Baseball Season Ends in NEC Tourney
Blue Devils finish the season 28-24 overall
The Central Connecticut baseball season came to and end on Friday afternoon as the Blue Devils dropped their second straight 3-2 decision, this time to Fairleigh Dickinson, in the Northeast Conference Baseball Tournament. The Blue Devils are eliminated from the tournament and end the season with a 28-24 overall record. They were the third seed in the tournament.
The Blue Devils took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a sacrifice fly from sophomore J.P. Sportman. Senior Jake Matuszak scored on the play, he had walked to lead off the inning.
The Knights answered with five hits and a pair of runs in the bottom of the first to take a 2-1 lead.
Matuszak drove in the tying run in the top of the fourth inning, making it 2-2. Senior A.J. Lowers singled to lead off the inning, and went to second on a sacrifice from classmate Danny Hickey. He scored on the single making it 2-2.
Fairleigh Dickinson took the lead again in the seventh. The leadoff man walked, went to second on a sacrifice bunt and scored on a single to right field from Jordan Ritz, making it 3-2.
The Blue Devils had a chance to tie it up in the top of the eighth inning. Junior Tyler McIntyre doubled to left center field to lead off the inning. Pinch runner Bobby Migliazza went to third on a fly out from sophomore Dylan DelaCruz, but the Blue Devils were unable to bring across the tying run. Sophomore Anthony Turgeon grounded out and Hickey flew out to center field to end the inning.
They threatened again in the ninth. Sophomore Josh Ingham led off the inning with a single, but was forced out at second on a sacrifice bunt attempt. The final two batters were retired and the Knights advanced to another elimination game on Saturday.
Central freshman lefty Cody Brown was solid in the loss, pitching 6.2 innings and allowing three runs on eight hits. He let up a pair of runs in the first inning, and then settled down to hold the Knights to only three hits in the final six innings of work. He struck out two.
Central ends the season with a 28-24 overall record, winning 25 or more games for the seventh straight season and the 11th time in the last 12 years.
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