Theetge, Kelly lead Bryant past Quinnipiac, 5-2

RICHMOND, Va. – Senior Steve Theetge (Syracuse, N.Y.) struck out 10 over six scoreless innings and sophomore Shane Kelly (Sewell, N.J.) had three hits and two RBI as the Bryant University baseball team defeated Quinnipiac, 5-2, on Saturday morning.

Theetge allowed just four hits, walked one and struck out 10+ batters for the second straight start as he earned the 25th victory of his career. He struck out two batters in each of the first four innings, becoming the first left-handed pitcher in program history to post 200 career strikeouts in the process. Junior Chris Wright (Cumberland, R.I.) made Theetge's outing stand up as he struck out seven over the final three innings.

Kelly provided the offensive pop for the Black and Gold as he went 3-for-4 with a home run and two RBI. Junior James Ciliento (Mahwah, N.J.) chipped in RBI singles in the seventh and ninth to give Bryant much-needed insurance.  

Game Information
Bryant 5, Quinnipiac 2
Records: Bryant (9-7), Quinnipiac (4-10)
Location: Pitt Field (Richmond, Va.)
W|L|S: Steve Theetge (2-1) | Chris Enns (1-3) | Chris Wright (5)

Coach Owens' Comments

"We got a tremendous start from senior Steve Theetge. He had total command of all of his pitches and got ahead of all of the hitters. He got into one jam and pitched himself out of it, which is what the good ones do. Chris Wright was electric out of the bullpen, once again. He's solidified himself as a legit backend closer. We got hits from eight different players and we got multiple RBIs from James and Shane. We played errorless defense and Nick made a huge throw to get a runner at the plate and change momentum. Very complete effort. We are looking forward to finishing our trip tomorrow."

Key Moments

• Theetge posted back-to-back strikeouts with a runner on third in the second to keep Bryant on top, 1-0.
• Senior Nick Angelini (Bedford, N.H.) preserved Bryant's three-run lead in the fifth with a perfect throw to the plate.   

How it Happened

• Bryant plated a run with a two-out rally in the first. Redshirt sophomore Ryan Ward (Millbury, Mass.) singled to left to extend the inning and Kelly hit a bloop single to left center to score a run.
• The Bulldogs extended the lead with two runs in the fourth. Kelly opened the inning with an opposite-field home run. Singles from junior Gaby Cruz (Miami, Fla.) and Angelini set the stage for a sac fly from freshman Brian Nicolas (Langhorne, Pa.) to make it 3-0.  
• Angelini kept the Bobcats off the board in the fifth as he charged a two-out single and made a perfect one-hop throw to the plate to get the runner.
• Ciliento then extended Bryant's lead with RBI singles in the seventh and ninth.
• Quinnipiac plated its only runs with a two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth.

Stats

• Theetge allowed four hits, walked one and struck out 10 over six scoreless innings. He threw 95 pitches in the outing.
• Theetge struck out two batters in each of first four innings, stranding a runner at third in the second.
• Wright allowed two runs on two hits, walked two and struck out seven over three innings of relief to earn his fifth save.
• Ciliento went 2-for-5 with two RBI.
• Wright also went 1-for-4 with a double and a run scored.
• Kelly finished 3-for-4 with a home run, two RBI and a run scored.
• Freshman Vincenzo Castronovo (Utica, N.Y.) contributed a pinch-hit double.

Notes and Notables

• Bryant improves to 18-1 all-time against the Bobcats.
• Bryant is now 5-2 on its current eight-game spring break trip.
• Bryant has now hit nine home runs this week and 18 on the year.
• Theetge has now allowed three runs or less in each of his first five starts this year and each of his last eight dating back to last year.
• Theetge struck out 10+ batters for the second straight start. He has 21 strikeouts in his last two outings.
• Theetge's 25th-career victory ties him with Eric Loh for fifth all-time in program history.
• Theetge also registered his 200th career strikeout in the game, becoming just the fourth pitcher in DI program history, and the first lefty, to accomplish the feat. His 205 strikeouts are tied for fifth all-time at Bryant.
• Kelly's home run was his third of the spring break trip and the sixth of his career.
• Kelly registered his second three-hit game of the year and the sixth of his career. He now has 14 career multi-hit games.
• Ciliento posted his fourth multi-RBI game of the year.
• Ward now has 11 hits during his five-game hitting streak.
• Wright is now 5-for-5 in save opportunities.
• Wright has now struck out 25 batters in 10 2/3 innings this year.  

Up Next

Bryant wraps up the Spider Invitational and its spring break trip on Sunday against Toledo. First pitch is scheduled for 10:00 a.m.