Baseball Bounces Back With 9-2 Win Over NDSU Saturday

The Central Connecticut baseball team took down North Dakota State, 9-2, on Saturday in Port Charlotte, FL. The Blue Devils got six strong innings from junior Mike Appel on the mound and sophomore Buddy Dewaine drove in four runs at the plate. CCSU improves to 1-1 overall with the win and NDSU is now 3-3 on the year.

The teams wrap up the three-game series on Sunday with an 11:00 a.m. game in the Snowbird Baseball Classic.

The Bison opened the scoring in the top of the first. Bennett Hostetler walked and moved to third on a single by Jayse McLean. A failed pickoff attempt allowed Hostetler to score an unearned run and give NDSU a 1-0 lead.

The Blue Devils came back with four runs in the bottom of the inning. Senior Dean Lockery and sophomore Chandler Debrosse led off with back-to-back singles. Sophomore TT Bowens and senior Mitch Guilmette followed with back-to-back RBI singles to make it 2-1. Dewaine recorded the fifth straight hit in the inning, with a double to center field to drive in a run and move Guilmette to third. Senior Nick Garland followed with an RBI ground out to make it 4-1. 

That was all the offense Appel would need as he only allowed one runner past second base after the first inning. He finished with 6.0 innings pitched and allowed four hits with four strikeouts. He would leave after the sixth and earn the win as CCSU tacked on five runs in the seventh.

Freshman Jeremy Sagun was hit by a pitch to lead off and stole second base before moving onto third on an error. Lockery followed with a sacrifice fly to make it 5-1. Central would put runners on first and second with two outs and Dewaine would deliver a three-run homer to make it 8-1. A pair of singles by Garland and freshman Jake Siracusa would set the table for freshman Peyton Stephens who singled up the middle to drive in a run and make it 9-1.

NDSU got a run back in the eighth when Mason Pierzchalski doubled and moved to third on a single. He would score on a single by Tucker Rohde to make it 9-2.

The Blue Devils finished the day with 14 hits. Debrosse went 3-for-4 at the plate with a run scored, while Lockery and Dewaine each had two hits. Lockery scored a run and drove another in. Siracusa and Stephens also had two hits apiece to power the CCSU offense.

Junior Jared Gallagher tossed 2.0 innings and allowed one run on four hits, while striking out four. Junior Tom Curtin closed the game, throwing an innning with one strikeout.

McLean and Rohde each had two hits for NDSU. Mitch O'Connor took the loss on the hill, allowing four runs in 3.0 innings of work. He gave up eight hits and walked two with one strikeout.