WEST HAVEN, Conn.— The Sacred Heart University baseball team was unable to erase an early deficit, falling to in-state foe, Yale 5-2 on Wednesday at Yale Field. 

The Bulldogs (12-14) put up three runs in the first two innings before the Pioneers (8-17) answered in the fourth but Yale responded with two in the eighth to push its win streak to eight in a row.

Yale jumped on the scoreboard first in the bottom half of the opening inning on a sacrifice fly by Grffin Dey. The Bulldogs continued in the third loading the bases with one out, Dey earned his second RBI of the game on a hit by pitch before Brian Ronai recorded a two-out RBI single.

Senior Dan Schock got the offense going in the top of the fourth inning in his second at bat of the game roping a double down the left field line. Redshirt sophomore Jake Frasca drove home Schock in the next at bat with a single to right field. Junior Kyle Oliver stretched to runners on first and third with one out. Redshirt senior PJ DeFilippo lifted the sacrifice fly to center field for to cut the score to 3-2. 

Both bullpens kept things quiet for the next three innings of play as the game sped to the final innings. The Bulldogs pushed the lead back to three in the eighth as Simon Whitman recorded the big two-out two-RBI single with the bases loaded to make the score 5-3. Yale retired the Pioneers in order in the ninth to take they yearly meeting between both teams.

The Pioneers were outhit 8-5 in the game, with the five base hits coming from five different batters. Schock's double in the fourth gave SHU an extra base hit in five straight games, a new season high. SHU was also held to zero walks at the plate for the third time this season. 

Freshman Thomas Pinto earned the midweek start, pitching two and a third innings in the loss. Classmate Matt Aufiero pitched two and two third shutout innings of relief, allowing just three hits with two strikeouts. Junior John Cerretani fanned three batters in two and a third innings allowing two runs. 

The Pioneers are on a bye weekend from Northeast Conference play and will play Maine on Saturday, April 14 at Monmouth University in West Long Branch, N.J. first pitch is slated for 11:00 a.m.