Baseball Splits NEC Doubleheader at Wagner on Friday

The Central Connecticut baseball team split a Northeast Conference doubleheader at Wagner on Friday in Staten Island, NY.  The Blue Devils won the first game, 21-8, with Ramon Jimenez collecting six hits and 11 RBIs in the win. The Seahawks handed CCSU its first NEC loss with a 9-3 decision in game two.

CCSU and Wagner will close the series with one game this weekend.

GAME INFORMATION

GAME 1 | BOX SCORE
Score: CCSU 21, Wagner 8
Pitching Record: W: Niman (5-0) | L: Crouse (0-1) | Sv: Spizzoucco (1)

GAME 2 | BOX SCORE
Score: CCSU 3, Wagner 9
Pitching Record: W: Hayden (3-0) | L: Wainwright (1-1) | Sv: - -

Records: CCSU (13-4, 10-1 NEC), WC (13-12, 7-4 NEC)
Location: SIUH Community Park | Staten Island, NY

GAME ONE KEY MOMENTS

• The Blue Devils got a run in the top of the first after Hunter Pasqualini drew a walk and stole his way to third base. Ramon Jimenez singled him home to make it 1-0.
• After Wagner put up six runs in the bottom of the first, CCSU responded with a six-run inning of its own in the second, all with two outs. Elliot Good would extend the inning with a single. A single by Brady Short scored Good. Following another single and a walk, Joe Rios drew a bases loaded walk to make it 6-3. Jimenez stepped to the plate and hit a grand slam off the scoreboard to put CCSU ahead, 7-6.
• Central tacked on six more runs in the third. Jimmy Sullivan hit the first of four two-baggers in the inning and Jimenez had a two-run double, while Good and Rios added RBI doubles as well. Run-scoring singles by Pasqualini and Dan Hussey pushed the CCSU lead to 13-6.
• Jeff Nicol had an RBI-double in the fifth, while Jimenez hit his third double of the day to drive in a run in the sixth.
• In the seventh, a throwing error allowed one run to score and a three-run double by Jimenez accounted for three more CCSU runs. Nicol singled home two more runs in the ninth to round out the Blue Devils' scoring.

GAME TWO KEY MOMENTS

• Wagner got a David Melfi homerun in the bottom of the first to take a quick lead.
• Central came back with three runs in the second inning. Jimenez and Nicol led off the inning with consecutive singles and Sullivan was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Good would drive in two runs with a single and Short followed with a single to drive in another to make it 3-1.
• The Seahawks would score eight unanswered runs to build a lead the Blue Devils would not overcome. DiMaggio Cazares hit a two-run homer in the bottom of the second to tie the game, 3-3. Wagner got four runs in the third coming off singles by Cody Bey and Mateo Matthews, a double by Dante Faicchio and a groundout by Griffin Selby to make it 7-3.
• Wagner tacked on a pair of runs in the fourth for insurance. Chris Conniff scored on a wild pitch and Bey singled home a run to extend the lead to 9-3.
• Seahawks pitchers would settle in after the second inning and  retired 15 straight Blue Devils batters at one point to make the lead stand up.

NOTES

• The Blue Devils own a 71-36 record against Wagner all-time and have won five of the past seven meetings.
• CCSU had its 10-0 start to league play come to a stop with the loss in the second game of the day. The mark was the Blue Devils' best start to NEC action.
• Jimenez went 6-for-6 in game one with four doubles and a home run. His RBI total tied for the second-most in a game in the NCAA this season. He went 1-for-2 with a run in the second game.
• Jimenez's 11 RBIs set a NEC single-game record (dating back  to 2004 when game-by-game tracking began). His six hits and four doubles both tied league game marks. It was the most hits in an NEC game since 2015 and most doubles since 2008.
• Jimenez became the first Blue Devil with four doubles and six hits in a game since Mitch Wells did it at Hartford on May 4, 2010
• Dominic Niman improved to 5-0 on the year with a win in game one. He tossed 6.0 innings and recorded four strikeouts.
• Vincent Spizzoucco tossed 3.0 innings in the first game to earn a save. He had three whiffs.
• The first three batters in the CCSU order (Hussey, Pasqualini, Rios, Jimenez) combined to go 12-for-20 with 13 runs scored and 15 RBIs in the first game.
• Good had two RBIs in game two, after having three hits, three runs and an RBI in game one.
• Short drove in a run in game two to go with his three hits, three runs and RBI in game one.

UP NEXT

CCSU and Wagner will close the series with one game this weekend.