BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (May 3, 2023) – The Sacred Heart University baseball team used single runs in the sixth, seventh and ninth innings to force extra innings on Wednesday afternoon at Veterans Park. From there though, the story was missed opportunities. The Pios left the winning run at third in the ninth, then left the bases loaded in the 10th, before dropping a 6-5 non-conference decision to Fairfield in 12 innings.
Sacred Heart (18-25) trailed 5-2 through five innings, but then set off on the comeback trail. In the sixth, Ryan Donnelly (Fairfield, Conn.) walked, stole second, moved to third on a balk and scored on an RBI groundout by Joey Skarad (Stamford, Conn.). In the seventh, Justin Jordan (Darien, Conn.) took a two-out walk and scored from first on a double yanked down the left-field line by Zack Kovalchik (Archbald, Pa.), to pull the red and white within a run, at 5-4.
The Pios were still chasing that run when the bottom of the ninth inning rolled around, and the top half of the lineup got the job done again. Sam Mongelli (Marlboro, N.Y.) took a one-out walk, but then Jordan went down swinging for the second out. Kovalchik knocked a single into center field to keep the game alive and move the tying run into scoring position. Donnelly followed with a groundball single through the right side of the infield to chase home Mongelli with the tying run. Fairfield right-hander Emmett Tolis bounced back and struck out Dante D'Amore (Southington, Conn.) to strand Kovalchik at third base as the potential winning run.
Right-hander Mitch Hawkins (Southbury, Conn.) worked around a two-out walk in the 10th, which gave the Pios a chance to win it in the home half. SHU got the winning run to third with one out, but John Greene (Naugatuck, Conn.) could not put the ball in play, as he went down swinging. A pair of walks – including an intentional walk to Mongelli – loaded the bases with two outs for Jordan, who laced a ball to right, but the line drive hung up just long enough for Matt Bucciero to make a sliding catch.
In the 11th, Hawkins got himself in trouble with a pair of two-out walks, plus a single, but stranded the bases full when he got a ground ball up the middle which Donnelly tracked down behind the bag. SHU went in order in the bottom half.
Fairfield (26-14) broke the deadlock in the top of the 12th, after Bucciero led off with a double over the head of the left fielder against right-hander Jacob Wiberg (Exeter, N.H.). Ethan Hibbard followed with a sacrifice attempt, which died right on the chalk on the first-base line for a base hit. Two batters later, Griffin Watson dumped an RBI single into center field. Wiberg (0-2) limited the damage by getting the next two batters to end the inning, but the Pios went in order in the home half of the 12th against left-hander Evan Berta (1-0), who threw three scoreless, hitless innings out of the Fairfield bullpen.
SHU has a home Northeast Conference series on the docket this weekend, as Delaware State comes to town. First pitch is set for 3 p.m. Friday, 1 p.m. Saturday and noon Sunday at Veterans Park.
