Bulldogs complete weekend NEC sweep, defeat Knights, 3-2, 5-3, Sunday afternoon in Smithfield

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Bryant University softball team pushed their win streak to five after sweeping Fairleigh Dickinson, 3-2, and 5-3, Sunday afternoon in Smithfield.

Game One

The Bulldogs (11-33, 9-7 NEC) took their first lead of the series in the top of the second after sophomore Rachel Monroe's (Southwick, Mass.) ground out to short freed senior Mollie Anderson (East Greenwich, Rhode Island) to score from third, 1-0. The Knights (12-30, 5-7) responded back in the bottom of the inning after Kellie Natham cranked a two-run homer to center field for FDU's 2-1 lead.

Leading off for the Black and Gold in the top of the third, senior Elle Madsen (Wheat Ridge, Colo.) homered to left center for Bryant's game-tying score to make it 2-2.

Both teams couldn't muster up anything through the fifth but in the top of the sixth the Bulldogs scored one run off one hit to take the 3-2 advantage. Freshman Jessica Gradillas (Nogales, Ariz.) singled through the left side to start the inning, before advancing to third off a sacrifice bunt and wild pitch. Classmate Kaleigh Goulart (Marion, Mass.) sent Gradillas in from third off a sacrifice fly to right center to finalize Bryant's 3-2 game one victory.

Madsen went 2-for-4 with one run and one RBI, while earning the win in the circle after letting up two runs off five hits. Loren Stavrou pitched the loss for the Knights, allowing three runs off three hits while striking out four batters of her own.

Game Two

In similar fashion the Bulldogs took a 1-0 lead but this time it came in the top of the first when Gradillas doubled to left field, plating senior Hayley Bottino (Canyon Country, Calif.) from second after she placed herself there off a double of her own to right center.

Bryant pushed the margin to four, 4-0, in the top of the second after junior Haylee Haas's (Moorpark, Calif.) one-out single to third base brought Monroe in from third, while Burger was able to round third from second and score, following the throwing error by the Knights' third baseman. Madsen followed it up with a sacrifice fly to left field that scored Haas from third for the Bulldogs' 4-0 lead.

Reanna Cervantes put the Knights on the board in the bottom of the second, leading FDU off with a homer to make it 4-1. They tacked on two more runs in the bottom of the fourth after Cheryl Lopez's ground out to the pitcher allowed Madison Lerma to score from third. Cervantes followed up with another Knights' score, running home from third after a Bryant error at first to cut the Bulldogs lead to one, 4-3.

Bottino helped put the game out of reach in the top of the fifth when she drilled the one-out homer down the left field line, extending the score to 5-3 in Bryant's favor. The Knights couldn't put anything together off their four hits through the remaining innings, sealing the Bulldogs' 5-3 game two victory and the second conference sweep of the weekend.

Bottino, Monroe and Burger all went 2-for-3, respectively, while the senior finished with two runs, an RBI and the save on the mound, and the sophomore and junior each logged a run. Freshman Colby Norris (Toano, Va.) earned the win on the mound, pitching three strikeouts while allowing three runs off three hits in 3.0 innings. Stavrou recorded her second loss of the day after letting up five runs off nine hits.