Box Score BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – The Sacred Heart baseball team held a 4-1 lead entering the seventh inning before a seven run frame propelled Central Connecticut State to an 11-4 triumph in the opening game of a Northeast Conference series on Friday night at Harbor Yard. The setback ended a two game winning streak for the Pioneers, who fall back to .500 at 14-14 and are now 6-2 in league play.
Trailing 4-1, Central Connecticut (14-17, 7-6 NEC) sent 12 batters to the plate, recorded five hits, and took advantage of two Pioneer errors that led to five unearned runs in the decisive inning. After a Nick Garland's bloop single began it all, SHU starter James Cooksey was actually able to get the next two outs. A hit by pitch and a David Balunek single would load the bases though, ending Cooksey's day as Brent Teller came on. Although Teller did surrender a two-RBI single to Dean Lockery that cut the deficit to 4-3, he looked to keep the lead in tact when he induced a potential inning ending ground ball in the next at bat. However, an error extended the frame and the Blue Devils benefited by plating four more runs.
After CCSU tied it up on the error, Corey Lerche delivered the go ahead base knock on a single through the left side. A walk would then load the bases before yet another base on balls pushed the lead to 6-4 and ended Teller's day. Baylor Sundahl came on and Matt Martinez greeted him with a two-RBI single, capping the game-changing inning by making the 8-4 score.
Sacred Heart did make things interesting in the bottom half, bringing the tying run to the plate with two outs as it looked to capitalize on a Blue Devil error.
Jesus Medina led off with a hit by pitch, and following a pop up,
Cody Doyle reached on the error to give the Pioneers runners on first and second with one out. That ended Central starter Casey Brown's day and on came Andrew Hinckley, who retired the first hitter he faced with a strikeout before a
PJ DeFilippo walk loaded the bases. Hinckley bared down with yet another strikeout to halt any potential shift in momentum.
That earned Hinckley the save as he came on to throw the final 2.2 scoreless innings, scattering two hits and striking out three. Brown earned the win despite giving up nine hits and walking five in 6.1 innings of four run ball.
Central Connecticut would add on three more runs in the ninth inning on RBI singles from Connor Fitzsimons and Martinez and a safety squeeze from Nick Landell. That cemented a 14-hit day for the Blue Devils, with Lockery leading the charge with a 4-5 performance. He also drove in two and scored once. Martinez finished 3-5 with three RBI's and Hinckley and Balunek recorded two hits apiece. Garland went 1-3 with three walks and three runs scored.
SHU had 11 hits of its own but would leave at least on runner on base in each inning, totaling 14 for the game. In addition to the leaving the bases loaded in the seventh, the Pioneers stranded multiple runners in the first, second, and third.
Despite this Sacred Heart still did strike first in the fourth when Dan Schock roped a one-out double before coming in on DeFilippo's single. Central came right back in the top of the fifth thanks to Garland's lead off walk. The damage could have been worse if it had not been for left fielder Keith Klebart gunning down Martinez trying to stretch a single to a double in the next at bat. The Pioneers then looked to have thrown out a second consecutive runner when Landell grounded to third base, but Garland's aggressive base running allowed him to narrowly beat the tag. The aggressiveness did not pay off in the following at bat when Ted Shaw threw out Landell at home on Lockery's single. The second baseman made a sliding play to cut the ball off in the shallow outfield before turning around to throw a one hopper right to the waiting Doyle.
SHU carried that momentum into the next at bat as
Zack Short and
Victor Sorrento worked back-to-back base on balls. Medina sacrificed to the two to second and third, and despite a strikeout for the second out, it was Doyle who came through with the go ahead base knock to put the Pioneers on top, 3-1. Schocke then delivered his second double of the evening to plate Doyle for a 4-1 advantage.
Schock was one of three Pioneers with multiple hits, joining Klebart and Shaw. Shock and Shaw also walked to finish the game reaching base three times, as did Short, who went 1-3 with two base on balls.
Cooksey left the game in the line for a victory after allowing eight hits in his 6.2 innings. Three of his four runs counted as earned. Teller received the loss, although all four of his runs were unearned. Sundahl gave up three earned on four hits in his 2.1 innings.
The two teams continue their four-game series tomorrow with a doubleheader at Harbor Yard beginning at 1 pm.
