Baseball Splits Doubleheader at FDU on Saturday

The Central Connecticut baseball team split a Saturday doubleheader on the road at Fairleigh Dickinson on Friday, winning the first game 3-0 and dropping the second 9-0.  The split gives the Blue Devils an overall record of 13-13 and a Northeast Conference mark of 5-6.  The two teams will complete the weekend series on Saturday with a single game at 1 p.m.

In game one the Blue Devils took a 1-0 the same way they did in Thursday's victory.  Senior J.P. Sportman hit his second home run of the season in the top of the third inning to give Central the lead. 

Sportman did it again in the sixth inning, this time with a man on base.  Freshman Matt Blandino singled to lead off the inning and then Sportman blasted his two-run home run, his second of the day and third in the last two days, to make it 3-0.

Sportman's three RBI were the only runs senior Nick Neumann would need as he tossed his first shutout of the season to move to 2-3 on the season.  He allowed five hits while striking three and walking three. 

In game two it was the Knights who struck first with four runs in the first inning.  A two-run double from John Giakas off of CCSU senior starter Tom Coughlin started the scoring as FDU posted six straight hits leading to four runs in the inning.

Giakas drove in two more runs with a single in the bottom of the fifth inning to push the lead to 6-0.  An RBI single from McClure made it 7-0.  Two runs in the sixth gave the home team the 9-0 lead.

Central had just two hits in the second game, both from Sportman.  He had four hits and three RBI on the day and had eight hits in the first three games of the weekend series.

The two teams will complete the weekend series on Saturday with a single game at 1 p.m.