Epps Matches Single Season Home Run Record as Central Splits with Wagner

Junior Pat Epps homered in both ends of a doubleheader with Wagner on Saturday afternoon and matched the school's single season home run record. Epps hit his 15th and 16th home runs of the season. The Blue Devils and Seahawks split the pair of games, with Central winning the opener 7-1 and Wagner winning the second 7-5. The two teams will finish the weekend series with a single nine-inning game on Sunday at 1 p.m.

In the first game, the Blue Devils opened the scoring in the bottom of the fourth inning when Epps led off the hitting with a double to left center. He scored on an RBI double by sophomore Mitch Wells. Senior Tommy Meade made the Central Connecticut lead 3-0 with a two-run home run to right center field.

Central continued the offense in the bottom of the fifth inning, taking a 6-0 lead. Senior Sean Allaire reached base after getting hit by a pitch. Senior Anthony Scialdone singled to left field to put runners on first and second. Epps hit a three-run home run to push the Blue Devil lead to 6-0.

Allaire drove in a run in the sixth to make it 7-0. It was his 68th RBI on the year. Wagner scored a run in the top of the seventh for the final score of 7-1.

Junior lefty Dave Krasnowiecki pitched the complete game to improve to 6-2 on the season for the Blue Devils. He allowed just six hits and struck out five in the complete game victory.

In game two the Seahawks opened it up with three runs in the top of the first inning to lead 3-0. Vin Avella hit a two-run home run in the third inning to make it 5-0. They took a 6-0 lead in the fourth inning when a run scored on a double play off of reliever Derek Drag.

Epps hit his second home run of the day, and tied the school-record, in the bottom of the fourth inning. It made it 6-1. Epps now has 16 home runs on the season, matching the school-record of 16 hit by Jamie Palmese in 1997. Senior Richie Tri singled through the left side with men on second and third to score two more runs in the inning and make it 6-3.

Wagner added a run in the sixth to make it 7-3. The run scored on a wild pitch. With two outs in the sixth, senior Kyle Zarotney singled to left to score a run and make it 7-4. Epps drove in his second run of the game in the seventh to make it 7-5.

The Blue Devils and Seahawks will finish the weekend series with a single nine-inning game on Sunday beginning at 1 p.m.