Blue Devils Lose Both Ends of Northeast Conference Doubleheader, Drop Second Contest in Extra Innings

Central Connecticut (22-17, 12-9) lost both ends of a Northeast Conference home doubleheader versus Mount St. Mary's (20-22, 12-8) on Beehive Field in New Britain. Senior Ken Kerski struck out a season-high 11 batters in the opener, a 4-3 loss. Junior Anthony Scialdone had his 28-game hit streak snapped with an 0-for-3 effort. The Blue Devils then lost, 9-8, in a nine-inning affair. Junior Sean Allaire went 3-for-5 with three runs scored. Junior Richie Tri added three hits, including two doubles. Senior Jay Schillaci, who stretched his hit streak to 16 games in the opener, went 0-for-4. Senior Sean Parker contributed a combined 3-for-5 day at the plate. He had two doubles and four RBI.

Mount St. Mary's scored unearned runs in the first and second innings of the opener. Junior Mike Matta led off the game with a two-base error to center field. He moved to third on a ground out to first and then scored on the second error of the inning. The Mountaineers went up 2-0 in the second. A pair of one-out singles put runners on first and second. Both advanced on a passed ball. The Blue Devils caught the lead runner, freshman Josh Winter, on an attempted squeeze, but sophomore Alex Andrews drove in a run on a single to right field. Central Connecticut had runners on in the first and third innings, but Mount double plays ended both frames.

Kerski retired seven straight starting in the third inning to keep the game at 2-0 through four and half. The Blue Devils tied the game in their half of the fifth. Sophomore Pat Epps and Schillaci started the rally with back-to-back singles through the left side. Tri moved them up with a sac bunt, and Parker drove in the pair with a double to shallow right center.

Mount St. Mary's regained the lead in the top of the sixth. Junior Jake Darr reached first with a one-out single and stole second. Kerski walked sophomore Kyle Kane before striking out sophomore Shane Eyler for the third time. He hit senior Matt Staso to load the bases, and Winter drove in Darr and Kane with a double down the left field line. Central Connecticut cut the margin to 4-3 in the bottom half of the inning. Senior Casey Walko hit a one-out double to right center, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on an RBI ground out by Scialdone. Epps had a two-out infield single, and Schillaci followed with a double down the right field line. Epps was held at third, and both he and Schillaci were stranded.

Central Connecticut threatened in the bottom of the seventh. Parker drew a one-out walk, and Allaire singled with two outs. Both were stranded as Matta, the Mount St. Mary's closer, recorded his third strikeout of the inning to end the game.

Kerski went the distance for the Blue Devils. He allowed four runs, two earned, on six hits while striking out the 11 batters. Junior Costa Kapothanasis pitched 5.2, allowing three runs on six hits and three walks. He struck out three. Matta took the mound in with one out in the sixth. He surrendered three hits in his sixth sixth save effort of the season.

Scialdone's hitting streak was snapped at 28 games. Schillaci, however, extended his streak to 16 games. He, Epps and Walko each had two hits. Darr and Winter led the Mount offense with two hits apiece.

Central Connecticut manufactured the first run in game two. Allaire led off with a single. He stole second and went to third on a Walko single. Both players advanced on a balk by Mount St. Mary's junior starter Kent Worthington. Worthington retired the next three Blue Devils to limit the damage to one run. The Mountaineers took the lead in the second. They scored four runs with four singles and a pair of walks. Winter and sophomore Zach Helman each had two-run singles.

The Blue Devils narrowed the margin to two, 4-2, in the bottom of the third inning. Allaire singled, and Walko walked to start the frame. Scialdone then drew a walk to load the bases with no outs. A sacrifice fly to right off the bat of Epps drove in the only run. Schillaci grounded into a 6-4-3 double play to end the inning.

CCSU hit around in the fourth inning, scoring five runs on six hits. Tri started things with a double to right center. He scored on a one-out double by Parker. Allaire drove in the next run after a single by freshman Mitch Wells. An RBI ground out by Walko and back-to-back RBI singles from Scialdone and Epps made it a 7-4 game. Mount St. Mary's countered with two runs in the top of the fifth. Freshman Buddy Fields got on with a leadoff single and moved to third on a two-base error that put Darr on second. Eyler drove in both with a single.

The Blue Devils tacked on an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth. Tri again led off with a double, this time to left center. He scored on a Parker sac fly. The Mount got that run back in the top of the sixth. Sophomore Tommy Flynn doubled, moved to third on a single by Fields and scored on a wild pitch.

Mount St. Mary's tied the game in the seventh on a Winter RBI double. Matta then escaped a scare in the bottom half of the inning. The Blue Devils loaded the bases with no outs, but three straight ground outs sent the game to extra innings. The Mount won it in the ninth. Eyler doubled to start the inning, advanced to third on a passed ball with two outs and scored on an RBI single by sophomore Steve Benvenuto. CCSU went 1-2-3 in its half.

Matta went 3.2 innings to earn the win. He allowed just one hit. Junior Chris Chagnon took the loss for the Blue Devils. He pitched 4.1 innings in relief of senior starter Taylor Kosakowski. Chagnon gave up three runs on six hits after Kosakowski surrendered six runs on eight hits. Eyler went 3-for-4 with three runs and two RBI in the win. Winter added two hits and three RBI.

Central Connecticut and Mount St. Mary's will resume Thursday's suspended game prior to Saturday's nine-inning game, which is slated to start at 1 p.m. on Beehive Field in New Britain. The Blue Devils lead the suspended game, 7-6.