Baseball Sweeps Friday Doubleheader at FDU

The Central Connecticut baseball team got timely hitting and strong pitching in a doubleheader sweep at Fairleigh Dickinson on Friday in Northeast Conference action at the N.F.B Complex in Teaneck, NJ. The Blue Devils hurlers only allowed five hits in each game, while the CCSU hitters banged out a two-game total of 24 hits.

The wins improve Central to 17-26 overall and 11-16 in conference play, while FDU slips to 10-34 overall and 1-23 in NEC play.

The teams will conclude the series with a single game on Sunday at 1:00 p.m.

GAME 1: CCSU 5, FDU 2
The Blue Devils rallied with four runs in the final two innings, including a three-run ninth to win the opening game of the day.

FDU took an early lead, getting two runs in the second inning on a sac fly by Brandon Seltzer and a single by Evan McDonald to go ahead 2-0.

Junior Mike Appel would settle down from there and not allow another run. He retired 10 straight at one point and finished the day with 12 strikeouts over 6.2 innings of work. He only allowed three hits, while giving up five walks.

The Blue Devils were kept off the scoreboard in the first four innings, but scratched out a run in the fifth. Senior Dean Lockery and sophomore Chandler Debrosse hit back-to-back singles to get things started. Senior Mitch Guilmette would rope a two-out double to drive in Lockery and cut the deficit to 2-1.

Central would tie the score in the eighth, again getting a run with two outs. Guilmette led off with a single and was replaced by pinch-runner freshman Christian Layne. Layne would steal second and with two outs sophomore Chris Kanios reached on a walk. Senior Dylan Maher came on to pinch-hit and delivered a single to plate Layne and tie the game, 2-2.

Lockery and Debrosse led off the ninth with a pair of base hits before FDU would get back-to-back strikeouts. Sophomore Buddy Dewaine followed with a double to left to clear the bases and make it 4-2. A passed ball moved Dewaine to third, who scored on a double by freshman Peyton Stephens. 

Junior Jared Gallagher pitched 1.1 innings of perfect relief to get the win for CCSU. Debrosse finished the game with three hits, while Lockery, Guilmette and Kanios added two each.

GAME 2: CCSU 5, FDU 1
Central held the Knights to one run over nine innings, while using a three-run fifth inning to complete the sweep of the doubleheader.

Central opened the scoring with a two-out homerun from Guilmette in the top of the fourth to take a 1-0 lead.

The Knights got the run back in the bottom of the inning on a two-out double by Connor Stanton. One run scored on the play, but Dewaine took the relay from Guilmette's throw in left field to cut down a runner at home to end the inning. 

The Blue Devils broke the game open with three runs in the fifth. Stephens led off with a home run to left field to make it 2-1. Maher and Lockery would each single and with two outs, Debrosse doubled to the gap in right to clear the bases and make it 4-1.

CCSU tacked on a run in the sixth when Maher singled in senior Nick Garland to close the game's scoring. 

That would be all the scoring the Blue Devils would need as sophomores Andrew Braun and Arik Sypher would retire nine straight at one point and allow just two baserunners over the final 5.0 innings. 

Braun started and picked up the win, tossing 5.0 innings and allowing just one run on three hits. He struck out six and walked two. Sypher got the save, throwing 4.0 innings of two-hit ball, while striking out four.

Dewaine, Stephens and Maher each had two hits for CCSU, which collected 11 hits as a team. Debrosse drove in two runs.