MARION, N.C. (February 18, 2023) – Gino Manicchio (Ossining, N.Y.) clubbed his first collegiate homer on Saturday afternoon, but the Sacred Heart University baseball team suffered an 11-3 defeat in the middle game of a three-game series at UNC Asheville. Right-hander Ryan Douglas struck out eight over six innings for the host Bulldogs in the non-conference affair at Big League Camp.

The series finale between the two teams is set for Sunday at noon at Greenwood Field in Asheville, N.C.

UNC Asheville (2-0) used one in the first, another in the second and two more in the fourth to stake out a 4-0 lead it would never relinquish on Saturday. Dylan Bacot had an RBI single in the first, Ty Kaufman brought in a run with a sacrifice fly in the second, and Tylan Reece socked a two-run home run in the fourth.

SHU (0-1) got a pair back in the top half of the sixth. Justin Jordan (Darien, Conn.) singled up the middle with one out, moved to second on a walk to Robert Farruggio (Fairfield, Conn.) and scored when Ryan Donnelly (Fairfield, Conn.) followed and struck a ground-rule double to left field. Farruggio moved around to third on the two-bagger and scored on an RBI infield single by Zack Kovalchik (Archbald, Pa.).

UNC Asheville responded with four in the home half of the sixth and three more in the seventh, to break the game wide open.

Manicchio created the 11-3 final in the top of the ninth, when he blasted a one-out, solo home run to left field, his first career long ball and the first of the season for the Pios.

Right-hander Jake Babuschak (Jobstown, N.J.) threw the first four innings for SHU, allowed four runs on eight hits, walked two, struck out two and suffered the loss (0-1).

Douglas (1-0) tossed the first six innings for UNC Asheville, allowed two runs on four hits, walked two and struck out eight on the way to the win.