Rick Smith Earns 500th Victory as Baseball Bears Split Pair of Games

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University baseball team edged Penn State Beaver, 2-1, on Monday in Vero Beach, Florida to give BSU head coach Rick Smith his 500th career coaching victory. The Bears dropped an 8-3 decision to Penn State Greater Allegheny in their second game of the day.

The all-time winningest coach in BSU baseball history, Smith has produced a coaching mark of 500-273-5 (.646) in 21 seasons with the Bears.  He is tied for 35th among active Division III coaches with his 500 wins.

Bridgewater State 2, Penn State Beaver 1

In the opener, sophomore righthander Ryan Hayward (Lynn, Mass.) had a successful debut for the Bears on the mound as he scattered nine hits and allowed just one run in 7 1/3 innings. Hayward walked two and struck out three.

Junior Adam Mullen (Fairhaven, Mass.) worked an inning and a third in relief of Hayward and fanned three to pick up his first save of the season.  Mullen entered the game with runners on first and third with one out in the eighth and got back-to-back strikeouts to get out of the jam.

The Bears scored a run in the third on an RBI ground out which plated junior Ryan Manning (Plainville, Mass.).  Manning had led off the frame with a base hit and advanced to third on consecutive wild pitches.

Penn State tied the game in the fourth on an RBI single by freshman Gavin High (Lancaster, Pa.).

In the fifth, sophomore John Mulready (Rockland, Mass.) led off the frame with a double and came around to score the go ahead run on an RBI single off the bat of freshman Billy Mitchell (Walpole, Mass.).

Manning and sophomore Brandon Hoyle (Bridgewater, Mass.) paced the Bears' offense with two hits apiece.

Senior Tyler Schuster (Beaver Falls, Pa.) went the distance on the hill for Penn State as he gave up two runs on eight hits.  Schuster (0-1) walked five and fanned five.

Penn State Greater Allegheny 8, Bridgewater State 3

The Bears banged out 13 hits, but left ten runners on base in the 8-3 loss to Penn State Greater Allegheny.

Junior Sean Brooks (Braintree, Mass.) paced the Bears with a 3-for-4 performance at the plate. Brooks also walked and scored two runs.

Manning, juniors Kevin Sugermeyer (Hampden, Mass.) and Nicholas White (Bellingham, Mass.), and sophomore Colin Ryan (Quincy, Mass.) chipped in with two hits apiece.

Pitching wildness hurt Bridgewater as three BSU hurlers combined to walk eight batters and hit four.  There were also three wild pitches and four passed balls. Of the 12 Penn State batters who reached via walk or hit by pitch, four came around to score.

Junior Clay Groff (Pittsburgh, Pa.) paced Penn State's eight attach as he went 3-for-4 with a double, a walk, three runs and three RBI.

Junior Eddie Emes (New Brighton, Pa.) worked five innings to pick up the win on the hill for Greater Allegheny.  Emes gave up a run on seven hits with three walks and three strikeouts.

Senior Eric Schell (Linesville, Pa.) pitched the last four innings to earn the save.

The Florida swing continues for the Bridgewater State baseball team on Wednesday when the Bears take on Richard Stockton College in a doubleheader at 10:00 AM.