Baseball Rolls Past Mount St. Mary's in Series Opener

The Central Connecticut baseball team cruised past Mount St. Mary's, 19-4, on Friday afternoon in the opening game of a four-game Northeast Conference series. Sophomore Ryan Costello collected three hits, including a grand slam and drove in five runs for the Blue Devils. The series continues with a doubleheader on Saturday scheduled for 1:00 p.m.

The win was CCSU's fourth straight in league play as it improves to 11-15 overall and 4-5 in NEC play. The Mount slips to 3-21 overall and 1-8 in league play.

After the Mountaineers scored a run in the top of the first, CCSU came back to level the score in the second. Senior Corey Lerche drew a one-out walk and sophomore Nick Garland followed with a double down the left field line. The throw in to second base was off the mark and Lerche took the opportunity to score from third on the throw to make it 1-1. 

The Blue Devils broke the game open with five runs in the fourth inning. Junior Andrew Hinckley led off with a single and CCSU would load the bases with no outs, following a single by Lerche and after Garland was hit by a pitch. Senior Matt Martinez singled to drive in the innings first run to make it 2-1. Junior Nick Landell drove in two more runs with a one-out single to make it 4-1. Sophomore Dean Lockery grounded out to first, but Martinez scored on the play. Senior Connor Fitzsimons followed with a single to drive in Landell and make it 6-1.

Central would add to the lead, erupting for nine runs on six hits in the sixth inning. After a fly out opened the inning, the Blue Devils would have nine straight batters reach base. After Landell and Fitzsimons each drove in runs, Costello delivered a grand slam to right field. CCSU would add three more runs in the inning, with Martinez plating a run on a fielder's choice and sophomore John Lippincott doubling in two runs to make it 15-1.

Mount would score two runs in the seventh inning when Brendan Dabagian and Ryan Owens each drove in a run and then add one more in the eighth on a single by Zach Call to make it 15-4.

The Blue Devils came back with four more runs in the eighth. The first seven batters in the inning would reach base safely. Landell, freshman Chandler Debrosse, Fitzsimons and Costello each collected an RBI in the inning to close out the scoring for CCSU and make it 19-4.

It was the most runs in a game for CCSU since a 26-3 win at Quinnipiac on May 12, 2013.

Costello finished the day 3-for-5 with 5 RBIs and a run scored. Landell drove in four runs on two hits and Fitzsimons drove in three runs of his own. All told, CCSU pounded out 18 hits as a team as 12 batters had at least one hit. Lockery, Lerche and Garland each added two hits.

Senior Casey Brown got the win for CCSU going 7.0 innings and allowing three runs on 11 hits with four strikeouts. Sophomore Stanley Wolpiuk threw two innings and allowed one run on two hits with a strikeout.

Mount St. Mary's collected 13 hits as a team, with Owens, Call, Zach Hostetter and Vaughn Parker each collecting two hits.

Austin Bonadio started for Mount and allowed six runs, five earned, in four innings of work. He gave up seven hits with one walk and one strikeout.

The teams will play a doubleheader with two seven-inning games beginning at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday at CCSU Baseball Field.