Baseball Tops FDU in NEC Opener
Turgeon drives in two runs in home victory
The Central Connecticut baseball team opened Northeast Conference play with a 7-1 home victory over Fairleigh Dickinson on Friday afternoon. Sophomore lefty Casey Brown picked up his first win of the season on the mound with the complete game victory.
The Blue Devils are now 6-6 overall and 1-0 in the NEC with the victory. The Knights are 3-10 overall and 0-1 in the league.
Brown pitched the complete game and faced only 32 batters in the nine-inning win. He struck out one and walked only two to earn his first victory.
The two teams will play a doubleheader at 1 p.m. on Saturday on the CCSU Baseball Field.
Central struck first in the bottom of the first inning to take a 3-0 lead. With one out junior Dylan DelaCruz doubled and went to third on a single from classmate J.P. Sportman. Senior Tyler McIntyre walked to load the bases, and then sophomore Dominic Severino was hit by a pitch to score the first run. With two outs junior Anthony Turgeon drove in a pair of runs with a single down the right field line.
The lead reached 4-0 in the third. Sportman tripled to lead off the inning and then scored on a wild pitch to make it 4-0.
FDU scored a single run in the top of the sixth inning to cut the lead to 4-1.
Central added three in the bottom of the eighth inning. Sporrtman singled and went to third on a single from McIntyre. He scored on an RBI single from Severino, making it 5-1. Turgeon drove in his third run of the game with an RBI single. An RBI single from junior Josh Ingham made it 7-1.
Brown picked up his first win to even his record at 1-1. He pitched the complete game, his first of the season, and allowed just four hits while striking out one FDU batter. He faced only 32 batters in the nine-inning game.
Turgeon drove in three runs and had two hits in the victory. Ingham and Sportman each had three hits, while Ingham added an RBI. Sportman scored three times.
The Blue Devils and Knights will continue their weekend series on Saturday with a doubleheader at 1 p.m. on the CCSU Baseball Field.