COOKEVILLE, Tenn. (February 24, 2024) –
Peter Link (Holmes, N.Y.) and
Joey Vitiello (New Hyde Park, N.Y.) both socked two-run doubles on Saturday afternoon, but it was not enough for the Sacred Heart University baseball team, as the pitching staff struggled with command and the Pios suffered a 7-4 defeat at Tennessee Tech. Right-hander Peyton Calitri fired six scoreless innings and struck out six at Bush Stadium to lead the host Golden Eagles to their fifth straight victory.
After Friday's game saw all of its scoring come in the first three innings, Saturday's contest went until the fourth before anybody could get on the board. Tennessee Tech (5-1) used two in the fourth to get things going and added three more in the fifth to jump to a 5-0 lead.
In the fourth, a walk and a hit batter set the table – which would become a theme for SHU pitching on the day – before Mack Whitcomb knocked an RBI single through the left side and Preston Steele drove in a run by bouncing into a fielder's choice. In the fifth, the Golden Eagles loaded the bases with two outs. Preston Ford chased home the first run with an infield single, Steele was hit by a pitch to bring home another run, and Theo Bryant took a five-pitch walk to force home another.
SHU (0-5) cut into the margin with a pair in the top of the seventh inning. With two outs,
Joey Skarad (Stamford, Conn.) and
Devin Hicks (Virginia Beach, Va.) worked back-to-back walks to set things up for Vitiello. The shortstop followed and drove a two-run double to left-center to get the Pios on the board.
Tennessee Tech got the runs right back in the home half of the seventh. Command was the problem again for SHU pitching, as three walks loaded the bases with two outs, before another walk forced home a run and handed Austin Turner an RBI. A wild pitch followed to bring home Steele with another run. Of TTU's seven runs, six either reached base or were driven in by a walk or hit batter.
The Pioneers plated two in the top of the eighth to create the 7-4 final.
Alex Ungar (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) reached on an error and
Zack Kovalchik (Archbald, Pa.) singled, before Link put a two-out, two-run double into the gap in right-center.
SHU would load the bases with two outs in the ninth to make things interesting, but right-hander Brody Lanham came out of the TTU bullpen and collected his first save of the season by getting Kovalchik to fly out to left to end the ballgame.
Right-hander
Elijah Foster (Plainfield, N.J.) threw 71 pitches, but just 39 strikes across the first three innings on the mound for SHU. He allowed just one hit and struck out six, but also issued three walks and hit a batter, which added up to three runs allowed and, eventually, a loss (0-1). Four Sacred Heart pitchers combined to walk 11 batters and hit a pair.
Calitri (2-0) used 85 pitches (58 strikes) to toss six scoreless, three-hit innings, did not issue a walk and struck out six. In contrast, the Tennessee Tech pitching staff limited what it gave away for free, as the Golden Eagles walked only four and hit no batsmen.
The two teams will wrap up the weekend series on Sunday at 2 p.m. (EST) at Bush Stadium.
