Baseball Drops Pair to Iona on Saturday

The Central Connecticut baseball team fell to Iona in a pair of non-conference games on Saturday afternoon at CCSU Baseball Field. The Blue Devils fell, 2-0, in the day's first game before the Gaels claimed a 3-2 win in the second contest.

The losses drop Central to 12-27 overall, while Iona improved to 15-31.

Game #1 CCSU 0, Iona 2:

A two-run single in the top of the seventh was the difference in the day's first game, which featured strong pitching.

The Gaels scored the only runs after a single and two intentional walks loaded the bases with two outs in the top of the seventh. Zach Brown laced a single to center field to drive in the eventual winning runs.

Mariano Rivera pitched a complete game for the Gaels. After allowing a double to left field to freshman Ryan Costello to open the game, he was flawless the rest of the day and finished with seven strikeouts.

Senior Jesse Frawley started for Central and worked out of bases-loaded jams in the first and fourth innings to not allow a run in his 4.1 innings of work. Sophomore Adam Neveski threw 2.2 innings in relief. 

Game #2 CCSU 2, Iona 3: 

The Blue Devils got on the board in the bottom of the first in game two. Junior Connor Fitzsimons singled and moved to second after senior Dominic Severino reached base. Freshman Dylan Maher followed with a double to drive in Fitzsimons for a 1-0 lead.

The Gaels took the lead in the fourth with two runs. Jimmy Guiliano led off with a single and moved to second on a sacrifice. With two outs, an error allowed him to come around and score to tie the game at 1-1. Vinny DeMaria followed with a single to plate Brown and make it 2-1.

Iona tacked on a run in the fifth when Kyle DiVico reached on a bunt single and moved to third on a single by Guiliano. Jon Budesa singled him home to make it 3-1.

Central got a run back in the sixth when Maher led off with a double and scored after freshman Mike Arman followed with a single to make it 3-2. Eddie Macaluso managed to retire the next three batters and escape without further harm. John Daddino came in and retired CCSU in the seventh to earn the save.

Maher led the Blue Devils at the plate collecting three hits. Junior Casey Brown threw a complete game, scattering five hits with four strikeouts and one walk. 

Guiliano had two hits for the Gaels. Macaluso gave up two runs on seven hits, while striking out four to earn the win. 

Central returns to action on Friday, May 8, with the start of an important four-game Northeast Conference series at LIU Brooklyn.