Baseball Sweeps Navy in Saturday Doubleheader

The Central Connecticut baseball team swept a doubleheader from Navy on Saturday. The Blue Devils took the first game, 3-2, before closing out the day with a 9-2 win in game two.

The series concludes with a single game on Sunday beginning at Noon.

Central improves to 3-2 on the year with the wins, while Navy falls to 6-3.

Game 1: CCSU 3, Navy 2

Junior Andrew Hinckley fired a complete game and junior Connor Fitzsimons collected three hits to lead the Blue Devils to a 3-2 win in the series-opener.

Central got on the scoreboard with a run in the top of the second. Junior Matt Martinez hit a two-out double to left field and Fitzsimons followed with a double down the left field line to make it 1-0.

The Blue Devils followed with two runs in the top of the third. Junior Tyler Coleman and sophomore Dean Lockery knocked back-to-back singles before sophomore Ryan Costello drove in Coleman with CCSU's third straight single to make it 2-0. Lockery came home on a groundout by sophomore Dylan Maher to make it 3-0.

Navy got a run back in their own half of the third. Logan Knowles led off with a walk and moved to third following a sacrifice bunt and then a balk. He came in to score on a groundout to make it 3-1.

The Midshipmen got another run in the fifth to cut the CCSU lead to a run. Hinckley retired the first two batters he faced, before Knowles hit an inside-the-park homerun to right field to make it 3-2.

The Mids would threaten in the bottom of the seventh with two outs. Scott Koscho and Adrian Chinnery knocked consecutive pinch-hit singles, but Hinckley and CCSU ended the threat by inducing a groundout by Knowles.

Hinckley allowed two runs on six hits, while striking out six and walking just one in 7.0 innings of work to get his first win of the year. Fitzsimons finished the game 3-for-3 with an RBI to lead the Central offense.

Knowles scored two runs for Navy and was 1-for-2 with an RBI. Luke Gillingham took the loss for Navy, allowing three runs on seven hits over 7.0 innings. He struck out six and walked one.

Game 2: CCSU 9, Navy 2

Central pounded out 15 hits and took advantage of six Navy errors to win the second game, 9-2.  Hinckley and Lockery each drove in two runs for CCSU, while they were both among six Blue Devils to collect two hits in the contest.

Navy took the lead in the bottom of the first after Robert Currie led off with a walk. He stole second and scored after Travis Blue singled and Central committed an error. Blue scored on a ground out by Connor Deneen to make it 2-0.

The Blue Devils came right back in the top of the second to plate three runs on four hits. Central loaded the bases after freshman Ken Wright reached on an error to lead off and sophomore Mitch Guilmette singled sophomore Nick Garland walked. Junior Nick Landell and junior Franklin Jennings hit back-to-back singles to each drive in a run and make it 2-2. A two-out single by Lockery brought home Landell to make it 3-2.

Central extended the lead in the fourth with four more runs. The Blue Devils loaded the bases with two outs and two runs scored on a Navy error after Costello put the ball in play. Hinckley followed with a two-run double to clear the bases and make it 7-2.

Jennings plated Guilmette in the fifth on a fielder's choice to tack on another run for CCSU. The Blue Devils rounded out the scoring in the top of the eighth when Lockery's single scored Landell to make it 9-2.

Freshman Brandon Fox got the win for Central after throwing 6.0 innings and allowing two runs, just one earned. He struck out one, walked two and scattered three hits. Senior Casey Brown got the save after 3.0 perfect innings of work with three strikeouts.

Hinckley, Lockery, Guilmette, Garland, Landell and Jennings each had two hits for Central, which banged out 15 hits as a team.

George Coughlin started for Navy and allowed seven runs, one earned, in 3.2 innings of work on eight hits and was saddled with the loss.

The teams return to action on Sunday with a single game beginning at Noon at Bishop Stadium.