NEW HAVEN, Conn. (March 13, 2024) -- Following a shutout loss at Northeastern on Tuesday, the Sacred Heart University Baseball team headed north up I-95 to visit Yale, aiming to score early and often on Wednesday afternoon—and delivered. Fueled by a three-hit day from
Gavin Donohue (Melrose, Mass.), the Sacred Heart offense caught fire, with 11 singles and a lone double combining to plate six runs. In a full-team effort which saw every Pioneer reach base at least once, SHU took care of business at George H.W. Bush Field and secured a 6-2 non-conference victory.
In the top of the first, singles from Donohue,
Zack Kovalchik (Archbald, Pa.), and
Tyler Galletti (Plainview, N.Y.) set the stage for
Ronan Donohue, who roped a single into left field to plate the first run of the game.
The Pioneers immediately added two more runs in the second as well. The first came from a wild pitch which allowed Michael Hernandez (Bridgeport, Conn.) to score.
Tim McGuire (Portsmouth, R.I.) followed with a line-drive single inside the right-field line to push the SHU lead to 3-0.
In the bottom half of the second, the Bulldogs threatened with a runner in scoring position, but their efforts were thwarted when Alex Ungar (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) made a spectacular, run-saving catch diving towards the gap in right-center to end the inning. Following consecutive free passes from Pioneers' starter
Mitch Hawkins (Southbury, Conn.), the Bulldogs were again within striking distance in the bottom of the third, which sent head coach
Pat Egan reaching for the bullpen. On came right-hander
David Aufiero (Glen Head, N.Y.), who induced a grounder to shortstop
Charlie Tallman (Fair Haven, N.J.) for a crucial double play, to get the Pioneers out of another jam.
Already 2-for-2 on the day,
Gavin Donohue turned on an inside fastball and ripped an RBI double down the left-field line to score Tallman in the bottom of the fourth.
Donohue would not stop there, as he would make his way home on a wild pitch which gave the Pioneers a 5-0 advantage.
His double was the team's only extra-base hit of the afternoon.
The Bulldogs would get on the board in the bottom of the sixth and added another in the ninth, but it was not enough, as the Pioneers added an insurance run in the seventh on the way to the four-run victory.
Getting the nod for the Pioneers this afternoon, Hawkins delivered 2.1 innings of scoreless baseball on 46 pitches. He allowed just one hit, walked three and struck out one. The Pioneers' bullpen followed suit with a strong outing of its own, holding the Bulldogs to two runs over 6.2 innings. Aufiero (1-1) provided 1.2 innings of scoreless, one-hit ball to win in relief.
The Bulldogs turned to right-hander Carter Kessinger (0-1), who struggled and took the loss. The right-hander lasted 1.2 innings on 40 pitches and allowed three runs on five hits, with one walk and two strikeouts. Southpaw reliever Bryant Reese took over in the second inning but did not fare much better, as he conceded two runs in 1.1 innings of work. In total, the Bulldogs used five pitchers who issued six walks and notched ten strikeouts.
After embarking on a 14-game road trip to kick off the season, Sacred Heart will host its home opener on Friday afternoon, when the Pios host Merrimack in the first of a three-game Northeast Conference series. First pitch is scheduled for 3 p.m. at Veterans Park in Bridgeport.
