<strong>SMITHFIELD, R.I.—</strong> The LIU Brooklyn baseball team travels up to Smithfield to take on the league-leading Bryant Bulldogs in a Northeast Conference weekend series. The three-game series begins Friday, May 10 with 3:00 p.m. at Conaty Park.<br /> <br /> <strong>LAST TIME OUT</strong><br /> <br /> The Blackbirds fell to Hofstra 16-8 on Tuesday afternoon at LIU Field. LIU registered 12 hits in the non-conference matchup, led by four multi-hit games. Senior Gregory Vaughn Jr. led the team with a 3-for-4 outing at the dish. Seniors Joe Mercadante and Edward Modica Jr. along with junior Rob Griswold recorded two hits apiece.<br /> <br /> Senior Brock Hallum led the team with two runs batted in and picked up a pair of walks to reach 45 walks on the season, setting a new program single season record.<br /> <br /> LIU's pitching staff registered 17 strikeouts against the Pride, one short of a season high but issued a season-high 11 walks. Sophomore James Steindl fanned a game-high five strikeouts in three innings of relief. Senior Zach Pederson, redshirt-sophomore Frank Cerillo and Griswold pitched scoreless innings in relief, fanning two batters each.<br /> <br /> <strong>SCOUTING THE BULLDOGS</strong><br /> <br /> Bryant sits atop of the NEC standings with a 15-3 mark and stand 34-15 overall. The Bulldogs pace the NEC in nearly every offensive category.<br /> <br /> Their .317 batting average currently ranks fourth in the nation and their 8.6 runs per game rank fifth in the country. Reigning NEC Rookie & Player of the year Ryan Ward leads the league circuit with 76 hits. Jimmy Titus and Chris Wright rank second and third overall with hits. Titus leads the NEC with 54 runs batted in and James Ciliento holds the conference lead with 60 runs scored.<br /> <br /> The Bulldogs rotation is led by Steven Theetge who sits 7-1 on the season with a league leading 2.01 ERA, 76 strikeouts and is holding the opposition to an NEC best .234 batting average. Tyler Mattison has also racked up a 7-1 mark on the bump for the Bulldogs, striking out 49 batters in 64.1 innings. Wright has racked up 11 saves on the season for Bryant, ranking 10th in the nation. Nathan Wrighter paces the NEC with 23 appearances on the year.<br /> <br /> <strong>ON DECK</strong><br /> <br /> The Blackbirds travel up to Hartford for the final non-conference matchup of the season on Tuesday, May 14. LIU will take on the University of Hartford in a 6:05 p.m. start at Dunkin Donuts Ballpark, home to the Hartford Yard Goats, the Double-A affiliate for the Colorado Rockies.<br />