Baseball Takes Two From Fairleigh Dickinson Saturday

The Central Connecticut baseball team swept a doubleheader from Fairleigh Dickinson on Saturday at CCSU Baseball Field. Central took the first game, 9-4, and won the second game, 10-5. Senior Tyler Coleman went 5-for-5 combined in the two games with five runs scored and two runs batted in.

The wins improved CCSU to 32-20 overall and 20-7 in the Northeast Conference. FDU slipped to 12-33 overall and 8-17 in the NEC.

GAME 1: CCSU 9, FDU 4

The Blue Devils scored nine unanswered runs in the middle innings to take the opening game, 9-4, on Saturday afternoon.

The Knights got back-to-back singles to open the first. Matt McCann would move to third on a fly out and then score on a sac fly by Owen VonEsslinger to make it 1-0.

The Blue Devils would take the lead with five runs in the third. CCSU would open the inning with four straight singles and juniors Ryan Costello and Mitch Guilmette would each drive in a run to make it 2-1. After a sacrifice bunt loaded the bases, senior Franklin Jennings would drive in a run and Gulmette would score from second on an error to make it 4-1. Junior Nick Garland would hit a sacrifice fly to drive in another run and make it 5-1.

Central would load the bases with one out in the fourth inning. Freshman Buddy Dewaine hit a sacrifice fly to drive in a run and freshman Chris Kanios followed with a single to score another and increase lead to 7-1.

The Blue Devils tacked on two runs in the fifth after Coleman tripled to score Garland. Coleman would score after Costello singled to make it 9-1. 

The Knights would get two runs on a double by Hunter Reeser in the sixth to make it 9-3. FDU then added a run in the seventh on a single by Bobby Romano to close out the scoring, 9-4.

Coleman finished 3-for-3 with a double and triple for the Blue Devils. He scored three runs and drove in one more. CCSU had 12 hits as a team and Lockery, Costello, Kanios and Garland each finished with two hits.

Senior Brendan Smith got the win, allowing two earned runs on nine hits in 6.0 innings of work. He struck out two and scattered nine hits.

GAME 2: CCSU 10, FDU 5

For the third straight game, Central erased an early FDU lead and used a big inning en route to a 10-5 in the second game.

The Knights got two runs in the first to take an early lead. The first three batters all reached base to load the bases and a Jorge Iza fielder's choice brought in the first run. A sacrifice fly by James Donlon brought home another run to make it 2-0.

The Blue Devils got on the board in the second inning. Dewaine doubled with one out and moved to third on a wild pitch. Jennings would single to left field to score Dewaine and make it 2-1.

FDU added to its lead in the third after loading the bases with one out. Donlon would reach on a fielder's choice, but Ryan Brennan was able to score and make it 3-1.

The Blue Devils came back to tie the game in the bottom of the third. Lockery and Coleman would walk and be hit by a pitch, respectively, with one out. Costello followed with a double to the gap in right center to clear the bases and make it 3-3.

Central would break the game open with a five-run fourth inning. Jennings tripled with one out and scored one batter later on a double by junior Dylan Maher to make it 4-3. With two outs, Lockery would triple home Maher and then score on a single by Coleman to make it 6-3. With runners on the corners, Guilmette would reach on an error that allowed both runners to score and increase the lead to 8-3.

The Knights would get a two-run double by Iza in the fifth to cut the lead to 8-5, but CCSU would come back with two runs in the bottom of the inning.

Kanios and Jennings walked to open the inning and then reached second and third on a double-steal. Junior Ron Jackson would drop a single into left field to score both runs and make it 10-5.

The Blue Devils would finish with nine hits. Coleman and Jennings each had two hits and two runs scored. Lockery added two runs scored, while Costello and Jackson each drove in a pair of runs. 

Freshman Michael Delease started and went 4.1 innings for Central to earn the win. Sophomore Jared Gallagher went 2.2 innings in relief and did not allow a run on three hits, while striking out two.

Brennan finished 3-for-4 for FDU, while Iza drove in three runs.

The teams wrap up the series on Sunday with a single game beginning at 1:00 p.m. The Blue Devils will honor their seniors prior to the game.