Big Seventh Inning Lifts Baseball Past Sacred Heart, 11-4

The Central Connecticut baseball team took the series-opener at Sacred Heart with an 11-4 win on Friday at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, CT. The Blue Devils scored seven runs in the seventh inning to erase a three-run deficit and claim their seventh win in their last eight Northeast Conference contests.

The win improves CCSU to 14-17 overall and 7-6 in NEC play. SHU slips to 14-14 overall and 6-2 in the NEC.

Neither team scored through the first three and a half innings, until the Pioneers got a run in the bottom of the fourth. Dan Schock hit a one-out double and moved to third on a wild pitch. PJ DeFilippo drove him in with a single to make it 1-0.

CCSU got a run on three hits to tie the game in the fifth. Sophomore Nick Garland opened the inning with a walk. Senior Matt Martinez followed with a single down the left field line and was thrown out trying to reach second base, but Garland was able to move to third. Junior Nick Landell plated Garland on a fielder's choice to make it 1-1. Central posted back-to-back singles with two outs, but the Pioneers avoided further damage by throwing out a runner at the plate to end the inning.

SHU regained the lead with three runs in the bottom of the fifth. A pair of walks opened the inning, followed by a sacrifice bunt to move the runners to second and third. Cody Doyle drove in both runners with a single through the right side to make it 3-1. Schock followed with a double to drive in Doyle and push the SHU lead to 4-1.

The Blue Devils broke the game open in the seventh with seven runs, scoring all of them with two outs. Garland led off with a single before SHU recorded a pair of outs. Junior Tyler Coleman was hit by a pitch and freshman David Balunek singled to load the bases and keep the inning going. Sophomore Dean Locker singled to drive in two runs and moved to second on a throwing error to put runners on second and third.

Junior Andrew Hinckley followed and put the ball in play and an error allowed a run to score to tie the game 4-4 and continue the inning. With runners on first and third, senior Corey Lerche singled to give Central the lead. A walk to senior Connor Fitzsimons loaded the bases and another walk to Garland brought home a run to make it 6-4. Following the second pitching change of the inning, Martinez hit a bases-loaded single to left center, driving in two runs to make it 8-4 and close out the scoring in the inning.

Central would add three more runs in the ninth. Hinckley singled to lead off. Sophomore John Lippincott followed by hitting into a fielder's choice, but an error allowed him to reach base and move to second. Fitzsimons singled to drive in a run and make it 9-4. Garland followed with a walk and moved to third on a run-scoring single by Martinez. A sacrifice bunt by Landell plated Garland to make it 11-4.

The Blue Devils churned out 14 hits in the game. Lockery went 4-for-5 with two runs batted in and a run scored. Martinez added three hits and three RBIs. Balunek and Hinckley each had two hits, while Garland and Fitzsimons scored three and two runs, respectively.

Senior Casey Brown got the win to improve to 3-4 on the year. He allowed four runs on nine hits in 6.1 innings of work. He walked five, while striking out four. Hinckley came in to throw the final 2.2 innings and get the save. He allowed two hits, walked one and struck out three.

Schock had two doubles for SHU and scored a run with an RBI. Doyle drove in two runs.

Brent Teller took the loss for Sacred Heart, allowing four unearned runs without recording an out. James Cooksey started for the Pioneers and allowed four runs, three earned, on eight hits in 6.2 innings. He walked one and struck out three.

The series continues with a doubleheader on Saturday. The first of two seven-inning contests begins at 1:00 p.m.