his last three outings.
• Snyder registered a career-high 2 1/3 innings on Tuesday.  

Up Next

Bryant travels to Spartanburg, S.C., on Wednesday for a 5:00 p.m. contest against Wofford.