Baseball Closes Out Florida Trip with Doubleheader Sweep Saturday

March 19, 2022

Central Connecticut played a doubleheader in the RussMatt Invitational on Saturday, taking two games at Lake Myrtle Park in Auburndale, FL. The Blue Devils opened the day with a 9-2 win over Dartmouth before downing Bradley, 10-6, in the second game.

The Blue Devils will play at Rhode Island on Tuesday before opening league play next weekend.

GAME INFORMATION
Score: CCSU 9, Darmouth 2
Pitching Record: W: Niman (2-0) | L: Skinner (1-1) | Sv: Neuman (1)
Records: CCSU (5-4), Dartmouth (3-8)
Location: Lake Myrtle Park | Auburndale, FL

KEY MOMENTS

Darmouth took advantage of a two-out single by Kade Kretzschmar. An error on the play allowed Tyler Cox to score and make it 1-0.
Junior Noah Martinez led off the second with a solo homerun to tie the game. Central would go on to score two runs in the top of the third. Sophomore Hunter Pasqualini singled with one out before scoring on a double by junior Dan Covino to make it 2-1. Martinez followed with an RBI-single to make it 3-1.
The Big Green got an unearned run off of sophomore Dominic Niman on the bottom of the third, but that would be all they could muster against the Blue Devils despite loading the bases in the fifth.
In the sixth, CCSU loaded the bases and sophomore Elliot Good singled with two outs to drive in two runs and make it 5-2.
Central would add a run in the seventh, another in the eighth on a single by senior Jay Devito before a pair of solo homeruns by sophomores Mike Torniero and Joe Rios in the ninth to close out the scoring.

GAME INFORMATION
Score: CCSU 10, Bradley 6
Pitching Record: W: Mozzicato (2-1) | L: Hamilton (0-1) | Sv: - -
Records: CCSU (6-4), Bradley (5-10)
Location: Lake Myrtle Park | Auburndale, FL

KEY MOMENTS

The Blue Devils would jump out to a quick lead with three runs in the first two innings. Central's first three batters in the game all reached base, before an error allowed Devito to score the opening run. In the second, back-to-back walks with two outs put runners on for Covino who doubled home both runners to make it 3-0.
Bradley got its only run off of Central's starter, sophomore Anthony Mozzicato, in the third inning. A two-out single by Connor O'Brien made it 3-1.
Central broke the game open in the fourth, batting around and plating seven runs. The first three batters all reached base before Martinez hit his second homerun of the day to make it 7-1. Central would put runners on second and third with one out before conescutive singles by freshman Kyle Gordon, Good and Pasqualini each drove in a run to make it 10-1.
The Braves would try to rally with three runs in the seventh and two more in the eighth. In the seventh, Ryan Vogel hit a two-out single to drive in a run and would score one batter later on a homerun by O'Brien to make it 10-4. In the eighth, Jackson Chatterton would single in a run before being moved around to third and scoring on a wild pitch to make it 10-6.
Sophomore Luke Garofalo worked around a single and a walk in the ninth before retiring three straight batters to finish the game.

NOTES

Niman tossed 5.0 innings and allowed just one earned run in the first game. He struck out five and scattered two hits.
Mozzicato allowed just four hits in 6.0 innings. He struck out five and walked three.
Sophomore Jake Neuman picked up his first save this season, tossing 4.0 shutout innings. He had three strikeouts and allowed just two hits. He earned NEC Rookie of the Year honors after posting eight saves as a rookie.
Central had 10 extra-base hits in the two games.
Pasqualini, Martinez and Rios each had two hits in both games. The top four batters in the CCSU order in game on combined to go 15-for-35 with 12 runs and 11 RBIs in the doubleheader.
CCSU head coach Charlie Hickey has a 586-512-5 record in 23 years at the school

UP NEXT

The Blue Devils will play at Rhode Island on Tuesday before opening league play next weekend.