Baseball Splits at Fairfield on Saturday Afternoon
Blue Devils rebound from game one loss to win game two in extra-innings
The Central Connecticut baseball team rebounded from a 9-2 loss in game one a doubleheader on Saturday and won the second game, 7-4, in extra-innings. With the split Central is now 20-16 overall on the season. Fairfield is now 25-19. The two teams will finish the weekend series with a single game on Sunday at 1 p.m. in New Britain.
The Blue Devils lost the first game 9-2. Sophomore Connor Fitzsimons and junior Bryant Rivera each drove in a run for the game but the Stags used 10 hits and three CCSU errors to plate nine runs in the victory. The loss snapped Central's six-game winning streak.
In game two the Blue Devils scored a single run in the first and second innings to take a 2-0 lead. Senior J.P. Sportman singled to lead off the game and went to second on a single from classmate Anthony Turgeon. Sportman scored on a single from senior Josh Ingham to give the Blue Devils the lead.
In the second inning freshman Nick Hayes doubled down the right field line and then scored on an error by the Stags, making it 2-0.
Fairfield scored twice in the bottom of the sixth inning to tie the game 2-2. A pair of RBI singles off of senior Nick Neumann tied the score.
The Blue Devils rallied in the top of the eighth inning to score five times and take the 7-2 lead. Ingham drove in two more runs while junior Dominic Severino drove in one. Freshman Matt Blandino drove in the first two runs of the frame for the Blue Devils to start the rally.
Neumann pitched seven innings to earn his team-leading fourth victory of the season. He struck out five and allowed four runs. Freshman Kevin Connolly earned the save relieving Ingham in the eighth with two men on and no outs. Ingham finished the game with three RBI, while Blandino drove in a pair. Sportman had two hits and scored twice.
The Blue Devils and Stags will play a single nine-inning game on Sunday at 1 p.m. in New Britain.