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Sacred Heart University

Sacred Heart University Pioneers
SHU Baseball
Grace Hand
5
Fairleigh Dickinson FDU 21-12-1, 12-6 NEC
10
Winner Sacred Heart SHU 16-16, 11-7 NEC
Fairleigh Dickinson FDU
21-12-1, 12-6 NEC
5
Final
10
Sacred Heart SHU
16-16, 11-7 NEC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 R H E
Fairleigh Dickinson FDU 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 5 7 1
Sacred Heart SHU 0 0 7 1 0 0 2 0 X 10 10 1

W: Costello, Charlie (3-0) L: E. REMBISH (1-2)

Game Recap: Baseball | | Grace Hand

Seven-Run Third Lifts SHU to 10-5 Victory, Series Win over FDU

Kovalchik drives in four; Costello makes strong start

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (April 16, 2023) – A seven-run explosion in the bottom of the third inning turned out to be enough to assure the Sacred Heart University baseball team a 10-5 victory in an important, Northeast Conference series-clinching game against Fairleigh Dickinson on Sunday afternoon. Zack Kovalchik (Archbald, Pa.) had a day at the plate at Veteran's Park, as he went 3-for-4 and drove in four. Sophomore right-hander Charlie Costello (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) settled into a groove on the mound after giving up two earned runs in the first two innings, as he held FDU scoreless for the next four frames to total six strong innings in his first collegiate start.

SHU (16-16, 11-7 NEC) comes out of the weekend tied for third place in the NEC with Wagner, with the pair now one game in back of second-place FDU (21-12-1, 12-6 NEC). The Pios will host Wagner in another pivotal series at Veteran's Park next weekend, April 21-23.

The scoring rally in the third was sparked by a two-run single by Ryan Donnelly (Fairfield, Conn.), as he knocked the ball through the right side with the bases loaded. Tim McGuire (Portsmouth, R.I.) was next to the plate and drove in Justin Jordan (Darien, Conn.) on a groundout to the FDU second baseman, to knot the game at 3-3. A bases-loaded walk to Michael Simonelli (Milford, Conn.) put SHU ahead for the first time in the game, and then Kovalchik provided the inning's keynote, as he blasted a three-run double into the gap in right-center to give the Pios a 7-3 lead.

SHU would go on to score another three runs by the end of the game, including a solo home run off the bat of Joey Skarad (Stamford, Conn.) in the bottom of the seventh, his first of the season. FDU got solo home runs from Joan Sosa and Hunter D'Amato in the eighth and ninth innings, respectively, to close the final gap to 10-5.

Costello (3-0) picked up the win, as he struck out four and walked two, while allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits over six innings, in the longest outing of his career. Right-hander Ethan Rembish (1-2) took the loss for the Knights, after he gave up seven runs on three hits with four walks and four strikeouts over three innings on the mound.

The Pioneers will host Fordham on Tuesday and Massachusetts on Wednesday in non-conference contests, before next weekend's important series Wagner.

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