Box Score BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – Struggling to find offense through the first seven innings, the Sacred Heart baseball team exploded for seven runs in the eighth inning to stun in-state rival Central Connecticut State on Sunday evening at Harbor Yard. The comeback secured SHU's third consecutive series victory to open up Northeast Conference play, as the Pioneers move to 9-2 in the league and are now three games over .500 for the first time this season at 17-14.
Sacred Heart sent 11 batters to the plate in the inning, recording six hits and scoring six of the seven runs with two outs. The Pioneers also took advantage of a crucial Central error that allowed four unearned runs to cross.
It actually all began with a strikeout before Victor Sorrento and Dan Schock sent back-to-back doubles down the left field line for SHU's first run. Still, that looked as it may be the only damage the Pioneers could do when the next hitter struck out, but Jesus Medina kept the inning alive with a double of his own to cut the deficit in half. PJ DeFilippo then made it a one-run ball game with his single down the right field line.
Following an Alex Perry walk, CCSU looked to have escaped with the lead still in tact, but a throwing error kept the frame alive and Sacred Heart would make it pay. With the bases now loaded, it was Jayson Sullivan delivering the eventual game-winner, a single through the left side that scored DeFilippo and then Perry, who made a terrific slide around the catcher's tag. The Pioneers were not done from there, adding insurance on Zack Short's single up the middle, which Shaw crossed home on, and benefiting on yet another Blue Devil throwing error that plated Sullivan for a 7-4 score.
It would turn out that Brent Teller would not need that insurance, as the freshman struck out two in a 1-2-3 ninth. That was his second 1-2-3 inning in 3.1 innings of relief, in which his lone blemish was a one out single in the eighth. He entered the game with two outs and runners on first and third in the sixth, inducing a fly out to keep the score at 4-0. With the shutdown relief appearance and thrilling comeback, the freshman improved to 3-3 on the season.
Teller relieved John Sostarich, who retired the first seven batters he faced before running into trouble in the third. It started with one-out walk before a SHU error on a potential double play gave Central Connecticut life. A hit by pitch loaded the bases and David Balunek came through with the first RBI of the game, singling through the left side. Dean Lockery followed that with a single to double the advantage and Andrew Hinckely would put the finishing touches on a three-run third with a sacrifice fly.
In the next Central at bat, Connor Fitzsimons led off with a home run to make it a 4-0 game. That would be the extent of the damage done against Sostarich, who battled around surrendering ten hits to only give up two earned runs in his 5.2 innings. That was in large part due to him stranding two runners in the third and fourth and Teller doing the same in the sixth.
The same was true for CCSU starter Brandon Fox, who got out of a bases loaded jam in the first with back-to-back strikeouts. He then worked around consecutive one out singles from Perry and Ted Shaw in the fifth, his final inning of work. He left the game in line for the win after going five strong, scattering four hits and walking two against those four strikeouts.
After failing to find its offense early, Sacred Heart recorded half of its 12 hits for the game in its final at bat. The big base knocks by Sullivan and Sorrento in the eighth gave them two each for the day to join Shaw.
Central Connecticut (14-20, 7-9 NEC) had 11 hits of its own, getting two each from Lockery, Tyler Coleman and Nick Garland. Hinckley was credited with the loss after coming on for Fox in the sixth.
Sacred Heart wraps up a season-long six-game homestand on Wednesday, hosting cross-town rival Farifield for a 3 pm first pitch at Harbor Yard.
