Baseball Conference Win Streak Stopped With 12-8 Loss to Fairleigh Dickinson

The Central Connecticut baseball team had its seven-game Northeast Conference winning streak stopped with a 12-8 loss to Fairleigh Dickinson on Friday afternoon. The game was played at Palmer Field in Middletown, CT, the only home game of the season not played at Beehive Field this season. Junior outfielder Richie Tri had four extra-base hits and drove in three runs in the loss. CCSU drops to 20-14 overall and 10-6 in NEC play. Fairleigh Dickinson improves to 11-27 overall and 6-11 in league action.

Fairleigh Dickinson scored first with a single run in the top of the first inning. With two outs and a man on third an RBI single by Brian Dillon gave the Knights the early advantage. The Knights added two more in the second inning to up the lead to 3-0. With one out and the bases loaded and double play ended the threat for the Knights.

Blue Devil senior Jay Schillaci homered to deep left field to lead off the bottom of the second inning to make it 3-1. FDU added another run in the third to make it 4-1.

Blue Devil starter Dan Markoya lasted only three innings allowing nine hits and four earned runs. He struck out one batter and walked another in his second league start of the season.

Central Connecticut cut the deficit to one in the fourth inning. With one out Schillaci singled and scored on an RBI triple off the right field wall by Tri. Tri scored on an RBI single by senior catcher Sean Parker to make it 4-3.

The Knights answered with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth inning off of Blue Devil reliever Tyler Riordan. Dillon hit a two-run home run in the sixth inning, his fourth hit of the game, to make it 8-3 in favor of the Knights. Dillon had a single, two triples and a home run in his first four trips to the plate.

The Blue Devils chipped away at the lead with three runs in the bottom of the sixth. Back-to-back RBI doubles by Tri and pinch-hitter Kyle Zarotney cut the lead to 8-5. Zarotney went to third on a groundout and scored on a wild pitch to make it 8-6.

FDU scored a single run in the seventh and one more in the eighth to make it a 10-6 game.

Tri's third RBI of the game, and his fourth extra-base hit, cut it to 10-7 in the bottom of the eighth. Sophomore Pat Epps singled to lead off the inning and scored on the double by Tri. Senior catcher Sean Parker doubled down the left field line to score Tri and cut the lead to 10-8.

FDU's Matt Maher hit a two run home run to right field with one out in the top of the ninth inning to up the lead to 12-8.

The Blue Devils and Knights will continue their weekend series on Saturday at 12 noon at Beehive Field. They will play two seven inning games.