Strong Pitching And A Timely Base Hit Lifts UB Baseball To Key 1-0 Home Win Over Molloy
Justin Nyarady And Andrew Francella Combine On A Four-Hit Shutout And Andre Marchesseault Drives In The Game's Only Run
Bridgeport, Conn.-Outstanding pitching from the duo of sophomore Justin Nyarady (Trumbull, Conn.) and senior Andrew Francella (New Rochelle, N.Y.) plus a timely base hit from graduate student Andre Marchesseault (Cheshire, Conn.) helped lift the University of Bridgeport to a 1-0 win over the visiting Molloy College Lions in UB's 2021 regular season home finale. With the victory, Bridgeport is now 10-8 both overall and in the East Coast Conference. Molloy is now 16-8 overall and 12-3 in the ECC. This win is also important for the Purple Knights, as it keeps the team is sole possession for fourth place in the ECC standings which is the final spot in this year's conference postseason championship tournament.
On the mound, Nyarady, who is now 2-1 on the season with a minuscule 1.21 earned run average, worked the first 7.2 innings of the contest allowing just two hits with two walks while striking out seven. Francella worked the final 1.1 innings on Sunday afternoon without allowing a run, as he picked up his first save of the season stranding a pair of Molloy runners in both the top of eighth and ninth innings.
The Purple Knights plated the only run of the day in the bottom of the fifth inning when junior Ryan Donnelly (Fairfield, Conn.) led off the frame with a triple, and Marchesseault promptly singled him home with his second base hit of the afternoon.
Sophomore Shane McCone (Milford, Conn.) has had two hits for the winners, as Bridgeport outhit the visitors, 8-4, in the game.
Up next, the UB baseball team will close out its regular season schedule with a three-game road series against Lincoln (Pa.) University beginning with a single game on Friday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. The Purple Knights head into the final weekend of the regular season with a one game lead over Queens (N.Y.) College for the final ECC playoff spot.