Bulldogs secure eighth-straight NEC Regular-Season title

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Senior Nathan Wrighter (Windsor, N.Y.) and junior Chris Wright (Cumberland, R.I.) pitched the Bryant University baseball team to a 3-2 rain-shortened victory over LIU Brooklyn and its eighth-straight Northeast Conference Regular-Season Championship on Sunday afternoon at Conaty Park.

The Bulldogs won the series and have now clinched at least a share of the NEC Regular-Season title and will be the No. 1 seed in the NEC Tournament. Sunday's game was called after 5 1/2 innings due to rain.

Making his second-career start, Wrighter allowed one run on three hits and struck out four over four innings. Wright followed with two innings of one-run relief to earn his 12th save of the year.

Bryant managed just one hit offensively but was able to push across three runs in the bottom of the third. Redshirt sophomore Ryan Ward (Millbury, Mass.) collected the Bulldogs' only hit.

Game Information
Bryant 3, LIU Brooklyn 2
Records: Bryant (36-16, 17-4), LIU Brooklyn (19-30, 9-12)
Location: Conaty Park (Smithfield, R.I.)
W|L|S: Nathan Wrighter (3-1) | Jackson Svete (1-5) | Chris Wright (12)

Key Moments

• Wright drew a bases-loaded walk to break a 1-1 tie in the third.
• Wright then struck out back-to-back batters to strand the bases loaded in the sixth.

How it Happened

• LIU took a 1-0 lead with a two-out rally in the second. A single and a hit batter extended the inning and Colin Adams blooped a single to left to score a run.
• In the third, freshman Brian Nicolas (Langhorne, Pa.) reached on an error to start the inning and then went to third on Ward's single. Junior James Ciliento (Mahwah, N.J.) then hit a slow ground ball to third and Nicolas was able to beat the throw home for the tying run. A hit by pitch then loaded the bases and Wright walked to force in a run. A fielder's choice ground ball to short brought home the third run.
• LIU made it interesting in the sixth as a hit by pitch and two walks loaded the bases with one out. Andrew Smith made it 3-2 with a single to right but Wright ended the game by striking out Edward Modica and Adams looking.

Stats

• LIU Brooklyn outhit Bryant, 4-1.
• Wrighter allowed one run on three hits, didn't walk a batter and struck out four.
• Wright struck out three, walked two and allowed one run on one hit over two innings of relief.
• Ward finished 1-for-2 with a walk and a run scored.
• Ciliento drove in a run and scored a run.

Notes and Notables

• Bryant is now 35-15 all-time against LIU Brooklyn. Bryant won the regular-season series, 4-2.
• The Bulldogs have now won eight-straight NEC Regular-Season titles. It is the longest streak in the country.
• The Bulldogs will be the No. 1 seed in the NEC Tournament for the seventh-straight year.
• Bryant has now won or split 70 of its 74 NEC series since 2010.  
• Bryant was held to one hit for the second time this season. The other occurrence came in a 1-0 loss to Elon.
• Wright extended his on-base streak to 40 games with a walk.
• Ward now has 82 hits on the season, the seventh-most in a single season in program history.
• Ciliento scored his 63rd run of the season, setting the DI single-season record.
• Wrighter was making his second career start. He has tossed four innings in each of his two starts.
• Wright's save was his 12th of the season, tying the DI single-season program record. The single-season program record is 13.  
• Bryant honored its eight-member senior class prior to the start of the game.

Up Next

Bryant plays its final midweek game of the season on Tuesday afternoon when it travels to UMass Lowell. First pitch is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.