BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (May 12, 2024) – Four unearned runs in the top of the seventh turned the tide on Sunday afternoon, as Central Connecticut State dealt the Sacred Heart University baseball team a 6-4 defeat in the finale of the Northeast Conference weekend series between the two.
Michael Hernandez (Bridgeport, Conn.) had a strong showing on Senior Day for the Pios, as he went 2-for-3 with a two-run double as part of a three-RBI afternoon at Veterans Memorial Park.
LIU took its series finale at home against Wagner on Sunday, 21-6, which means first-place SHU (29-21, 22-8 NEC) will head into the final weekend of the season one game clear of LIU and two clear of Wagner at the top of the NEC standings. The Pioneers have the head-to-head tiebreaker against both teams, which means a series victory at winless Maryland Eastern Shore will allow Sacred Heart to clinch the top seed in the upcoming NEC Championship. A sweep of the Hawks would grant SHU its first NEC regular-season title outright, regardless of what happens elsewhere in the league.
CCSU (17-22, 16-13 NEC) – which desperately needed Sunday's win to buoy its own postseason hopes – opened the scoring with two in the top of the second against right-hander
Joe Trombley (Watervliet, N.Y.). Michael Torniero reached via a two-out walk and then Aidan Redahan drilled a ball into the woods behind the fence in right field for a two-run homer, his fifth of the season.
After leaving the bases loaded in the third, Sacred Heart responded with two in the bottom of the fourth.
Tim McGuire (Portsmouth, R.I.) poked a leadoff double down the left-field line and
Alex Ungar (Ronkonkoma, N.Y.) reached on a walk, before a sacrifice bunt by
Dennis Gamester (West Haven, Conn.) moved the runners up. They were both in scoring position for Hernandez, who pulled a ball between the diving third baseman and the bag for a two-run double. The Pios would later leave the bases loaded for the second straight inning though.
SHU staked out a 3-2 lead when
Dante D'Amore (Southington, Conn.) opened the bottom of the fifth with a long home run to left, his team-leading eighth of the season.
Things came undone in the top of the seventh though, following a leadoff throwing error from
John Greene (Naugatuck, Conn.) at second base. Trombley recovered to retired the next two batters, but then Brady Short lashed a two-out RBI single back up the middle to even the game at 3-3.
Right-hander
David Aufiero (Glen Head, N.Y.) came on in relief and surrendered three straight base hits as CCSU jumped to a 6-3 lead. GIanno Merlonghi had an RBI single through the left side, Dan Hussey drove in a run with a quirky infield single on the right side, and Jeff Nicol drilled a run-scoring double over the head of Ungar in right.
SHU got one back in the last of the eighth, as Ungar walked, advanced on a wild pitch and scored on an RBI single back through the middle by Hernandez. Right-hander Wyatt Cameron took over for CCSU on the mound from there and retired all four batters he faced to nail down his third save of the season.
Trombley (2-2) made his way through 6.2 innings on 95 pitches (55 strikes), despite doing himself no favors with five walks. He ceded four runs (two earned) on four hits and struck out five.
Left-hander Anthony Mozzicato threw the first four-plus innings on 69 pitches (32 strikes) for the Blue Devils. He allowed three runs on six hits, also walked five, hit a batter and did not record a strikeout. Right-hander Patrick Reilly (2-0) provided 3.2 solid innings of high-leverage relief from there, to win out of the bullpen. He surrendered one run on one hit, walked two and struck out one.
SHU wraps up the home portion of its schedule on Tuesday afternoon, with a non-conference tilt against future MAAC opponent Quinnipiac. First pitch is scheduled for noon at the Vet.
