BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (April 19, 2023) – One thing is for sure: Wednesday afternoon's non-conference baseball game between the Sacred Heart University baseball team and Massachusetts was eventful, if nothing else. As for the quality of said events? It seems likely neither coaching staff left with a particularly good taste in their mouths, though the come-from-behind, 10-8 victory likely eased some of the bad vibes on the UMass side of things.
The two teams combined for 18 runs, 28 hits, seven errors and 21 men left on base, in what could only be termed "a midweek adventure" of three hours and nine minutes at a blustery Veteran's Park. A total of 13 different pitchers climbed the mound, while 29 different position players appeared in the game, representing more than 50% of the rostered players available to the two head coaches.
Already more than 2.5 hours deep into the proceedings, SHU (16-18) trailed 6-5 heading into the eighth inning, where the Pios struck for three runs and a late lead. Zack Kovalchik (Archbald, Pa.) started things with two outs and the bases empty, as he worked a walk to prolong the inning for Sam Mongelli (Marlboro, N.Y.). The free pass proved costly for right-hander Renn Lints (1-1), who proceeded to serve one up to the Northeast Conference Player of the Year candidate. Mongelli unloaded and clobbered his team-leading 10th home run of the season to straightaway left to turn the one-run deficit into a one-run lead.
Ryan Donnelly (Fairfield, Conn.) kept things going with a ground-rule double which one-hopped over the fence in the left-field corner. Tim McGuire (Portsmouth, R.I.) followed and cashed in Donnelly with an RBI single to right-center, to make it 8-6.
For the second day in a row though, a late rally would go for naught for the Pios, as the defense handed the game to UMass (6-22) in the top of the ninth, courtesy of a quartet of unearned runs. Right-hander Tyler Briggs (Franklin, Conn.) walked the leadoff man, but then rolled up a 1-6-3 double play to leave the Minutemen with two outs and nobody on, and SHU just one out away from a two-run victory.
After a single and another walk, Briggs (1-2) got a ground ball on the right side, but McGuire mishandled the ball at second to keep the game going. The bases now loaded, Briggs rebounded and got another potential game-ending ground ball, this one to Donnelly at shortstop. Donnelly looked to second for the force, but had no play with the runners in motion on the full-count pitch, and he hurried a throw to first instead. The throw pulled Dante D'Amore (Southington, Conn.) off the bag, and the first baseman tried to slap a tag on Michael Toth while flagging it down, but was unable to do so. Carter Hanson scored from third on the play, and the full count made the difference, as Sam Hill used the free head start to motor home from second on the play and tie the game.
The game would not stay tied for long, as Zack Zaetta followed with an RBI single to left-center to give the Minutemen the lead and chase Briggs from the mound. Right-hander David Aufiero (Glen Head, N.Y.) took over and was greeted by an RBI single back through the middle by Kevin Skagerlind to give UMass some insurance.
In the bottom of the ninth, Nick Jaskolski (Seaford, N.Y.) worked a one-out walk, but right-hander Max LeBlanc rebounded to record back-to-back strikeouts and nail down his first save of the season.
The Pios host Wagner in an NEC series at Veteran's Park this weekend. With wet weather in the forecast, the teams will look to finalize any changes to the weekend schedule on Thursday.
