Baseball Comes Up Short to Bryant on Thursday

The Central Connecticut baseball team fell to Bryant, 5-3, on Thursday in an opening round game at the Northeast Conference Tournament at Dodd Stadium in Norwich, CT. The Blue Devils plated two runs in the ninth inning but could not overcome the Bulldogs' two runs in each of the opening two innings.

CCSU will play an elimination game against FDU on Friday at 11:00 a.m.

GAME INFORMATION | BOX SCORE
Score: #3 CCSU 3, #2 Bryant 5
Pitching Record: W: Levangie (3-0) | L: Mozzicato (7-4) | Sv: Picard (3)
Records: CCSU (28-17), Bryant (28-25)
Location: Dodd Stadium | Norwich, CT

KEY MOMENTS

• The Bulldogs jumped out in front in the bottom of the first. A pair of walks and a single would load the bases with one out for Shane Kelly who singled back through the middle to drive in two runs and make it 2-0. Following the third walk of the inning, Bryant loaded the bases again before a groundout would end the inning.
• Central got a run back in the second. Senior Sam Loda and freshman Kyle Gordon opened the inning with back-to-back singles. After a fly ball to center moved Loda to third, he would come across to score following a passed ball to make it 2-1.
• Bryant took advantage of a free pass to open the bottom of the second. Matt Woods followed with a homerun down the light in right to make it 4-1.
• The Blue Devils opened the fifth inning with back-to-back singles by sophomore Hunter Pasqualini and senior Jay Devito but they would come away empty for the third straight frame. After scoring in the second, CCSU was scoreless on five hits over the next six innings.
• Bryant added an insurance run in the eighth inning on an RBI-groundout by Derek Smith.
• Central would look to extend the game in the ninth. Junior Michael Torniero singled with one out and Pasqualini hit a two-out single. Devito followed with a double laced into the right field corner that cleared the bases. He would move to third on the play, but Bryant avoided further harm by getting a flyout to end the game.

NOTES

• Torniero finished 3-for-4 in the game, while Pasqualini, Devito and Loda each had two hits.
• Sophomore Anthony Mozzicato started for CCSU and worked through 5.0 innings. He allowed four runs on six hits and walked seven.
• Central came into the game 16th in the NCAA with 3.26 walks allowed per nine innings, but surrendered three walks in the first inning and 10 in the game.
• The Blue Devils have an all-time record of 35-25 in the Northeast Conference Tournament and lost an opening round contest for the first time since 2016 (8-1 vs. Bryant).
• Central has a 17-6 record since April 12.

UP NEXT

The Blue Devils will play FDU in an elimination game on Friday at 11:00 a.m.