Bryant baseball drops 17-3 decision to Northeast Conference foe in first of four-game set

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Monmouth scored 17 runs on 22 hits en route to a 17-3 victory over the Bryant University baseball team Friday afternoon as the Bulldogs dropped the first of a four-game set at the Bryant Baseball Complex. The Bulldogs dropped to 7-11 on the season and 1-4 in Northeast Conference play with the loss while the Hawks improved to 8-8 overall and 4-1 in the conference.

Sophomore Peter Kelich (Jackson, N.J.) started on the mound for the home side and ended up with the loss, allowing six earned runs in 5.1 innings of work. Nick Meyers earned his third win of the season, giving up one earned run in 7.0 innings with three strikeouts.

The Bulldog offense was paced by shortstop David Soltis (Plainville, Conn.) and catcher Mike DelPonte (Tewksbury, Mass.) with two hits apiece while Zachary Trenteseaux (Narragansett, R.I.) drove in a pair of runs.  

Monmouth was the first on the board, scoring in the opening frame on a sacrifice fly, and then added two more in the third on an RBI double from Jamie Rosenkranz and another sacrifice by Owen Stewart.

 The home squad would answer in the bottom half of the fourth as Soltis and DelPonte hit back-to-back singles for two on and one out, setting the stage for Adam Claire (Litchfield, Conn.) who drove in Solits on sacrifice fly to center to trim the lead to 3-1.

After Monmouth added two more runs in the fifth, the visitors went on to score seven on eight hits in the six and then completed the attack with five more runs in the eighth.

The Bulldogs managed to score two in the bottom half of the eighth as Trenteseaux knocked in a pair on a pinch hit single to left field.

The Black and Gold look to bounce back with a doubleheader against Monmouth tomorrow at the Bryant Baseball Complex. First pitch of game one is set for 1:00 p.m.