Jimenez Hits Three Homers to Power Baseball by Butler in Season-Opener
The Central Connecticut baseball team opened the season with a 6-5 win over Butler in a neutral site game played in Baton Rouge, LA. The Blue Devils hit four home runs in the game, including three by Ramon Jimenez, and got 3.1 innings of one-hit, one-run relief from the bullpen to open the season with a victory.
The Central Connecticut baseball team opened the season with a 6-5 win over Butler in a neutral site game played in Baton Rouge, LA. The Blue Devils hit four home runs in the game, including three by Ramon Jimenez, and got 3.1 innings of one-hit, one-run relief from the bullpen to open the season with a victory.
The Blue Devils play #1-ranked LSU on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. and then face Butler at 7:30 p.m.
GAME INFORMATION | BOX SCORE
Score: CCSU 6, Butler 5
Pitching Record: W: Niman (1-0) | L: Bosecker (0-2) | Sv: Garofalo (1)
Records: CCSU (1-0), Butler (2-7)
Location: Alex Box Stadium, Skip Bertman Field | Baton Rouge, LA
KEY MOMENTS
- The team's traded leads in the first inning after Butler got a one-out homerun from Joey Urban in the top of the inning to take a 1-0 lead. In the bottom of the first, Hunter Pasqualini was hit by a pitch to lead off and stole second before advancing to third on a ground out. With two outs, Ramon Jimenez homered down the right field line to make it 2-1.
- Both teams scored runs in the fourth with Urban drawing a lead off walk before coming around to score on a triple by Scott Jones. Carter Dorighi followed with an RBI-groundout to give Butler a 3-2 lead. The advantage was short-lived as Joe Rios led off the CCSU half of the inning with a homer to right field to tie the game.
- Kyle Gordon led off the fifth with a single and stole second base. With one out, Jimenez blasted his second homerun of the day, sending it over the fence in left field to make it 5-3.
- The Bulldogs got a run back in the sixth after putting runners on first and second to lead off the inning. A two-base error allowed Urban to score and make it 5-4. Vincent Spizzoucco came on in relief and got a fly ball to leave two Bulldogs runners stranded.
- Jimenez hit his third round-tripper leading off the bottom of the seventh, sending it over the fence in left center to make it 6-4. Butler would cut the CCSU lead in half in the top of the eighth after Scott Jones reached on an error to lead off. Following a wild pitch, he would score on a single by Dorighi to make it 6-5.
- Luke Garofalo came on with two outs and a runner on third to pitch for CCSU. He got a strikeout to end the inning and then pitched a perfect ninth for his first save of the season.
NOTES
- Dominic Niman started on the mound and tossed 5.2 innings. He allowed three earned runs on four hits. He walked one and struck out seven.
- Jimenez went 3-for-3 with 5 RBIs and a walk in his debut for CCSU. He transferred after playing four seasons and graduating from Boston College.
- Rios hit the 6th home run of his career.
- Jimenez had the first multi-home run game for a Blue Devil since Noah Martinez hit two homers at FDU on April 30, 2022.
- Six Blue Devils recorded hits in the contest with Brady Short hitting a double.
UP NEXT
The Blue Devils play #1-ranked LSU on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. and then face Butler at 7:30 p.m.
