Baseball Rallies to Split Friday Doubleheader With Binghamton

The Central Connecticut baseball team scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth in game two to win 5-4 over Binghamton and earn a split of Friday's doubleheader at CCSU Baseball Field. Senior Dylan Maher, who had three hits on the day, delivered a two-run single with two outs to give the Blue Devils the lead in the second game. The Bearcats won the first game of the day, 2-0.

CCSU concludes the 2018 season with an overall record of 18-28, while Binghamton stands at 18-30-1

GAME 1: Binghamton 2, CCSU 0
The Blue Devils were held to four hits, while the Bearcats got a run in the fifth and another in the seventh to take the first game of the day, 2-0.

Sophomore CCSU Andrew Braun and Binghamton's Nick Gallagher were in control to start the game, with neither allowing a hit until the bottom of the third when senior Dean Lockery singled for the Blue Devils.

The Bearcats were unable to solve Braun until the top of the fifth. Jake Evans hit a two-out double and came around to score after Justin Drpich doubled to make it 1-0. 

Maher would double in the Central fifth and get to third base with two outs, but Binghamton was able to get out of the inning unscathed. 

The Bearcats tacked on a run in the top of the seventh when Daniel Franchi singled, stole second, and moved to third on a groundout. Drpich would drive in the second run of the day with a sacrifice fly to make it 2-0.

The Blue Devils got a single by Maher in the home seventh, but BU's Robert Brown would get a groundout to end the game.

Braun would toss 5.0 innings and give up just two hits, but allowed a run and took the loss. He walked two and struck out one. 

Maher finished 2-for-3 with a double, while Lockery and senior Mitch Guilmette each added a single.

Gallagher went 4.0 innings for BU and allowed just one hit, while walking three and striking out three. Brown allowed three hits over 3.0 innings to pick up the save.

GAME 2: CCSU 5, Binghamton 4
The Blue Devils used a three-run sixth inning to rally past the Bearcats in the day's second game.

Central opened the scoring with two runs in the second. Senior Nick Garland led off with a single and scored on the next at bat when senior Andrew Hinckley doubled to the wall in left to make it 1-0. An error would help extend the inning and Lockery would take advantage by singling home Hinckley to make it 2-0.

The Bearcats got a leadoff homerun by Sean Trenholm to start a three-run fifth inning. BU then loaded the bases with no outs and made it 2-2 when TJ Wegmann scored on a double-play grounder and Greg Satriale would move to third on the play. Satriale came home on a wild pitch to make it 3-2 before Central got out of the inning. 

The visitor's added a run in the sixth on a sac fly by Wegmann to make it 4-2.

Garland started the CCSU rally in the sixth with a one-out double. Hinckley and freshman Jake Siracusa hit back-to-back singles to score Garland and make it 4-3. With two outs and runners on second and third, Maher pinch hit and laced a single over the second basemen into right field to score two runs and give CCSU a 5-4 lead. 

Junior Jared Gallagher, who tossed 2.1 innings and got the win, would allow just a walk in the seventh to seal the victory. 

Garland and Hinckley each went 2-for-3 with two runs scored, while Hinckley also drove in a run. Siracusa had two hits, a run and an RBI, while sophomore Chandler Debrosse had two hits. Maher drove in a pair of runs on his hit. 

Lockery drove in a run and his hit gave him 248 career hits to move into a tie for 5th on the CCSU career list with JP Sportman (2011-14). Lockery concludes his career among the top 10 on five CCSU career lists.

Central finishes the season 18-28 overall and was 11-16 in Northeast Conference play.