Baseball Splits Doubleheader at Fairleigh Dickinson

The Central Connecticut baseball team won the second game of Saturday's doubleheader to earn a split in Northeast Conference action at Fairleigh Dickinson. The Blue Devils won game two, 8-4, while the Knights took game one, 2-1.

CCSU is 19-25 overall and 11-11 in NEC play, while FDU is now 22-24 overall and 12-13 in the NEC.

Game 1: CCSU 1, Fairleigh Dickinson 2

A pair of unearned runs in the first inning was enough for Fairleigh Dickinson to take the day's first game, 2-1, over CCSU.

Senior Casey Brown threw 8.0 innings and struck out seven, but was charged with a pair of unearned runs on six hits and one walk.

The Knights got on the board in the bottom of the first. Dylan Sprague and Matt McCann hit back-to-back singles. They both came around to score after John Giakas reached on a fielder's choice, but an error on the play allowed Sprague and McCann to score and give FDU a 2-0 lead.

The Blue Devils cut the deficit in half in the top of the eighth with a run. Junior Franklin Jennings and sophomore Dean Lockery hit back-to-back one-out singles to put runners on the corners. After a fly out, senior Connor Fitzsimons hit a two-out single through the right side to drive in Jennings and make it 2-1.

Sophomore John Lippincott led off the ninth with a double to center field. Ryan Brennan would retire the next three batters to pick up the save.

The Blue Devils collected seven hits as a team. Lippincott had a double, while Fitzsimons had an RBI and Jennings scored a run.

McCann had three of the Knights' six hits, while Sprague had two. 

Tim Quinn threw 8.0 innings for FDU and allowed one run on six hits with two walks and four strikeouts.

Game 2: CCSU 8, Fairleigh Dickinson 4

The Blue Devils plated five runs in the third inning en route to an 8-4 victory in the day's second game. Central cranked out 14 hits and Lippincott highlighted the offense with a homerun, two RBIs and two runs scored, while junior Andrew Hinckley threw his fifth complete game of the year to get the win on the mound.

Central got on the board early, plating a run in the top of the first. Jennings singled and Lockery followed with a double to put runners on second and third. Fitzsimons drove in Jennings with a sacrifice fly to make it 1-0.

The Knights got the run back in the bottom of the inning when Sprague led off with a solo homerun down the right field line to make it 1-1.

CCSU regained the lead in the top of the second with a run. Lippincott led off with a double and came around to score on a single by junior Nick Landell to make it 2-1.

The Blue Devils broke the game open in the third with five runs. Senior Corey Lerche led off with a double and scored on a single by sophomore Nick Garland, who moved to second on the throw to home. After a pitching change, Lippincott followed with a two-run homerun to right centerfield to make it 5-1. A single by senior Matt Martinez was followed by a walk to Landell to put a runner in scoring position for sophomore Mitch Guilmette who deliverd a single to drive in a run and make it 6-1. An infield bunt by Jennings loaded the bases with one out and Lockery brought home a run on a sacrifice fly to make it 7-1.

The Knights got a solo homerun from Ryan Brennan in the fourth to make it 7-2 before the Blue Devils tacked on a run in the sixth. Lerche singled before moving to third on a double by Fitzsimons and coming home to score on a single by Garland to make it 8-2.

FDU got two more runs in the bottom of the seventh on a homer by Joel Roman, but Hinckley retired the final three batters to sew up the 8-4 win.

Hinckley improved to 6-3 on the year and struck out four, while walking one. He allowed four runs on six hits.

Central had five extra-base hits and Guilmette, Jennings, Lerche, Garland and Lippincott each had two hits. Garland and Lippincott each had two RBIs, while Lerche and Lippincott score twice each.

Chris Kachmar took the loss for FDU, allowing four runs in 2.1 innings on six hits with two walks and two strikeouts.

The teams wrap up the four-game series with a doubleheader on Sunday beginning at 1:00 p.m.