Bulldogs complete weekend sweep of Hartford, 15-6

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Redshirt sophomore Jimmy Titus (Stafford, Conn.), sophomore Sam Owens (Scituate, R.I.) and freshman Brian Nicolas (Langhorne, Pa.) combined for nine hits, eight RBI and six runs scored as the Bryant University baseball team completed a weekend sweep of Hartford with a 15-6 victory on Sunday afternoon at Conaty Park.

Titus doubled, hit his team-leading eighth home run and drove in three, Owens went 3-for-4 with a double and Nicolas tied his career high with three hits and drove in a career-high four runs. Redshirt sophomore Ryan Ward (Millbury, Mass.) and senior Nick Angelini (Bedford, N.H.) each chipped in two hits, with Angelini finished with two doubles.

Junior Vito Morgese (Warwick, N.Y.) earned his second win of the year with five innings of three-run ball. He walked two and struck out three.

Game Information
Bryant 15, Hartford 6
Records: Bryant (24-11), Hartford (12-19)
Location: Conaty Park (Smithfield, R.I.)
W|L|S: Vito Morgese (2-3) | Sebastian DiMauro (2-1)

Coach Owens' Comments

"Jimmy had a great day, Sam had a great day and Brian had a great day. Vito gave us a good start and our bullpen did good job closing the door. It was a pretty offensive weekend for us and we are hoping we can stay locked in like that for a few more games."

Key Moment

• Bryant broke open the game with a seven-run fourth inning. Titus ripped a two-run double and junior James Ciliento (Mahwah, N.J.) followed with a two-run single to highlight the inning.    

How it Happened

• Hartford got on the board with a pair of runs in the first. A double steal plated the first run and an infield error allowed a second run to score.
• Titus got one of the runs back in the bottom of the first as he lifted a home run to left center.
• After Hartford added a run in the top of the second, Bryant took the lead for good with three runs in the bottom of the second. Nicolas scored the first run with a single through the left side and Owens scored the tying run on a wild pitch. Ward followed with an RBI double to right center to give the Bulldogs the lead.
• In the fourth, Nicolas singled down the right field line and came around to score on a bloop single from Tyler Panno (Rivervale, N.J.). A single and a walk then loaded the bases and Titus brought home a pair with a double into the left field corner. Ciliento added two more with a single through the left side and Owens and Nicolas capped the inning with RBI base hits.
• Bryant completed its scoring with single runs in the sixth, seventh and eighth. Nicolas brought home a run with a ground out in the sixth and freshman Vincenzo Castronovo (Utica, N.Y.) hit a pinch-hit home run to lead off the seventh. Nicolas added another RBI ground out in the eighth.

Stats

• Bryant outhit Hartford, 17-7.
• Morgese allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits, walked two and struck out three over five innings.
• Sophomore Will Treuel (Wolfeboro, N.H.) tossed a scoreless inning of relief.
• Redshirt senior Justin Snyder (Georgetown, Mass.) allowed three runs (one earned) over two innings of relief.
• Redshirt junior Jack Owens (Scituate, R.I.) tossed a scoreless ninth.
• Ward went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI and a run scored.
• Titus went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run, three RBI and two runs scored.
• Ciliento finished with two RBI and two runs scored.
• Angelini had two doubles, an RBI and two runs scored.
• Owens finished 3-for-4 with an RBI and two runs scored.
• Nicolas had three hits, four RBI and two runs scored.
• Castronovo hit a pinch-hit home run.

Notes and Notables

• Bryant is now 10-3 all-time against Hartford and completed a four-game sweep of the Hawks this year.
• Bryant hit .360 and scored 38 runs in the three-game series with Hartford.
• The Bulldog pitching staff posted a 2.67 ERA, walked just nine and struck out 27 in the three games.
• Ward now has 17 hits over his last seven games.
• Ward collected his team-leading 12th double of the year.
• Titus has now matched his career-high in home runs with eight.
• Titus also extended his league-high in RBI to 44.
• Ward finished the week 12-for-22 with four doubles, two home runs, nine RBI and seven runs scored.
• Angelini is now third in DI program history with 166 runs scored. He needs just six more runs scored to tie the DI program record. Angelini ranks 6th in program history.
• Nicolas posted his third multi-hit game of the week and drove in multiple runs for the second-straight game.
• Nicolas drove in a career-high four runs.
• Nicolas went 8-for-15 with seven RBI and four runs scored on the week.
• Owens recorded his second three-hit game of the weekend. He finished the series 7-for-9 with three doubles, three RBI, five runs scored and an .833 OBP.
• Morgese has now won back-to-back starts and is 11-11 in his career.
• Snyder's appearances was the 75th of his career, placing him in sole possession of second place in Bryant DI program history.

Up Next

Bryant and Hartford wrap up their weekend series on Sunday afternoon. First pitch is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.