Kelly, Gustin power Bryant to 13-5 win over Wagner

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Shane Kelly hit his second grand slam in as many games and Jake Gustin homered twice to propel the Bryant University baseball team to a 12-5 victory over Wagner College in the regular season finale at Conaty Park on Saturday.

With the win, the Bulldogs finish the regular season 27-25 overall and 17-10 in the Northeast Conference. Bryant finishes a game behind LIU in the league standings, thus ending its nine-year run as NEC Regular-Season Champions. The Bulldogs will serve as the No. 2 seed in the NEC Tournament that begins next Thursday at Dodd Stadium in Norwich, Connecticut.

On Saturday, Bryant went down 5-1 in the second but Kelly's second grand slam in as many games highlighted an eight-run second as the Bulldogs took the lead and never looked back. Kelly becomes the first Bulldog to hit a grand slam in consecutive games in DI program history. Gustin added his fourth and fifth home runs of the year, posting his second multi-homer game of the season.

Kyle Rizy earned his second win of the year with 3.0 scoreless innings of relief. He allowed three hits, didn't walk a batter and struck out two. Bryant's bullpen combined to throw 7.0 scoreless innings of relief. They allowed five hits, didn't walk a batter and struck out six.  

Game Information
Bryant 12, Wagner 5
Records: Bryant 27-25, 17-10 NEC | Wagner 17-34, 12-15 NEC
Location: Conaty Park (Smithfield, R.I.)
W|L|S: Kyle Rizy (2-1) | Daniel Merkel (0-9)

Key Moment

• Bryant scored eight times in the bottom of the second inning to erase a 5-1 deficit. Kelly's grand slam broke the 5-5 tie and made it 9-5.        

How it Happened

• Gustin got Bryant on the board in the first with a long solo home run to right center.
• Wagner responded with five runs on five hits in the top of the second.
• Bryant quickly answered, scoring eight times on just three hits in the bottom of the second. The first two batters reached and Tommy DiTullio advanced them with a sac bunt. Logan Allen then hit a foul pop behind the plate that was dropped. With his at-bat extended, Allen ripped a two-run single to left center. Gustin would bring home Allen with a single through the right side and John Tuccillo was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to tie the game. Kelly then gave Bryant a 9-5 lead as he blasted a 3-1 pitch over the wall in left center for a grand slam.
• Bryant extended its lead with three more runs in the third. Woods scored Allen with a single and Gustin hammered a hanging breaking ball down the right field line for his second home run, a two-run shot.
• Woods scored Allen in the fifth with a tripe to left center, giving Bryant a 13-5 lead.

Stats and Game Notes

• Bryant owns a 37-16 lead in the all-time series between the two teams.
• The Bulldogs finished 15-5 at home this season.
• This weekend marked Bryant's final regular-season series as a member of the NEC. Bryant won or tied 85 of its 92 NEC series. The Bulldogs won 70 series and split 15 others.
• Bryant honored its 15-member senior class prior to the game.  
• Logan Frasier allowed five runs on five hits over 2.0 innings.
• Rizy tossed 3.0 scoreless innings of relief. He allowed three hits, didn't walk a batter and struck out two.
• Over his last five outings, Rizy has allowed one run on six hits in 14.0 innings. He has walked six and struck out 17.
• Matthew Stansky struck out two in a scoreless sixth inning.
• Mike Randazzo, Kevin Sylvestri and M.T. Morrissey tossed scoreless innings in the seventh, eighth and ninth.
• Allen finished 2-for-2 with two walks, two RBI and three runs scored.
• Gustin went 3-for-5 with two home runs, four RBI and three runs scored.
• Gustin posted his second multi-homer game of the year and now has five on the season.
• Woods went 2-for-4 with a triple, two RBI and two runs scored.
• Woods collected his seventh triple, tied for the second-most in a single season in program history.  
• Kelly finished 1-for-2 with a grand slam.
• Kelly ended the regular season by hitting grand slams in each of the last two games. He is the first person in DI program history to accomplish the feat.     

Up Next
Bryant will face third-seeded Central Connecticut in the first round of the NEC Baseball Championships. The Bulldogs and Blue Devils will play in the second game on Thursday at Dodd Stadium with a first pitch currently set for 4:00 p.m.