Merlonghi, Spizzoucco Claim NEC Baseball Weekly Honors

Central Connecticut outfielder Gianno Merlonghi was named Northeast Conference Baseball co-Player of the Week and pitcher Vincent Spizzoucco was named Pitcher of the Week it was announced Tuesday. The pair helped the Blue Devils to a series win against NEC foe FDU last weekend.

Merlonghi led Central with 10 runs batted in last week and hit three doubles and a homerun. He batted .467 (7-of-15) in the weekend series at FDU. He had three hits and five RBIs in each of the last two games of the series - both CCSU wins. Merlonghi went 3-6 with five RBIs in a 16-2 win on Saturday. The junior had a two-run double in the third and another in the fourth, before adding an RBI in the eighth. Merlonghi hit a three-run homer on Sunday to put CCSU ahead in the game they won 11-5. He added a two-run single in the ninth.

WEEK 10 Stats: 4 GS | .389 AVG | .421 ON BASE % | .722 SLUGGING % | 3 2Bs |3 R  | 10 RBIs

Spizzoucco tossed his first career complete game and struck out a career-high nine on Saturday in a 16-2 win at FDU. The left-hander faced just 34 batters in the game in making his second start of the season and allowed just seven hits and two walks. Spizzoucco retired FDU in order in five innings after allowing a run in the second inning and FDU was unable to blemish him again until getting two hits and a run in the ninth inning.

WEEK 10 Stats: 1 GS | 9.0 IP | 7 H | 2 R | 9 K | 2 BB

Merlonghi and Spizzoucco were joined on the league's prime performer list by Brady Short. Short hit .467 in four games last week, driving in seven runs and scoring five more.

The Blue Devils host Quinnipiac on Tuesday afternoon.