Corder lights up scoreboard in NEC sweep

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Freshman catcher Kendall Corder (Carmichael, Calif.) belted four home runs in Sunday's doubleheader against Wagner College, as the Bryant University softball team cruised to two victories over the visiting Seahawks, 26-0, and, 11-3, moving its record to 4-0 in Northeast Conference play.

The Bulldogs (10-11, 4-0 NEC) outhit the visiting Seahawks (1-16, 0-4 NEC) 19-0 in the first game, as starting pitcher Samantha Houseal (Mount Joy, Pa.) threw four innings of scoreless ball, issuing just one walk with six strikeouts.

The Bryant lineup jumped all over the Wagner pitching staff in the first inning, posting five runs on three hits. Freshman Aubrey Mable (Aurora, Colo.) picked up where she left off on Saturday with a RBI triple to right field, just one of her three hits in the game. The Bulldogs would add four more in the frame to go up 5-0 after one.

The offensive outburst carried over into the second, as Corder recorded her first career homer in a three-run shot off the scoreboard in right field. The Bulldogs batted around and cashed in 11 total runs on eight hits, with Talia Zizza (Reading, Mass.) , Kristen Carter (Branchville, N.J.), Mable, Laura Bowen (Hudson, Mass.) and Lindsay Martin (Methuen, Mass.) all registering a hit in the inning.  Corder would also add a single to her two-hit second inning, lifting the home side to a 16-0 lead after two.

Houseal continued to wheel and deal, striking out four of the first nine batters and retiring the side in the first and third inning.

The Bulldogs would add eight more runs in the third to go up, 24-0, thanks in large part to freshman Taylor Bell (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) who cleared the bases with a grand slam off the foul ball pole. Bell's long ball was her second hit of the season and her first collegiate home run.

Corder would record her second career home run in the game in the bottom of the fourth in the form of a two-run shot off the scoreboard. Jennifer Jacob (Deer Park, N.Y.) would enter the game at the top of the fifth and close the door, giving the Bulldogs the 26-0 win.

The California catcher ignited the Bryant lineup in the second game as well, stepping up the plate in the bottom of the first and crushing a three-run homer in the deepest part of the field, giving the home side a 3-0 edge.

Wagner would storm back in the top of the third with three runs of its own, but starting pitcher Brittany Hart (North Andover, Mass.) would find her stride, as the Massachusetts native went the complete game issuing three runs and zero walks in 5.0 innings.

In the bottom half of the third, Corder would respond to the Seahawk rally with her fourth home run on the day. Three batters later, Zizza would wait for the right pitch and deliver a three-run long ball, bringing home Martin and Burdo to give Bryant the 7-3 lead.

The Bulldogs offense continued to spray the ball over the diamond in the fourth inning, adding three runs to the four-point cushion.

Hart would retire the side in the top of the fifth and allowed Mable to deliver a RBI double to right field for the five-inning 11-3 win.

Two freshmen and one sophomore hit a home run for the Bulldogs in Sunday's doubleheader as the Bulldogs surrendered just three runs combined. Bryant outhit the Seahawks by a combined 31-6 and the Bulldogs shutout an opponent for the third time this season.

The Bulldogs return to action Tuesday, March 29, as the team will host Albany for a doubleheader slated to begin at 3 p.m. Fans can follow live stats at www.bryantbulldogs.com.