SOFTBALL TOPS BROWN, 8-3, WEDNESDAY BEHIND SOLID START FROM Madsen

SMITHFIELD, R.I. – Behind yet another solid start from  freshman Elle Madsen (Wheat Ridge, Colo.), the Bryant University softball team won its third-straight, defeating Brown, 8-3, Wednesday afternoon in Providence.

The Bulldogs (17-20, 7-9 Northeast Conference) earn a season sweep of the Bears after defeating the Rhode Island-rival earlier this season in Smithfield, 10-1. On Wednesday, Madsen allowed just three runs on 11 hits in seven innings to earn her team-leading ninth victory of the season

Bryant got things started in the top of the first as junior outfielder Lauren Guy (La Habra, Calif.) tripled to lead off the game. Two batters later, classmate Aubrey Mable (Aurora, Colo.) drove Guy home with a sacrifice fly to center field, putting Bryant up, 1-0, after one inning.

In the top of the second, sophomore Madeline Velasquez (Los Angeles, Calif.) picked up a leadoff walk, before a Taylor Bell (Yorktown Heights, N.Y.) groundout advanced her to second base. Two batters later, freshman second baseman Liana Ogata (Tustin, Calif.) ripped a double to right-center, driving in Velasquez. After Guy earned a walk, junior catcher Kendall Corder (Carmichael, Calif.) laced a double to left field, driving in Guy and Ogata, pushing the Bryant lead to four runs.

Brown cut the deficit in half in the bottom of the third off a Stephanie Thompson two-run single to center field, but the Black and Gold quickly responded in the top of the fourth inning in the form of a Bell two-run homerun. Four batters later, Mable drove in Corder to top off the three-run inning and extend the Bulldog advantage to five runs, 7-2.

Ogata drove home another run in the top off the fifth to cap off her monster afternoon and push the Bryant lead to six runs in the top of the fifth. Brown would add one more run in the bottom of the innings but Madsen was too much as the Bulldogs picked up their third-straight victory, 8-3.

Mable and Ogata led Bryant with two hits apiece, while Corder, Mable, Bell and Ogata each tallied a pair of RBI, accounting for the eight Bryant runs.

The Bulldogs will head to Boston University Thursday for a rematch with the Terriers (4 p.m.). Just over one week ago, the Terriers pulled out an emotional two-run victory over Bryant, 8-6.

For links to live stats and audio of Thursday's action and all the latest news on the Bryant University softball team, visit BryantBulldogs.com.