Gustin, Stansky lead Bulldogs to 8-6 victory

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Freshman Jake Gustin (Peabody, Mass.) drove in three runs and sophomore Matthew Stansky (Douglas, Mass.) tossed a career-high 4 1/3 innings of one-run relief as the Bryant University baseball team defeated Quinnipiac, 8-6, on Tuesday afternoon at Conaty Park.

The Bulldogs completed a season sweep of the Bobcats with Tuesday's victory and have now won 14-straight games in the series.

Gustin's two-run double gave Bryant a 4-3 lead and highlighted a five-run fourth inning for the Black and Gold. He would finish 2-for-4 with three RBI and a run scored out of the No. 9 spot in the order. Redshirt sophomore Ryan Ward (Millbury, Mass.), classmate Jimmy Titus (Stafford, Conn.) and junior Chris Wright (Cumberland, R.I.) all finished with two hits. Senior Nick Angelini (Bedford, N.H.) scored two runs.

Stansky entered with two on and two outs in the fourth and proceeded to toss 4 1/3 innings of one-run relief to improve to 2-0 on the year. He allowed one run on four hits, didn't walk a batter and struck out one. Redshirt junior Jack Owens (Scituate, R.I.) earned his first save as he struck out the potential tying run in the ninth.

Game Information
Bryant 8, Quinnipiac 6
Records: Bryant (32-13), Quinnipiac (19-24)
Location: Conaty Park (Smithfield, R.I.)
W|L|S: Matthew Stansky (1-0) | Blake DeCarr (0-2) | Jack Owens (1)

Key Moments

• Gustin gave Bryant the lead in the fourth as he roped a two-run double just inside the first base bag.
• Owens struck out Quinnipiac's Liam Scafariello, who entered the game with 39 career home runs, on a 3-2 pitch with a man on in the ninth to end the game.   

How it Happened

• Quinnipiac and Bryant traded first-inning runs. The first three Bobcats all singled, with Andre Marrero's single making it 1-0. Senior Craig Lacey (Westfield, Mass.) avoided further trouble as he got a strikeout and a ground out to strand the bases loaded.
• Bryant tied the game in the bottom of the first as Titus singled with two outs, took second on a wild pitch and scored on a single to center from Wright.
• The Bobcats retook the lead with two runs in the top of the second. A ground out plated the first run and Kyle Maves scored on the back end of a first-and-third play.
• Bryant erased the deficit with five runs in the fourth. The Black and Gold loaded the bases with one out and freshman Brian Nicolas (Langhorne, Pa.) ripped an RBI single to left for the first run. Gustin followed with a two-run double to give Bryant the lead. An RBI ground out from Ward and an RBI single by sophomore Sam Owens (Scituate, R.I.) capped the inning.
• The Bulldogs then tacked on two key insurance runs in the sixth and seventh. Titus scored Ward with a two-out single in the sixth and Gustin scored Angelini with a two-out single in the seventh.
• Quinnipiac rallied with a run in the eighth on an RBI double and two in the ninth on a home run before Owens closed the door.  

Stats

• Bryant outhit Quinnipiac, 12-11.
• Lacey allowed three runs on six hits, walked two and struck out over 3 2/3 innings.
• Stansky allowed one run on four hits and struck out one over 4 1/3 innings.
• Jack Owens recorded the final out of the game with a strikeout.
• Ward went 2-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored.
• Titus finished 2-for-5 with an RBI.
• Wright went 2-for-4 with an RBI.
• Angelini was 1-for-4 with two runs scored and a stolen base.
• Junior Gaby Cruz (Miami, Fla.) went 1-for-2 with two walks and a run scored.
• Nicolas was 1-for-3 with an RBI and a run.
• Gustin went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI.

Notes and Notables

• Bryant is now 20-1 all-time against Quinnipiac and has won 14-straight games in the series.
• Bryant matched its win total from 2018 with the victory.
• Bryant is now 13-7 in games decided by two runs or less.
• Ward now has 36 hits over his last 17 games. He's hit safely in all 17 of those contests.
• Angelini extended his DI program record for runs scored to 176.
• Angelini's stolen base was the 53rd of his career.
• Angelini now has 223 career hits, one shy of tying John Mullen for fourth in DI program history.
• Angelini has also hit safely in 11-straight games.  
• Wright has now reached safely in 33-straight games. It is the 14th-longest active streak in the country.
• Wright drove in his 40th run of the season and is one of five Bulldogs to do so this year.
• Gustin posted his 11th multi-hit game of the year and his fifth multi-RBI game of the year.
• Nicolas extended his hitting streak to 11 games.
• Stansky pitched a career high 4 1/3 innings on Tuesday.
• Jack Owens became the fifth different pitcher to earn a save this season.

Up Next

Bryant continues its eight-game homestand on Wednesday as Northeastern comes to town. First pitch is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.