BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (May 7, 2023) – Six pitchers combined to yield 17 hits on Sunday afternoon for the Sacred Heart University baseball team. Unsurprisingly, the result did not go the Pioneers' way at Veterans Park, as visiting Delaware State claimed a 13-7 victory in the finale of the Northeast Conference weekend series between the two teams. The offense was the bright spot on the day for SHU, as it produced seven runs via nine hits, but also left 11 men on base. Joe Emerson (Carlstadt, N.J.) cranked his first home run of the season in his first start of the year for the Pios.
Fifth-place SHU (20-26, 15-12 NEC), which can now finish no worse than seventh in the NEC, got no help on the out-of-town scoreboard, as Maryland Eastern Shore and Merrimack both picked up wins and are now even in the loss column with the Pios. The Hawks and Warriors are tied with each other for the sixth and final postseason spot at 12-12 in NEC play.
SHU has a bye next weekend, while UMES visits Stonehill (6-18 NEC) and Merrimack travels to Fairleigh Dickinson (18-9 NEC). SHU and Merrimack will meet on the final weekend of the regular season at Merrimack, while UMES will host Delaware State (11-30, 7-17 NEC). Sacred Heart's magic number remains at four, which means the Pios will not have their postseason ticket locked up heading into the final weekend.
Things went downhill in a hurry on Saturday, as right-hander Nick Kane (West Hartford, Conn.) failed to get out of the first inning. The first four batters of the game went single, single, walk, three-run triple into the gap in right-center by Chris Amparo, and the Hornets had a 3-0 lead before there was even an out on the board. Kane issued another walk, then recorded a strikeout, but then surrendered an RBI single to Mason Brewer which spelled the end of his day. Right-hander Charlie Costello (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) took over and got a strikeout and a comebacker to limit the damage to four runs.
Delaware State got one in the second, another in the third and two more in the fourth, to push the lead out as high as 8-0, before SHU made things more interesting. The Pios got three in the fourth, as Tyler Galletti (Plainview, N.Y.) singled and Zack Kovalchik (Archbald, Pa.) doubled, ahead of a three-run bomb to left field by Emerson, who returned to the starting lineup for the first time since May 21, 2022.
SHU closed the gap to 8-5 with two more in the fifth, without benefit of a hit, thanks largely to some suspect pitching from the Hornets. Delaware State issued three walks in the inning, one run was plated via a balk, and the other was driven home by Dante D'Amore (Southington, Conn.), who reached on a fielder's choice.
The two teams traded a run apiece in the seventh, before the visitors put the game away with four in the top of the eighth. Krew Bouldin drove in a run with a single back up the middle and, two batters later, Nick Gnardellis provided the knockout blow, with a three-run shot just to the right of straightaway center field, which left Justin Jordan (Darien, Conn.) hanging on the fence in despair after a leaping attempt to keep it in the yard. It was Gnardellis' ninth homer of the season, to tie for the team lead.
SHU picked up a final run in the ninth, on an RBI double by D'Amore, to create the 13-7 final.
Kane (0-3) was charged with four runs on four hits and two walks, with one strikeout, over just one-third of an inning.
Right-hander Evan Bouldin started for Delaware State, but departed after four innings of work and surrendered three runs on seven hits and two walks, with two strikeouts. Hiram Davis (3-0) put together a three-inning relief stint to pick up the win, allowed one run on one hit, walked three and struck out two. Four Hornet pitchers combined to issue nine walks, hit two batters and throw six wild pitches on the afternoon.
SHU has three non-conference games on the ledger this week, as the Pios visit Stony Brook on Wednesday and host Dartmouth in an 11:30 a.m. doubleheader on Saturday, May 13. The Pioneers will honor their senior class prior to the twinbill.
