BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (April 14, 2023) – With the Sacred Heart University baseball team back home to open an eight-game homestand at Veteran's Park on Friday afternoon, Jake Babuschak (Jobstown, N.J.) made sure things got off on the right foot. The junior right-hander carried a no-hit bid into the eighth inning and fired eight innings one-run, three-hit ball, as the Pioneers opened a three-game Northeast Conference series with an 8-4 triumph over Fairleigh Dickinson.
The two teams will resume the series on Saturday, with first pitch moved up to 11:30 a.m. at Veteran's Park, in an effort to beat some expected wet weather in the afternoon. Sunday's game remains at 1 p.m.
Babuschak (2-3) was the story on the afternoon for Sacred Heart (15-15, 10-6 NEC). He retired the side in order in the first, third and fourth innings, and had faced the minimum through five. Through five innings, the only baserunners Babuschak allowed were a pair of walks to Brian Sanders, both of which were immediately erased when Hunter D'Amato followed and bounced into a double play each time.
Babuschak walked another in the sixth and stranded him out there, then retired the side in order in the seventh to carry his no-hit bid into the eighth inning. D'Amato would spoil the party though, as he led off the top of the eighth and pulled a ground-ball single through the right side. Babuschak allowed two more singles in the frame to surrender his only run of the proceedings, but also induced his third double-play ball of the afternoon to escape any further damage.
In all, Babuschak fired 98 pitches (60 strikes) over eight innings of one-run, three-hit ball, as he made his third start of or more innings on the season. He walked three, struck out four and faced just 27 batters while recording 24 outs.
Meanwhile, the Pios claimed the lead for good with a pair in the bottom of the first. Sam Mongelli (Marlboro, N.Y.) opened the frame with a sharp double down the left-field line and came around to score when Justin Jordan (Darien, Conn.) reached on an error. Jordan reached at second on the error, moved to third on a flyout and scored on a sacrifice fly by Robert Farruggio (Fairfield, Conn.), who would drive home three in the game.
SHU broke the game open with three in the home half of the third and two more in the fourth. In the third, Dante D'Amore (Southington, Conn.) went the other way and drove a ground-rule double into the right-field corner, before John Greene (Naugatuck, Conn.) drove in a run on a fielder's choice, while the third run scored on an error. In the fourth, Farruggio blasted his second home run in as many games – and fourth of the season – deep into the power alley in left-center, for a two-run shot to make it 7-0.
SHU tacked on one more in the seventh, before FDU (20-11-1, 11-5 NEC) scratched out one in the eighth and three more in the ninth to create the 8-4 final.
Right-hander Jude Baxt (4-1) started and took it on the chin for FDU. He threw 71 pitches (39 strikes) over just four innings of work and was ambushed for seven runs (five earned) on six hits, walked two, hit a pair and struck out three.
