Bulldogs turn two, sweep Knights Sunday

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – After recording 20 hits and 16 runs, the Bryant University softball team continued to make history with a sweep against Northeast Conference foe Fairleigh Dickinson Sunday afternoon in Hackensack, N.J., 8-7, and 8-0.

Sunday's performance marks the fifth-straight time the Bulldogs (14-11, 6-0) have taken both games of a doubleheader and stretches the current winning streak to nine games. With the two victories over the Knights (13-14, 0-6), Bryant moved to 4-4 on the road and 7-11 in contests played away from Smithfield this season.

In the early game, Fairleigh Dickinson jumped out to an early 2-0 lead on a sacrifice fly and a RBI single to left field and would keep the Bulldogs off the scoreboard for the first two innings.

Facing a two-run deficit, Laura Bowen (Hudson, Mass.) and Aubrey Mable (Aurora, Colo.) would crank back-to-back home runs over the center field wall, to lead off the third frame and tie the contest, 2-2. Bowen's long ball was her team-best fifth homer of the season while Mable went yard for the third time in her rookie campaign.

After surrendering two runs in the first two, starting pitcher Samantha Houseal (Mount Joy, Pa.) would find her groove in the circle and silence the FDU bats to just one run over the next three innings. Houseal, who would eventually pick up her seventh win of the season and her fourth-straight, throwing 6.0 innings with three strikeouts while issuing just nine hits and two walks.

Bowen would pick up her game-high second RBI in the top of the fourth with a sacrifice groundout, bringing home Alicia Mosesso (Abington, Mass.) for the go-ahead run. Mable would match Bowen's two-RBI performance with a single to left field, allowing Talia Zizza (Reading, Mass.) to cross home plate.

Up 4-2 in the top of the fifth, Lindsay Martin (Methuen, Mass.) recorded her eleventh RBI of the season to push the lead out to three. Sophomore Kate Murray (Fitchburg, Mass.) produced her first long ball of the season, a two-run shot, to give the visiting side a 7-2 edge after 4.5 innings.

The Knight would battle back over the next two innings, rallying with five runs to pull within one run entering the seventh frame. Despite the strong surge by the home side, sophomore Brittany Hart (North Andover, Mass.) would enter the game and close the door for the 8-7 Bryant win.

Christina Eringis (Tewksbury, Mass.) and Mable both recorded three hits while three other Bulldogs registered at least one hit in the outing. Houseal's three strikeouts gives her 392 career K's, moving her past Nicole Keene's 385 (2001-2004) to second all-time in the Bryant record books.

Jennifer Jacob (Deer Park, N.Y.) dealt five innings of scoreless softball, striking out two batters while issuing a mere two walks as the Bulldogs moved to 4-2 all-time against the Knights with the 8-0 victory in the late game.

Mable continued to deliver for the Black and Gold, as the freshman added her third and fourth RBI on the day with a single in the top of the third.

The visiting Bulldogs would open up the scoring in the top of the fifth with six runs to push the lead out to 8-0.

Freshman Amy Weinberg (Pleasant Valley, N.Y.) would lead off the inning with a double to center field and Mable would follow up with a single of her own, putting two runners on with one out. Catcher Kendall Corder (Carmichael, Calif.) would knock in her first RBI of the game with a single to right field before Lauren McCart (Voorhees, N.J.) cleared the bases with a three-run double to right center field. McCart would eventually touch home off a double by Martin down the left field line for the eight-run advantage.

The Bulldogs would finish the second game with a highly efficient eight run-10 hit performance by the lineup as the pitching staff produced their fifth shutout of the season, which allowed the team's fourth five-inning game in league play this season.

The Bulldogs return to action Tuesday, April 5 with a road trip up route 146 to Holy Cross. First pitch of the doubleheader is slated for 3:00 p.m. and fans can follow live stats at www.bryantbulldogs.com