Blue Devils Take Two on Sunday vs. LIU

The Central Connecticut baseball team took a pair of games from LIU Brooklyn on Sunday, winning a continued game from Saturday 3-0 and then winning the series finale 10-1.  The Blue Devils finished the weekend outscoring LIU 19-1 in the final three games after losing 4-2 on Friday.

With the Sunday sweep the Blue Devils are now 23-18 overall on the season and 12-8 in Northeast Conference play.  LIU is now 24-23-1 overall and 11-13 in the league.

In a game that was suspended on Saturday, Central posted its second straight shutout to win 3-0.  Senior righty Nick Neumann won his team-leading fifth game of the season allowing eight hits but no runs while stranding eight base runners in the game.  He is now 5-3 on the season.  Neumann struck out three and the shutout was his second of the season.

Junior Dominic Severino provided the game's only scoring on Saturday before the game was suspended.  He hit his first home run of the season, a three-run shot, to give the Blue Devils the early lead.

Neither team would find the scoreboard as the game resumed at 12 noon on Sunday.  LIU put runners on base but Nuemann didn't allow a run in the victory.

In Sunday's second game the Blue Devils took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on an RBI groundout from senior Josh Ingham and an RBI single from Severino. 

The lead reached 4-0 in the second inning.  Senior J.P. Sportman doubled home sophomore Connor Fitzsimons who had doubled to lead off the inning and then Sportman scored on an RBI single from freshman Franklin Jennings.  

The lead reached 5-0 in the fourth inning.  Fitzsimons doubled for the second time to lead off an inning and then scored from third on a wild pitch.  Severino drove in his sixth run of the weekend with a double in the fifth inning to make it 6-0.  A bases loaded walk and an RBI single from Jennings pushed the lead to 8-0 after five innings.

Sportman tripled in his third run of the game, followed by the third RBI from Jennings, in the seventh to make it 10-0. 

Freshman Matt Blandino won his third game of the season for the Blue Devils pitching eight innings without allowing a run and just two hits.  LIU managed just three base runners against Blandino, two two out hits and a walk, as Blandino improved to 3-3 on the season.  He struck out four.

The Blue Devils are back on action on Tuesday at 12 noon at Hartford in their final non-league game of the season.  They will conclude NEC action beginning on Thursday at 1 p.m. vs. Sacred Heart, followed by a doubleheader on Friday and then the series finale on Saturday at 3 p.m.