Blue Devils Win Third Straight, Top Monmouth 11-7 on Thursday Afternoon

Sophomore Mitch Wells and senior Sean Allaire each drove in three runs as the Central Connecticut State University baseball team topped Monmouth 11-7 in the first game of a weekend series between the Northeast Conference opponents. The Blue Devils are now 6-7 overall and 3-2 in NEC action. Monmouth falls to 6-10 overall and 2-3 in league play. The two teams will continue the series with a doubleheader on Friday beginning at 1 p.m.

Central got on the board first in the bottom of the second inning. With the bases loaded and one out, junior Sean Miller-Jones singled to short right field to score two runs and give the Blue Devils the 2-0 lead.

The Hawks scored an unearned run in the top of the third inning and then three more in the fourth to take a 4-2 lead.

The Blue Devils took a 7-4 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. Sophomore Mitch Wells hit a two-run home run to right field to tie the game 4-4. It was his second home run of the season. With the bases loaded, senior Sean Allaire doubled to deep center field to plate three runners and give the Blue Devils the three-run lead.

Monmouth plated two in the sixth off Blue Devil reliever Jack Greenhouse to make it 7-6.

The Blue Devils answered in the bottom of the sixth, scoring four runs and making it 11-6. Junior Normand Gosselin scored from third on a wild pitch, and senior Anthony Scialdone tripled to deep left center field to score Miller-Jones, who had been hit by a pitch. Scialdone scored on a single through the left side by junior Pat Epps. Epps scored after back-to-back hits by senior Tommy Meade and Wells. It was the third RBI of the game for Wells.

Greenhouse picked up the win in relief for the Blue Devils. He pitched five innings and allowed just two hits, one earned run and struck out three for his first victory of the season.

The Blue Devils and Hawks will play a pair of seven-inning games on Friday beginning at 1 p.m.