Baseball Comes Up Short to Wagner in Saturday Twinbill

The Central Connecticut baseball team came up short in a Northeast Conference doubleheader against Wagner on Saturday at CCSU Baseball Field. The Seahawks took game one, 5-2, and game two, 6-4. Senior Andrew Hinckley collected three hits in the two games to pace the Blue Devils at the plate.

The losses drop Central to 9-17 overall and 6-7 in the NEC, while Wagner goes to 23-11 overall and 11-2 in the NEC.

The teams wrap up the series with a game Sunday at 1:00 p.m.

GAME 1: Wagner 5, CCSU 2

The Seahawks took the first game of the day after building a three-run lead and limiting the Blue Devils to one hit over the final four innings.

After Wagner scored an unearned run in the top of the first, CCSU came back in the second to tie the score. Freshman Peyton Stephens hit a one-out single to open a streak of three straight hits for Central. Senior Andrew Hinckley moved Stephens to third with a single and freshman Christian Layne brought him home with a single to make it 1-1.

The Seahawks scored two runs in the third to regain the lead. Phil Capra and Freddy Sabido each hit RBI singles to make it 3-1. Capra would hit a solo homer in the fifth to push the lead to three runs.

The Blue Devils got a run back in the bottom of the fifth after Hinckley was hit by a pitch to lead off. He moved to second on a sac bunt before going to third on freshman Jeremy Sagun's single. A sac fly by senior Dean Lockery would drive in the run to make it 4-2.

Wagner got an insurance run in the seventh and Nick Robino would strike out all three hitters he faced in the seventh to lock up the save.

Central had six different hitters collect a base hit in the game, tallying six hits as a team. Stephens and Hinckley each had a hit and a run scored, while Layne and Lockery each drove in a run and had a hit.

Senior Kyle Anderson went 6.1 innings and was charged with four earned runs on eight hits. He struck out two and walked one.

GAME 2: Wagner 6, CCSU 4

Central fell into an early five-run hole and had its rally fall short in the second game of the day.

Wagner batted around in the top of the first, plating three runs to start game two. Sabido followed with a two-run triple in the top of the second to give the Seahawks a 5-0 cushion. 

Central would get two runs in the fourth to climb back into the game. Senior Nick Garland walked to lead off and a wild pitch, followed by an error would put runners on first and second. Garland moved to third on another wild pitch before scoring on a single by Hinckley. A single by freshman Jeremy Sagun followed with a single to score senior Dylan Maher to make it 5-2. The Blue Devils would load the bases with two outs, but after a pitching change the Seahawks managed to avoid further harm.

The Seahawks took advantage of an error in the top of the fifth to push its lead to 6-2.

CCSU's first three batters in the bottom of the seventh would all reach safely. A single by Garland would bring in sophomore Chris Kanios and put runners on the corners. After another pitching change, the Blue Devils would score a run on a double-play grounder to make it 6-4, but Nick LePre would strike out the final batter and end the CCSU rally.

Hinckley would collect two hits and an RBI in the game as Central had seven hits as a team.

Junior Mike Appel started on the mound for CCSU and allowed three earned runs in 5.0 innings, but took the loss. Junior Patrick Mitchell allowed just one hit in two innings of work.

The series is set to wrap up on Sunday with a single game at 1:00 p.m.