Baseball Wins, Coughlin Throws Eight Strong Innings

Senior Tom Coughlin allowed one run and scattered four hits over eight innings as the Central Connecticut baseball team earned a 2-1 victory over Bethune-Cookman on Friday night.  The Blue Devils improve to 3-4 on the season with the victory, while Bethune-Cookman falls to 12-11.

Coughlin tossed eight innings and recorded a career-high 10 strikeouts in the game.  He faced just 29 batters, five over the minimum for eight innings.

Bethune-Cookman's lone run against Coughlin was scored in the fourth inning.  A bunt single, walk and wild pitch gave the Wildcats runners on the corners with no outs.  Coughlin induced a 6-4-3 double play, but Bethune-Cookman plated the game's first run as CCSU elected to take the two outs.

Coughlin responded by limiting the Wildcats to just two base runners over the next four frames, including 1-2-3 innings in the fifth and seventh.

Trailing 1-0, the Blue Devils plated a pair of runs in the sixth inning to take the lead for good.  Connor Fitzsimons and Yuri Morin singled to lead off the inning, freshman Franklin Jennings advanced the runners with a sacrifice bunt and the next batter, senior J.P. Sportman, knocked in the first run with a fielder's choice.  Senior Josh Ingham followed with an RBI double to give CCSU the lead.

After driving in the go-ahead run in the sixth, Ingham came on in relief of Coughlin in the ninth.  He worked into and out of trouble to earn his second save of the season with a scoreless inning.

Coughlin improves to 1-1 on the season with the victory.  He posted an impressive final stat line of eight innings, one run, four hits and 10 strikeouts.

Fitzsimons, Moran, Ingham, Dominic Severino and Nick Coro each had a hit for the Blue Devils.

As a team, CCSU managed just five hits, but productive at bats helped the Blue Devils produce two runs to support Coughlin's strong outing.