Baseball Sweeps Doubleheader at Coppin State

The Central Connecticut baseball team opened its Northeast Conference series at Coppin State with a doubleheader sweep at Joe Cannon Field on Friday. The Blue Devils batted around in the first inning and went on to score a season-high in a 18-7 win in the first game, before having all nine batters collect a hit in a 17-hit performance in game two.

The teams are scheduled to play the final game of the series on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.

GAME 1 INFORMATION | BOX SCORE

Score:  CCSU 18, COPPIN STATE 7
Pitching Record: W: Neuman (4-4) | L: McCallum (1-1) | Save:  Reilly (1)
Records: CCSU (15-20, 14-11 NEC), CSU (12-25, 11-14 NEC)
Location: Joe Cannon Stadium | Hanover, MD

KEY MOMENTS

• Central batted around in the first inning, scoring seven runs on six hits and all nine batters reached base safely to open the game. CCSU loaded the bases with back-to-back singles and a walk to open the game. Jeff Nicol would double in the first two runs of the game. Elliot Good, Hunter Pasqualini and Dan Hussey each delivered bases-loaded singles to drive in a run apiece and make it 5-0. Aidan Redahan would double in two runs to close out the first inning scoring.
• Coppin State would score three runs in the bottom of the first inning and added a run in the second inning to get within 7-4.
• CCSU batted around again in the third inning, adding six more runs. The first five hitters in the frame reached safely, with Redahan singling in a pair of runs before he scored two batters later on a bunt by Gianno Merlonghi to make it 10-4.  Joe Rios drew a bases-loaded walk to plate a run and Good singled in two runs to push the lead to 13-4.
• A two-run double by CSU's Noah Murciano made it 13-6, but the Blue Devils would go on to tack on five more runs.
• Rios drew a one-out walk in the fifth inning to set the table for Good and Hussey who each hit back-to-back RBI doubles. Brady Short led off the sixth inning with a solo home run and Hunter Pasqualini would draw a bases-loaded walk to make it 17-6.
• CSU scored a run in the bottom of the sixth and Central plated a run in the top of the ninth.

GAME 2 INFORMATION | BOX SCORE

Score:  CCSU 13, COPPIN STATE 8
Pitching Record: W: Hutchinson (4-0) | L: Felber (2-7) | Save:  - -
Records: CCSU (16-20, 15-11 NEC), CSU (12-26, 11-15 NEC)
Location: Joe Cannon Stadium | Hanover, MD

KEY MOMENTS

• The teams traded runs in the second inning before Central jumped ahead with three runs in the fourth inning. Pasqualini hit a one-out double before swiping third base. He scored on a two-out single by Redahan, which started a run of three straight hits. Short doubled in Redahan, before scoring on a single by Merlonghi to make it 4-1.
• The Blue Devils tacked on five runs in the fifth inning, which was led off by a solo homerun from Joe Rios. Rios' homer began a string of four hits to open the frame and a sac fly by Redahan made it 6-1. Short and Merlonghi would add RBIs, before Rios singled in a run for his second RBI of the inning to make it 9-1.
• CSU scored two runs in the bottom of the fifth, but Central would cancel them out with a two-run double by Michael Torniero and a single by Short in the top of the sixth to make it 12-3.
• Coppin State hit back-to-back solo homeruns in the bottom of the seventh inning to make it 12-5. The Eagles would get within, 12-8, after a three-run homer by Samuel Nieves in the eighth inning before CCSU brought in Wyatt Cameron for the final four outs.

NOTES

• CCSU is 7-4 all-time against Coppin State and has won fourstraight in the series.
• The Blue Devils have won seven straight league games and five straight games overall.
• Central scored a season-high 18 runs in the first game.
• In game two, the Blue Devils got hits from all nine batters in the lineup and collected a season-high
• Short went 4-for-5 with three runs scored in the first game and added a two-hit, three-RBI game in the second contest. He has 19  multi-hit games on the season.
• Hussey had three hits in each game. He drove in two runs in the first and scored two more in the second.
• Good and Redahan each added two hits and four RBIs in the first game.
• Pasqualini would collect three hits and three runs in game two.
• Jake Neuman won his fourth game of the year, tossing 6.0 innings and posting four strikeouts in game one.
• Luke Garofalo started game two. It was his first start of the season and just the second of his career. He tossed 4.1 innings, while scattering six hits, and allowed three runs. He struck out two.

UP NEXT

The teams are scheduled to play the final game of the series on Saturday at 1:00 p.m.

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