BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- Freshman lefthander Nick Fuller (Acushnet, MA) and senior right-hander Nial Mitchell (Rehoboth, MA) combined on an eight-hit shutout as the UMass Dartmouth baseball team blanked host Bridgewater State College, 8-0, this afternoon at Alumni Park.
UMass improves to 18-12 on the season with the win as the Corsairs took two out of three games from Bridgewater State this season. The Bears, who left 12 runners on base, fall to 16-15 with the loss.
Fuller (1-1) went 5 2/3 innings, giving up four hits and four walks while striking out four as he picked up his first collegiate win. Mitchell worked the last 3 1/3 innings to earn his first save of the season. He allowed four hits and struck out three with no walks.
Juniors Zak Talis (Lynnfield, MA) and Matt Ryan (Uxbridge, MA), and senior Jeff Macchi (Franklin, MA) paced the Corsairs 13-hit attack. Talis went 4-for-5 with three runs and two RBI, while Ryan was 3-for-4 with a two-run homer, an RBI double and two runs scored. Macchi singles twice and was hit by a pitch in five plate appearances as he also stole three bases and scored two runs.
Junior Greg Steele (North Dighton, MA) led the way offensively for Bridgewater with two hits in four at bats. Steele is 11-for-22 over his last eight games, raising his batting average from .254 to .312.
Freshman right-hander Bryant Warner (Harwich, MA) gave up six runs (four earned) on eight hits over 6 1/3 innings as he dropped to 1-3 on the season. Warner walked one, hit a batter and struck out five.
Bridgewater hosts Mass. Maritime Academy in a MASCAC doubleheader on Tuesday afternoon starting at 2 PM. UMass travels to Brandeis University on Tuesday for a three o'clock non-conference game with the Judges.