The Archway

Issue date: 4/17/09 Section: Sports

Senior outfielder Pat O'Connor went two-for-five with a home run and three RBI to help Bryant get a big win over Northeastern, 8-4, at Friedman Diamond Tuesday afternoon. Eric Polvani went seven strong innings on the hill, allowing just two runs to pick-up his fifth win of the year and third in his last three starts.

Northeastern (18-12), who came into this game ranked fourth in the NEIBA poll this week behind Bryant, got on the board early, scoring a run on three hits in the bottom of the first to take the early 1-0 advantage. Husky all-time hits leader Mike Tamsin knocked in the run with an RBI ground out to first to score Matt Miller from third. Polvani then worked his way out of a first and second jam with one down, getting a strikeout and ground out to end the frame.

The Bulldogs (26-10) would answer in a big way, scoring two runs in each of the next three innings to take a 6-1 lead. The run started in the top of the second, as Jeff Vigurs drew a walk with one out and Jordan English brought him home with a triple into deep right center field to knot the game up at one apiece. Jamie Skagerlind (Holden, Mass.) followed with a slow chopper to second that he beat out for an infield single, scoring English from third to give Bryant the 2-1 edge.

Pat O'Connor tacked on two more in the third, hitting a two-run blast, his sixth of the season, off Husky starter JR Ross over the 375-foot mark in left center field to extend the lead to 4-1. The senior did it again in the fourth, lacing a two-out single to right to bring home his third RBI of the game. O'Connor is now eight-for-21 since returning to the lineup from a leg injury. Vigurs followed with a line drive single to center, scoring Nick Campbell to extend Bryant's lead to 6-1 and giving the junior catcher a team-best 50 RBI on the year.

A Frank Compagnone home run that just cleared the fence in left center brought Northeastern back a little bit, cutting the Bulldog lead to 6-2.

Bryant showed its two-out prowess again this season, scoring four times with two outs in the contest. Skagerlind helped with that number in the sixth, hitting a single to center to score Vigurs, and Dylan Stone did it in the seventh with a two out base knock to score Connor Carignan. Skagerlind had two RBI, going two-for-four in the contest.

Polvani went seven strong, giving up just a run in the first and a run in the sixth on his way to his fifth win of the year and third in his last three starts. The junior got out of back-to-back jams in the sixth and seventh, inducing inning-ending double plays in both innings with runners on first and second to escape without any harm done.

Matt Griswold worked a perfect eighth, striking out the first two Huskies he faced and getting a ground out to finish the frame. Mark Andrews finished the game, allowing two runs in the ninth while working in a game for the first time since April 8 against Harvard.

Bryant takes a trip to Boca Raton, Florida to start a four-game series with Florida Atlantic on Friday (6:30 p.m.).

Page 1 of 1

Article Tools

Please note: All comments are approved by The Archway prior to their publication.