Baseball Drops Pair at Bryant on Sunday
Central travels to Quinnipiac on Wednesday
The Central Connecticut baseball team fell at Bryant in both games of a Northeast Conference doubleheader on Sunday at Conaty Park. The Bulldogs won the first game, 6-1, and the second game by a 3-0 score.
The Blue Devils slip to 13-23 overall and 8-13 in NEC play, while Bryant improves to 26-16-1 overall and 17-5 in conference play.
Central is back in action on Wednesday with a non-conference contest at Quinnipiac.
GAME 1: Bryant 6, CCSU 1
Bryant scored in all but one inning of the day's first game to win 6-1.
Mickey Gasper hit a solo homerun in the bottom of the first to give the Bulldogs the early lead. Back-to-back RBI singles by Bryant in the third pushed the the lead to 3-0.
Senior Nick Garland led off the fourth with a double and moved to third on a ground out. He would score on an error with two outs that cut the deficit to 3-1.
The Bulldogs responded with a run in the bottom half of each of the last three innings. Tyler Panno homered in the fourth and then singled home a run in the fifth.
The Blue Devils would load the bases with one out in the top of the sixth, but were unable to push across a run. Bryant got an RBI single in the bottom of the inning by Ryan Ward to close out the scoring.
Central was limited to just four hits, with Garland's double being the only extra-base hit. Sophomore Arik Sypher started and went 3.2 innings, but was saddled with the loss.
GAME 2: Bryant 3, CCSU 0
Sophomore Michael Delease held the Bulldogs hitless over the first four innings, but a three-run fifth proved to be the difference in the game.
Delease kept the Bulldogs bats quiet in the early going and got double plays to end each of the first two innings.
Central nearly opened the scoring in the third when freshman Jay Devito led off with a walk and moved to second on a wild pitch. After a pair of outs, freshman Christian Layne singled and Devito tried to score, but was thrown out at home to keep the game scoreless.
Chris Wright doubled to lead off the fifth to get Bryant's first hit. The Bulldogs would eventually load the bases with just one out. Ryan Ward would single in the first run to make it 1-0. With the bases still loaded, Nolan Hayward hit a two-run single to push the lead to three runs before CCSU got out of the inning.
Central was held to just one hit over the final 4.0 innings by Jack Patterson who tossed a complete game shutout, allowing just three hits in the game.
Delease allowed just one run and one hit in his 4.0 innings of work, but he was hampered by four walks in taking the loss.