April 7, 2009
POLVANI, BULLDOGS FINISH SEASON
SWEEP OF RAMS WITH
5-1 WIN TUESDAY
Box Score
KINGSTON, R.I. - Eric Polvani (Wallingford,
Conn.) threw a complete game, nine innings while allowing
only one run and striking out nine, as the Bryant baseball team
defeated URI for the second time this season, 5-1, Tuesday
afternoon. The win gives the Bulldogs 11 in their last 13 games,
while Polvani improved his record to 4-2 on the year and 2-0 in his
last two starts.
The Bulldogs (23-9), who beat their intrastate rivals, 7-1,
earlier this season in Smithfield, got RBI from four different
players to help them to the victory. Senior Pat O'Connor
(Mattapoisett, Mass.) provided a boost to the lineup as he
returned from a leg injury, picking up two hits in five at-bats
while extending his hitting streak to five.
Dylan Stone (Portsmouth, R.I.) brought in the
first run of the game, scoring Tim Norton (Barnstable,
Mass.) on a fielder's choice in the third inning to put
Bryant up, 1-0. Norton had two hits in the contest to go along with
an RBI.
Bryant tallied again in the fifth, this time on Pat
McKenna's (Orange, Conn.) tenth home run of the season, as
he belted a pitch from Ken Graveline to right field to extend
Bryant's lead to 2-0. McKenna brought his hitting streak up to 12
games with the blast.
URI (17-11-1) scored their only run of the game in the fifth, as
Dan Haverstick generated his own run. Haverstick singled up the
middle, stole second and third, and then came home on a wild pitch
to get the Rams to within one at 2-1.
A big sixth inning gave the Bulldogs some breathing room, as
they scored three runs on four hits in the frame to grab some
insurance. The rally started with the middle of the batting order,
as the first four players in the inning reached for the Bulldogs.
Nick Campbell (Raynham, Mass.) started with a
single, O'Connor singled, Jeff Vigurs (South Windsor,
Conn.) was hit by a pitch, and Jordan English
(Windsor Locks, Conn.) singled in a run through the left
side. The three through six hitters in the order were a combined
eight-for-17 in the game, as they each had two hits apiece. Bryant
added on two more runs, as O'Connor scored on a double play, and
Vigurs came in on a two out triple by Norton to give the visitors a
5-1 advantage.
That would be more than enough for Polvani, who went the
distance for the first time this season. The junior has now allowed
just two earned runs in his last 20 innings pitched, going 2-0 in
that stretch with one save.
Vigurs extended his on-base streak to 31-straight games while
moving his hitting streak to nine in a row, going two-for-three on
the day to bring his team-leading batting average up to .379
for the year. English also extended his hitting-streak
five-straight.
Bryant will be right back on the field on Wednesday, as they
host Harvard University at the Bryant Baseball Complex (3:30 p.m.).
Bryant University 5, Rhode Island 1 (Apr 07, 2009 at Kingston,
R.I.)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Bryant University... 001 013 000 - 5 11
0 (23-9)
Rhode Island........ 000 010 000 - 1 8
1 (17-11-1)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Pitchers: Bryant University - Eric Polvani. Rhode Island -
Graveline; Fraser(6); Fox(7);
Davis(8); Pisani(9).
Win-Eric Polvani(4-2) Loss-Graveline(1-1) T-2:20
A-80
HR BRY - Pat McKenna.
Weather: 50 degrees, sunny, windy
Graveline faced 4 batters in the 6th.
