NEW BRITAIN, Conn. – The Sacred Heart baseball team moved within one win of clinching its seventh consecutive berth in the Northeast Conference Tournament with a 7-2 victory at Central Connecticut State on Thursday afternoon. It was the second straight win and third in the last four games for the Pioneers, who control third place in the NEC standings with an 11-10 league mark, in addition to being 18-28-1 overall. The loss snaps a three game win streak for the Blue Devils, dropping them to 16-29 and 8-13 in the conference play.

Central pulled within 4-2 in the sixth inning before a three run Sacred Heart seventh ultimately put the game out of reach. Back to back one out singles by Kenny Byram and Jayson Sullivan and a failed pick off attempt gave the Pioneers runners on second and third with one out. Jesus Medina's RBI groundout plated the first run, before Zack Short tripled and Victor Sorrento singled to extend the lead to 7-2.

Dan Wertz pitched the seventh and eight without allowing a run before Matt Cooney came on for a perfect ninth. Wertz relieved starter James Cooksey with one out in the sixth. Cooksey pitched the first 5.2 innings, allowing two earned runs on six hits and three walks for his team leading sixth win of 2015.

Each of SHU's first four hitters, Sullivan, Medina, Short and Sorrento, had two hits, as the Pioneers held a 12-7 advantage on the afternoon. Sullivan added two runs and a RBI, while Medina drove in two. Byram drove in a run in addition to scoring another. 

Both teams got on the board in the second, with Sacred Heart plating two before CCSU came back with one. PJ DeFilippo and Keaton Flint lead off the frame with successive base hits, with Flint following DeFIlippo's single with a double. A passed ball then allowed the DeFilippo to score the first run of the game. After Jake Friar walked, Byram doubled the advantage with a RBI fielder's choice. Mike Arman singled with one out in the bottom half before eventually coming around for the Blue Devils' first run. A John Lippincott walk moved Arman up to second before Mitch Gulmette drove him in with a two out single. 

The Pioneers put another two runs on the board in the fifth, taking advantage of an error that allowed Friar to reach second with none away. Byram executed a sacrifice bunt to advance him to third for Sullivan, who did the job with a triple to right center. Medina followed that up with a RBI base hit of his own, a single to shortstop to give SHU a 4-1 lead.

Central Connecticut got its sixth inning run after Dominic Severino  led off with a double down the left field line. After Cooksey retired the next two, Lippincott plated Severino with a double of his own, also down the left field line. Cooksey walked the next batter leading to Wertz to be called upon, and he induced an inning ending groundout on the first hitter he faced.

Severino was the only Blue Devil with two hits. Starter Brett Susi gave up six earned on 10 hits before being pulled after Short's triple in the seventh. Adam Neveski relieved him for the final 2.1 innings, allowing just two hits and no runs.

SHU will have two opportunities to clinch the NEC tournament berth tomorrow when the two teams face off in a doubleheader beginning at 1 pm.