Baseball Falls at Sacred Heart in Series Finale

The Central Connecticut baseball team fell to Sacred Heart, 7-4, on Sunday afternoon at Harbor Yard in the final game of the Northeast Conference four-game series. The Blue Devils held a four-run lead until the Pioneers scored seven runs in the bottom of the eighth inning to rally for the win.

The Blue Devils slip to 14-20 overall and 7-9 in NEC play. The Pioneers improve to 17-14 overall and 9-2 in conference play.

Senior Connor Fitzsimons hit a solo homerun to give Central a 4-0 lead after three innings. Junior Tyler Coleman and sophomores Dean Lockery and Nick Garland each had two hits for the Blue Devils.

Central opened the scoring with three runs in the top of the third inning. Senior Matt Martinez drew a one-out walk and moved to third after junior Nick Landell reached on an error and moved to second base. Coleman was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out. Consecutive singles by freshman David Balunek and Lockery each drove in a run to make it 2-0. Junior Andrew Hinckley hit a sacrifice fly to left field to drive in Coleman and make it 3-0.

Fitzsimons led off the top of the fourth with a homerun to left field, his first of the season, to make it 4-0.

The Pioneers managed to break through in the bottom of the eighth, taking advantage of two CCSU errors, to score seven runs. Back-to-back doubles by Victor Sorrento and Dan Schock with one out resulted in SHU's first run. Following a strikeout, Jesus Medina doubled and PJ DeFilippo singled to score two more runs and cut the CCSU lead to 4-3. A walk put runners on first and second, before an error loaded the bases. Ted Shaw followed with a single to drive in two runs and give SHU a 5-4 lead. A single by Zack Short advanced the runners to second and third, but a throwing error allowed two runs to score and make it 7-4.

Freshman Brandon Fox started for CCSU and threw five shutout innings. He allowed four hits and two walks, while striking out four. Hinckley took the defeat in relief, allowing seven runs, just three earned, in 2.2 innings. He struck out five and walking one.

Central pounded out 11 hits as a team. Coleman, Lockery and Garland each had two hits. Lockery added an RBI.

Brent Teller got the win for Sacred Heart after coming on to throw 3.1 innings in relief. He allowed no runs on one hit with five strikeouts. John Sostarich started and allowed four runs, two earned, in 5.2 innings.

Jayson Sullivan led SHU at the plate, going 2-for-5 with two runs batted in and a run scored. The Pioneers recored 12 hits as a team.

The Blue Devils are scheduled to host Siena at 3:00 p.m. on Tuesday, April 19.