Epps and Tri Lead Baseball to Sweep of Doubleheader vs. Sacred Heart on Saturday

Junior Pat Epps drove in five runs in the opener and senior Richie Tri drove in four in the nightcap as the Central Connecticut State University baseball team swept a doubleheader against Sacred Heart on Saturday. Central won the first game 8-7 and the second 8-0. With the wins they improve to 13-12 overall and 8-7 in Northeast Conference play. The games were played on the CCSU Baseball Field because Harbor Yard in Bridgeport was unplayable on Saturday morning.

In the first game the Blue Devils scored a pair of runs in the first inning to take a 2-0 lead. Epps and senior Sean Allaire each drove in a run. Sacred Heart scored one in the second to cut the lead to 2-1.

The Blue Devils plated two runs in third and two more in the fourth to take a 6-1 lead. Epps hit a two-run home run in the third inning, and singled home two more in the fourth to give Central the five-run lead.

The Pioneers scored one in the fourth to make it 6-2. The Blue Devils answered with two runs in the top of the fifth to make it 8-2. Senior Kyle Zarotney homered and Tri scored on an error to make it 8-2. Sacred Heart scored four in the bottom of the inning to cut it to 8-6. They added a run in the seventh for the final score of 8-7.

Epps drove in five runs in the first game and had two hits. Junior Sean Miller-Jones, Allaire and Zarotney also added two hits in the win. Senior lefty Donnie White picked up the win in relief on the mound.

In the second game the Blue Devils took the lead on a sacrifice fly by Tri in the second inning. They stretched it to 2-0 in the fifth on a solo home run to right field by Allaire.

Tri extended the lead in the sixth inning with a three-run home run, his first of the season. He plated Zarotney and senior Tommy Meade, who had both singled. Central led 5-0. In the seventh Meade doubled in a pair of runs and Zarotney added an RBI single to stretch the lead to 8-0.

A pair of Blue Devils combined for the shutout for the Blue Devils as they swept the doubleheader. Sophomore Jack Greenhouse pitched 4.1 innings and allowing no runs and just four hits. Senior Tyler Riordan pitched the final 2.2 innings and did not allow a run while picking up the victory.

Tri drove in four runs in the second game, and Meade finished 3-for-3 with a pair of RBI.

The Blue Devils and Pioneers finish the weekend series on Sunday at 11 a.m. at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport.