Baseball Stops Merrimack, 6-1, on Thursday

The Central Connecticut baseball team opened its three-game Northeast Conference series with a 6-1 win over Merrimack on Thursday in New Britain. The Blue Devils got eight innings of one-run ball from junior Dominic Niman on the mound and scored five runs in the bottom of the eighth for the win.

The teams play again Friday afternoon at 1:00 p.m.

GAME INFORMATION | BOX SCORE
Score: CCSU 6, Merrimack 1
Pitching Record: W: Niman (4-4) | L: Butera (1-2) | Sv: - -
Records: CCSU (26-16, 15-10 NEC), Merrimack (17-29-1, 12-13 NEC)
Location: CCSU Baseball Field | New Britain, CT

KEY MOMENTS

• Central opened the game with back-to-back singles by sophomore Hunter Pasqualini and senior Jay Devito to put runners on the corners in the first. Following a walk to load the bases, junior Noah Martinez hit a fly ball to left field to bring home Pasqualini and make it 1-0.
• Niman held Merrimack to just one hit through the first three innings. In the fourth, Christian Gemelli reached base on a two-out single and advanced to second on a passed ball. He would score on a single by Braydon Dolbashian to tie the game, 1-1.
• After scoring in the first, CCSU would manage just one runner reaching second base through the next six innings, while Merrimack did not have a runner reach second base outside of the fourth inning as both starting pitchers settled into grooves.
• CCSU would break the deadlock in the eighth inning. Pasqualini led off with a single and moved to second following a walk to Devito. Junior Dan Covino deliverd a single through the middle to drive in Covino and make it 2-1. With runners on the corners, Martinez hit a moonshot to right-center to plate three runs and make it 5-1. Senior Sam Loda would make it back-to-back homeruns with a solo homer off the scoreboard in left field to make it 6-1.

NOTES

• Niman tossed 8.0 innings, allowing one run on four hits, while striking out six.
• Sophomore Jake Neuman pitched the ninth, surrendering just a walk.
• Pasqualini had three hits on the day, his sixth game with three or more hits this season. He scored two runs.
• Martinez hit his 13th homerun of the season, the most in a single-season since Pat Epps hit a program-best 18 in 2010. Martinez also has a NEC-best 56 RBIs.
• Excluding the COVID-shortened 2020 season, Central has posted three straight 25+ win seasons. CCSU has 17 such seasons under head coach Charlie Hickey.
• Central has gone 15-5 since April 12.
• The game took just over two hours to finish.

UP NEXT

The teams play again Friday afternoon at 1:00 p.m.