Mattison, MacDonald pick up weekly honors

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Bryant University baseball sophomore Tyler Mattison (Fort Ann, N.Y.) and freshman John MacDonald (Stamford, Conn.) have been recognized as the Northeast Conference Pitcher and Rookie of the Week, respectively.

Mattison improved his record to 4-1 by logging his longest outing of the season during Bryant's 13-0 victory over Fairleigh Dickinson. The 6-foot-4 sophomore spun 7.0 shutout innings one day after FDU became only the second team this season to post a double-digit run total against the Bulldogs. Mattison limited the Knights to four hits, all of which were singles. He issued two bases on balls and registered a pair of strikeouts. The Empire State product held FDU hitless during five of seven frames, including a trio of 1-2-3 innings. He retired the last nine batters he faced prior to handing a 13-0 lead over to the bullpen. Mattison started his day by twirling a 1-2-3 first inning before encountering a few minor bumps during the second and third frames. The second-year Bulldog surrendered two singles in the second followed by two more base hits in the third, but he worked out of both jams by inducing inning-ending groundouts.

MacDonald put forth a masterful effort during his first career start. Taking the ball for a mid-week battle against A-10 member Rhode Island, the 6-foot-4 freshman spun 6.0 shutout innings en-route to a 2-0 triumph over a Top-100 RPI program. Pitching to an 0.50 WHIP, MacDonald limited the Rams to two singles and one base on balls. The Nutmeg State product, who totaled six strikeouts, retired the last seven batters he faced. Other than the two base hits, MacDonald allowed only three balls to leave the infield. After surrendering a first-inning single to the URI leadoff hitter, MacDonald proceeded to record 10 outs in a row before a fourth-inning walk snapped the string.