Seniors Kerski and Walko Lead Blue Devils to Doubleheader Sweep of Wagner on Saturday

The Central Connecticut baseball team recorded its first wins in Northeast Conference play this season with a doubleheader sweep over Wagner on Saturday afternoon. With the win the Blue Devils are now 11-7 overall and 2-1 in the NEC. In game one senior lefty Ken Kerski pitched a complete game as CCSU won 6-1. In the second game senior outfielder Casey Walko drove in three runs, including his second home run of the week, as the Blue Devils completed the sweep with a 10-9 win in the second game. The two teams will complete the weekend series with a single game on Sunday.

Kerski pitched a complete game allowing just seven hits and one earned run in game one. Junior Sean Allaire and freshman Mitch Wells each drove in a run in the victory for CCSU.

A four run second inning was the difference for the Blue Devils in the first game. The first five batters of the inning reached for the Blue Devils. Sophomore Pat Epps singled to left field to lead off the inning and went to second on a single by junior Anthony Scialdone. Junior Richie Tri singled to load the bases. Epps scored on a wild pitch, putting runners on second and third. Junior Tommy Meade walked and Scialdone then scored on an RBI single by senior catcher Sean Parker. Wells provided an RBI fielder's choice and Allaire's sacrifice fly plated Meade and made it 4-0 in favor of the Blue Devils.

In the fourth inning Allaire singled in his second run of the game to make it 5-0. A Wells RBI single in the sixth made it 6-0.

Kerski did not allow a run until the bottom of the seventh inning. The Seahawks scored a run on two hits in the inning to avoid the shutout.

The win is the first this season for Kerski and the first league win of the season for the Blue Devils. He scattered seven hits and struck out two in the victory.

In game two the Blue Devils wasted little time and put four runs on the scoreboard in the first inning to take a 4-0 lead. Allaire opened the game with a single but was erased on a fielder's choice by Walko. Senior Jay Schillaci reached on an error and Walko scored on the play. Sophomore Pat Epps singled in Schillaci from second to make it 2-0. Scialdone reached on a single and then Tri drove in his first run of the day to make it 3-0. Senior Tommy Meade drove in the fourth run with a fielder's choice.

The Blue Devils added two more runs in the second inning. Allaire singled, stole second and then scored on a two-run home run by Walko. It was Walko's second home run in the last three games, and it gave CCSU a 6-0 lead.

Meade hit his first home run of the season with one out in the third inning to stretch the lead to 7-0. Wagner scored a run in the third and two more in the fourth to cut the lead to 7-3.

Three more runs in the top of the sixth inning gave the Blue Devils a 10-3 lead. Walko's sacrifice fly, Schillaci's RBI single and Epps' sacrifice bunt all drove in runs for the visitors. Wagner scored two more runs in the bottom of the sixth to chase CCSU starter Taylor Kosakowski from the game. He left after allowing eight hits in 5.2 innings to go along with five runs, only four of which were earned. Junior Chris Chagnon entered the game to record the final out of the sixth.

Wagner scored four runs in the bottom of the seventh to cut the final score to 10-9. Chagnon pitched the final 1.1 innings. The runs he allowed in the seventh inning were the first allowed for him this season in 11 innings of action.

CCSU and Wagner will play a final nine inning game on Sunday to complete the weekend NEC series.