Baseball Sees Season End in Loss to Campbell

The Central Connecticut baseball team saw its season come to a close in a 10-5 loss to Campbell in an elimination game on Saturday at the NCAA Columbia Regional at Founders Park. The Blue Devils held the nation's highest-scoring team at bay for over six innings before the Camels would rally for the win.

The Blue Devils finish their season with 36 wins, their most since 2017 (36).

GAME INFORMATION | BOX SCORE

Score: CCSU 5, Campbell 10
Pitching Record: W: Cummings (6-2)  |  L: Spizzoucco (0-2)  | Sv: - - 
Records: CCSU (36-14), Campbell (45-14)
Location: Founders Park | Columbia, SC

POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE (Charlie Hickey, Dominic Niman, Joe Rios)

KEY MOMENTS

• Central would bounce back in Saturday's elimination game and get on the scoreboard first in the second inning. Joe Rios led off the inning with a single to the right side. He advanced to second on an error that allowed Michael Torniero to reach. Following a sacrifice bunt, Elliot Good would ground out to second base and drive in the first run. Aidan Redahan followed with a bouncer through the middle to plate another run and make it 2-0.
•  Ramon Jimenez led off the third inning with a two-base liner to left. He would come around to score on back-to-back ground outs, making it 3-0 on Jeff Nicol's roller to short.
• Dominic Niman would retire the first 10 hitters before a pair of hit batters put Campbell runners on in the fourth. A double-play would end the fourth and Niman would strike out the first two hitters to begin the fifth before Grant Knipp singled for the Camels' first hit of the day. Niman would whiff the next batter to end the fifth.
• In the bottom of the fifth with two outs, Jeff Nicol would hit a homerun to left-center, followed by Joe Rios pulling one over the fence into the Campbell bullpen, making it 5-0.
• The Camels would load the bases with one out on Niman, forcing a mound visit. On the ensuing pitch, the Blue Devils got a groundball to third base for a double-play to end the inning.
• Campbell would put runners on first and second with one out in the seventh. Niman's day would end before giving way to the bullpen. A walk would load the bases before an infield single plated the first run. Following a strikeout for the inning's second out, Bryce Arnold homered to left field to  tie the game, 5-5.
• The Camels would edge ahead in the eighth inning. A leadoff single and a hit batter with one out would lead to runners on second and third. Following an intentional walk, Chandler Riley would work a bases-loaded walk to force in the go ahead run. Following a pitching change, the Blue Devils got a bouncer back to third and cut down a run at home before the relay to first for the double play was off the mark and allowed a run to score and make it 7-5. Campbell took advantage of the miscue and Jarrod Belbin would hit a three-run homer to make it a five-run game.

NOTES

• CCSU was playing in an NCAA regional for the 8^th time in program history.
• The Blue Devils and Campbell met for the first time.
• Niman would go 6.1 innings and allowed just two runs against the country's highest-scoring team. He struck out four and gave up just four hits.
• Nicol and Rios' back-to-back homeruns were the second by the Blue Devils this season. Michael Torniero and Gianno Merlonghi also accomplished the feat at Merrimack in the ninth inning on April 15.
• Rios and Redahan each had three hits on the afternoon. Rios would score a pair of runs and drive in another, while Redahan had an RBI.
• Ramon Jimenez had two hits and reached base three times in the game.
• Elliot Good has reached base in 36 straight games after working a walk in the eighth.

UP NEXT

The Blue Devils finish their season with 36 wins, their most since 2017 (36).