SMITHFIELD, RI – Freshman Zack Short (Hurley, NY) knocked seven hits and junior Matt Charmello (Rossmoor, CA) racked up six RBI as the Sacred Heart Pioneers swept Bryant 10-6, and 10-3, Saturday afternoon at Conaty Field.  With the wins, Sacred Heart snapped a Bryant ten-game winning streak and improved to 9-6 in the NEC.

After starting pitcher Jeff Stoddard (Branford, CT) allowed five runs in just 1.1 innings, junior right-hander James Cooksey (Norwalk, CT) came in and got the final two outs of the second and pitched five more to register his second win of the season.

Junior Matt Charmello (Rossmoor, CA) recorded five RBI in game one, twice coming up big with the bases loaded, including a two-out triple in the sixth inning to give SHU an 8-6 lead. Freshman standout Zack Short (Hurley, NY) went 7-for-9 in the two games, including 4-for-5 in game one.

The Pioneers jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first in game one.  Charmello smacked a two-run single, scoring Short and Jesus Medina (New York, NY).

Bryant stormed back in the second inning, scoring five runs. Cole Fabio started things with a RBI base hit through the left side. Bryant then scored two more on a throwing error by Stoddard, attempting to throw out Dan Cellucci at first base. Carl Anderson and Matt Albanese followed with RBI hits of their own and Bryant led 5-2.

SHU battled back in the the fourth, tying the game back up at five. Freshman Ted Shaw (Southington, CT) began the rally with two outs, knocking a RBI base hit through the right side to score Derick Horn (Valatie, NY) from second. Horn was able to evade the catcher's tag at home and score SHU's third run. After Byram continued the rally with a single to right field, Medina drilled a two-run single to right field and Sacred Heart was back even. Charmello flied out with the bases loaded to end the inning.

Bryant immediately answered in bottom of the fourth as Anderson hit a sacrifice fly to left field to go back ahead 6-5.

Up again with the bases loaded in the sixth, Charmello redeemed himself, hammering a two-out triple off the top of the left field wall to clear the bases and put SHU back up 8-6.

The Pioneers added a couple more in the top of the seventh as Keaton Flint (Charlton, NY) led off the inning with a double down the left field line. After a Bryant error allowed Victor Sorrento (Monroe Township, NJ) to reach, Flint would come around to score on a Ted Shaw fielder's choice. Medina capped of the SHU scoring with a sacrifice fly to score Sorrento.

Freshman Jason Foley (North Bellmore, NY) got the start in game two and put together quite possibly his best start as a Pioneer. After pitching six scoreless innings, Foley ran into some trouble in the seventh. The hard throwing righty was able to only get one out before being relieved by Nick Leiningen (Millwood, NY). Foley ended up allowing three runs in 6.1 innings pitched, improving to 3-2 on the season.

The Pioneers bats started right where they left off in game one, jumping out to a 3-0 lead in the third inning of game two. Shaw drilled a triple to left center field to score Keith Klebart (Orange, CT), before scoring on a Bryant wild pitch. Short then knocked in the Pioneers third run of the game with his fifth hit of the afternoon.

Short struck again in the fifth, bringing two more home with a single through the left side. Short finished the afternoon with seven hits in nine at-bats.  Charmello then singled through the left side to put SHU up 6-0. Short then came around to score on another Bulldog wild pitch and the Pioneers led 7-0 after five.

Sacred Heart's bats were not quite finished yet. Medina struck again in the sixth, doubling down the left field line to score both Sorrento and Flint, while Short knocked his fourth RBI of game two, scoring Medina. 

Sacred Heart and Bryant will finish their four-game set tomorrow afternoon at noon. Pioneers will look to take three of four from the Bulldogs for the second year in a row.

Notes: SHU's first five in the lineup went a combined 16-35 (.457) with 15 RBI and 11 runs scored in the two games. Zack Short's batting average went up a full 29 points in the two games today (7-for-9, .778), now batting .329 on the season.