BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (April 5, 2024) – After most of the northeast was quaking on Friday morning, the Sacred Heart University baseball team provided some seismic activity of its own on Friday afternoon, in the opener of its Northeast Conference weekend series against Coppin State. The Pios collected five extra-base hits and capitalized on a stunning 18 free passes – a new program record – to double up the Eagles at a chilly Veterans Memorial Park, 18-9.
 
As has often been the case in NEC play, the Pios started quickly, with two in the second and three more in the third to jump out to a 5-0 lead. In the second, Tim McGuire (Portsmouth, R.I.) provided the initial tremor with a ringing RBI triple into the gap in left-center, before later scoring a run of his own on an error. In the third, another error would plate another run, before Alex Ungar (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) provided the aftershock with a two-run home run to straightaway left, the first of his collegiate career.
 
Coppin State (5-17, 4-9 NEC) got on the board in the top of the fourth, as the SHU infield failed to convert a routine double-play ball, which left Christopher Marte on first with an RBI fielder's choice. Sloppy defense would be a theme on the day, as each team committed four errors and suffered further miscues which did not show up in the box score.
 
Sacred Heart (14-12, 11-2 NEC) pushed the lead out to 8-1 in the last of the fifth. After Ungar reached on an error, McGuire cashed in again, this time by yanking an RBI double down the right-field line. McGuire would later score on a bunt single by Charlie Tallman (Fair Haven, N.Y.), while the inning's final run came home on an RBI groundout by Gavin Donohue (Melrose, Mass.).
 
From there, the game slowed to a crawl. From the bottom of the fifth inning through the last of the eighth, at least one run was scored in each of the seven half-innings, with multiple runs scored in all but one. Coppin State closed the gap to 8-6 with a five-spot in the top of the sixth, but SHU answered with two in the bottom half. The Eagles plated two in the seventh and the Pios responded with three.
 
The visitors got one in the top of the eighth to make it a 13-9 game, before Sacred Heart finally put things on ice with five in the home half of the inning. Four straight walks opened the frame, with Zack Kovalchik (Archbald, Pa.) picking up an RBI on the last of the quartet. Coppin State pitching worked as though the ground was still shaking at the Vet throughout the proceedings, as four pitchers combined to issue an astounding 18 walks on the afternoon. SHU's previous high-water mark was 14 free passes, which it had drawn on two occasions.
 
The Eagles finally found the strike zone in the eighth against Ronan Donohue (Melrose, Mass.), but it did not end well. He had already scored three times and had an RBI double in the game before he laced a line drive the other way into right field. Charging hard on the play, right fielder Braylon Watson misjudged his dive. He came up empty as he tumbled to the ground and the balled skipped right on by and out to the fence. All three baserunners paraded around to score, before head coach Pat Egan played the role of No Fun Police – to the audible disappointment of his own dugout – and threw up the stop sign for Donohue at third base, leaving the first-year designated hitter with a three-run triple.
 
Donohue would score the game's final run when Ungar followed with a sacrifice fly to right.
 
Right-hander Jake Babuschak (Jobstown, N.Y.) cruised through the first five innings before running out of steam and into trouble in the sixth. The bats picked him up for a change though, as he still wound up with his fifth straight win (5-3) after 100 pitches (61 strikes) over 5.2 innings of work. Babuschak was charged with six runs on eight hits, walked three and struck out six.
 
On the other side of the ledger, right-hander Nico Felber (1-5) needed 113 pitches (61 strikes) to get through five innings of his own. He ceded eight runs (six earned) on five hits, walked seven, hit a batter, struck out six and threw three wild pitches just for good measure. Four Coppin State arms combined to throw 232 pitches over eight innings, but just 114 strikes against 118 balls.
 
The two teams continue the weekend series at 1 p.m. on Saturday at Veterans Memorial Park.