Baseball Wins First of the Season, 9-8, at Home vs. Albany

The Central Connecticut State University baseball team picked up its first win of th 2010 season with a 9-8 home victory over Albany on Wednesday afternoon. With the victory Central improves to 1-4 with the win while Albany falls to 0-10. Central returns to action this weekend heading to Seton Hall for the Strike Out Cancer Tournament beginning on Friday. They will face Seton Hall on Friday, Stony Brook on Saturday and Iona on Sunday in the three-day tournament.

The Blue Devils struck first with three runs in the bottom of the first inning. Junior Pat Epps doubled to deep center field plating seniors Sean Allaire and Anthony Scialdone to make it 2-0. Senior Tommy Meade doubled in Epps for the third run of the inning and the three-run lead. The lead reached 4-0 in the second inning when seninor Kyle Zarotney scored as the Blue Devils attempted a double steal with two outs. Zarotney scored and Allaire was caught stealing on the play.

Albany scored three runs in the third inning to cut the lead to 4-3. Pete DiResta, Brendan Eichner and Pete Eichner all drove in runs for the Great Danes off Blue Devil starter Dan Markoya.

Central scored a single run in the fourth to up the lead to 5-3. Sophomore Danny Hickey drove in Meade who had singled to lead off the inning. Albany tied the game with a pair of runs in the top of the fifth inning. Eichner hit a solo home run to right field to cap the scoring.

The Great Danes took the lead on a solo home run in the sixth inning by Mike Tirri. Central tied it on an RBI single by Allaire in the bottom of the inning. A sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh inning gave the Great Danes back the lead, 7-6.

Central retook the lead in the bottom of the seventh inning. Sophomore Mitch Wells singled through the right side with the bases loaded to score two. Junior Sean Miller-Jones singled off the pitcher's glove scoring the third run of the inning to make it 9-7 after seven. Albany scored a run in the eighth to make it 9-8.

Epps and Wells each finished the game wtih two RBI for CCSU. Junior lefty Dave Krasnowiecki picked up his first win in a CCSU uniform. He pitched the final 2.2 innings, allowing just two hits and one run. He struck out two in the victory.

The Blue Devils return to action this weekend heading to Seton Hall for the Strike Out Cancer Tournament beginning on Friday. They will face Seton Hall on Friday, Stony Brook on Saturday and Iona on Sunday in the three-day tournament.