April 11, 2008

Box Score

BROOKLYN, NY - Junior Tyler Santos had three hits, including his fourth home run of the season, and sophomore Jared Balbach pitched five innings of shutout relief to lead the Sacred Heart baseball team to a 9-2 win over Long Island University in a Northeast Conference game Friday afternoon.

Sacred Heart, 3-24 and 1-4 in the conference, pounded out 16 hits off six Blackbird pitchers. Freshman Matt Fitton also contributed three hits, while four other Pioneers also had multi-hit games.

Junior Ryan Lynch started on the mound for SHU and left after just four innings, trailing 2-0.

Couri Benz started for LIU, 8-19 and 0-5. He blanked SHU for the first five innings but allowed the first three runners to reach in the sixth. The last hitter he faced, Lynch, drove home a pair of runs with a double. By the time the sixth ended, the Pioneers had put up five runs. Sophomore Justin Mulrain also drove in two in the frame with a single.

Santos gave the Pioneers a 7-2 lead in the eighth with a two-run homer with two out in the inning off reliever Andy Yawger that scored Ryan Nemcek, who had led off with a walk.

Balbach took over for the Pioneers in the bottom of the fifth and went the rest of the way, allowing just two hits in five innings of work. He struck out three and walked two to pick up his second win of the year.

The two teams are scheduled to play a doubleheader tomorrow starting at noon, weather permitting.