PAIR OF WALKOFF WINS JETTISONS BULLDOGS PAST BLUE DEVILS

SKAGERLIND'S SECOND WALKOFF HOME RUN AND BRYANT 5-RUN NINTH CAP OFF WILD AFTERNOON

BOX SCORE GAME 1

BOX SCORE GAME 2

SMITHFIELD – Sophomore first basemen Jamie Skagerlind (Holden, Mass.) hit a walk-off home run for the second time in as many days in Game 1, and Bryant scored 5 unearned runs in the bottom of the ninth of Game 2 to vault the Bulldogs to a sweep of rival Central Connecticut State on Sunday at the Bryant Baseball complex. Bryant won the seven-inning opener 6-5 and took the nine-inning nightcap 10-9 in what was a very wild Sunday afternoon of baseball. With the pair of wins, Bryant improves its record to 13-15 overall and 5-3 in the NEC. CCSU fell to 10-11 overall and 6-6 in the NEC with the losses.

Skagerlind's déjà-walkoff overshadowed a new career high in strikeouts for senior pitcher Eric Polvani (Wallingford, Conn.). The right hander struck out 13 batters without walking a batter in 6.1 innings of work, breaking his previous record of 12 which he set in a game earlier this year at Monmouth.

Bryant jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the opener behind a sacrifice fly from freshmen Dan Muscatello (Hopkington, Mass.) and an RBI single by freshmen Kevin Brown (Northborough, Mass.). Brown finished the first game going 4-4 with a home run, a triple, 2 RBI and 2 runs scored, coming up just a double shy of a cycle.

Central Connecticut State came right back to tie the score at 2-2 in the top of the third with a two-out rally. After Anthony Scialdone reached on an error, Pat Epps doubled to left center to put runners on second and third for first baseman Tommy Meade, who wasted no time in taking Polvani's first offering for a game-tying base-hit to left field plating both runners.

Bryant would regain the lead 3-2 in the bottom of the third with a sacrifice fly by Skagerlind, scoring senior catcher Jeff Vigurs (South Windsor, Conn.), who lead off the inning with a single through the right side.

Brown's fifth home run of his first season in black and gold gave Bryant its biggest lead of the game at 5-2 in the bottom of the sixth and it looked as if Bryant would cruise to a win to start the afternoon.

But for the second consecutive day, a last inning rally from CCSU extended the game, this time with the Blue Devils scoring three times in the top of the seventh to even the score at 5-5. Pinch hitter Chris Renzoni got the rally started with one out, ironically on Polvani's personal best 13^th strikeout, as the third strike scurried away from Vigurs allowing Renzoni to reach base. A Sean Miller-Jones bunt single and a Sean Allaire RBI single forced Polvani from the game in favor of closer Mark Andrews (Hillsborough, N. J.). After a hit by pitch to load the bases, Andrews struck out Epps for the second out of the inning. But Tommy Meade gave Andrews his second blown save in as many days with a single to left field, scoring Miller-Jones and Allaire, who beat the tag from Vigurs on the play to tie the game. Andrews would strike out Mitch Wells to end the inning and bring Bryant up to bat in the bottom of the seventh with the game knotted at 5-5.

After a Zakary Cianciolo (Prospect, Conn.) ground out, Skagerlind stepped to the plate. The sophomore took Roy Natoli's first pitch and drilled a home run over the right field fence, giving Bryant its second game-ending home run on the weekend. Skagerlind has two home runs this season, both coming this weekend in walk-off fashion.

Game 2 of the double header saw CCSU break open a 5-5 game with 2 runs in the eighth and ninth innings, respectively. Up 9-5 heading into the final frame, Jordan English (Windsor Locks, Conn.) started the inning off with a line drive single past second baseman Miller-Jones, knocking starting pitcher Meade from the game. After a Vigurs groundout, Nick Campbell's (Raynham, Mass.) ground ball to shortstop was misplayed by Scialdone. Campbell's hustle got him to second base on the play, putting runners on second and third and one out. A Dylan Stone (Portsmouth, RI) walk brought the tying run to the plate, setting up CCSU's second error of the inning. Meade, who had moved to first base, could not handle a low throw from the third baseman Wells off a ground ball by Cianciolo, bringing the score to 9-6 and putting the winning run at the plate. Skagerlind followed with an RBI single to center, and a Tim Norton (Barnstable, Mass.) groundout to third brought Bryant to within one run at 9-8. With runners on second and third and two outs, Sophomore transfer David Soltis (Plainville, Conn.) laced a line drive single over shortstop Scialdone's outreached glove, and Cianciolo and Skagerlind raced home to give the Bulldogs the sweep.

John Michael Ryan (Worcester, Mass.) received the win in relief, his first of the season, to improve his record to 1-3 on the season. Skagerlind went 3-5 in the second game with 2 RBI, while Stone followed with a solid 2-4 showing. Miller-Jones reached base all six times he came to the plate, finishing the second game 3-3 with two doubles, three walks, and three RBI.

Bryant returns to action this week with a non-league affair Wednesday afternoon against intrastate rival University of Rhode Island.