Epps and Parker Each Drive in Six Runs in Doubleheader Sweep on Saturday

Central Connecticut sophomore Pat Epps and senior Sean Parker each drove in six runs as the CCSU baseball team swept Quinnipiac in a doubleheader on Saturday in Hamden. in the first game CCSU scored 11 unanswered runs and turned a 6-5 deficit into a 19-8 victory. In the second game CCSU topped the Bobcats 8-4. Parker also homered twice in the opener to lead the Blue Devils. CCSU is now 15-12 overall and 5-5 in league action with the victories.

In the first game on Saturday the Blue Devils trailed 6-5 after four innings. A four run fifth and seven more runs in the sixth inning helped give the Blue Devils the 19-8 victory. The 19 runs are a season-high for the Blue Devils. They had dropped a 7-2 decision to the Bobcats on Friday afternoon in the first game of the weekend series.

The Blue Devils led 5-2 before the Bobcats scored four runs in the bottom of the third inning to take their first lead of the game. Central Connecticut led 3-0 after the first inning when Epps and sophomore Kyle Zarotney each drove in a run. An error led to the third run of the inning. After the Bobcats scored one in the bottom of the inning the Blue Devils plated two more in the second. An RBI ground out by junior Anthony Scialdone and another RBI by Epps scored the fifth run. One run in the second and four in the third gave Quinnipiac the lead.

Down 6-5, the Blue Devils scored 11 unanswered in the fifth and sixth innings to take a 10-run lead, 16-6. Parker hit his first home run, a two-run shot, and Scialdone and senior Casey Walko each drove in a run in the four-run fifth.

In the sixth the Blue Devils sent 12 men to the plate and scored seven runs on five hits. Junior Richie Tri doubled, junior Tommy Meade walked and Zarotney was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Parker got his third RBI when he was hit by a pitch and Tri scored. Freshman Mitch Wells singled up the middle to score two followed by an RBI single by junior Sean Allaire. Epps singled to score a pair and a sacrifice fly by Meade made it 16-6.

Quinnipiac scored one in the bottom of the sixth to cut the lead to 16-7. Parker's second home run came to lead off the seventh inning. Walko and Roy Natoli also added an RBI in the inning to make it 19-7. QU scored a run in the bottom of the inning.

Senior lefty Ken Kerski picked up the victory on the mound for the Blue Devils. He pitched the complete-game allowing eight runs and 14 hits while striking out six Bobcats.

In the second game the Blue Devils took a 3-1 lead after four innings, including two more RBI by Epps in the first and third innings. In the fourth inning Wells drove in the third run of the game for the Blue Devils, making it 3-1 in favor of the visitors.

A three run fifth inning stretched the Blue Devil lead to 6-1. Scialdone, senior Jay Schillaci and Meade all drove in runs for CCSU, stretching the lead to five. They had five hits in the inning.

The Bobcats scored a run in the bottom of the inning to make it 6-2. They added two more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to cut the lead to 6-4.

Parker secured the victory with a two-RBI single in the top of the seventh inning, his fifth and sixth RBI's of the day, to make it 8-4.

Senior righty Taylor Kosakowski earned the victory on the mound in the second game. He pitched six innings allowing six hits and just one earned run, four total, while striking out three. Junior Chris Chagnon pitched the final inning to secure the sweep.

CCSU and Quinnipiac will end the weekend series with a single nine-inning game on Sunday beginning at 12 noon.