BOX SCORE WEST HAVEN, Conn. – Five pitchers combined to allow one run and Kyle Cullen’s two-run single sparked a three-run seventh inning as the University of New Haven baseball team rallied past Bloomfield, 4-1, on Opening Day at Frank Vieira Field. #Brendan O’Reilly# also picked up an RBI for the Chargers.
 
New Haven (3-1) had just three hits in the game – and was held without a base-knock into the sixth inning – but played effective “small ball” with five base-on-balls, four stolen bases and three sacrifice hits. Cullen, O’Reilly and Zach Collett (Westbrook, Maine/Westbrook) had the Chargers’ three singles.
 
Stephen Clout (Bristol, Conn./Bristol Eastern) stole two bases and dropped down a sacrifice bunt that helped facilitate New Haven’s first run of the game. Cullen and Nick Nunziato (Setauket, N.Y./Ward Melville) each swiped a bag as well, and Joe Romanelli (Baldwin, N.Y./Holy Trinity) and Jason Lewicki (Milford, Conn./Foran) both laid down successful sacrifice hits.
 
Pat Simone (Branford, Conn./Branford) earned the win in relief to move to 2-0, striking out the side in a perfect top of the seventh inning prior to New Haven’s rally in the bottom of the frame. Taylor Candage (Portland, Maine/Deering) worked the first three innings of a scheduled staff game, striking two while ceding three hits and the only earned run allowed by Charger pitching. He was spelled by Derek Drag (Meriden, Conn./O.H. Platt / Central Conn. St.), who hung three zeroes on the scoreboard.
 
After Simone’s 1-2-3 seventh, Frank Vilacha (Dartmouth, Mass./Dartmouth) continued to silence the Bloomfield (1-7) bats with a scoreless eighth, and Peter Jay (Shelton, Conn./Shelton) racked up two strikeouts in a perfect ninth frame to record his second save of the spring.
 
Josh Chesler (1-3) threw five hitless innings for the Deacons, but was charged with all four New Haven runs (two earned) in 6.1 frames to take the loss. He struck out seven batters, walked five and uncorked a wild pitch. David Martinez retired all five batters he faced in relief for the visitors.
 
The game’s first run – Bloomfield’s only tally – came in the top of the third inning. After a lead-off double by Kyle Murzyn, Joey Meola roped a single down the right field line to bring him around to score. Meola was caught stealing and Candage scored the inning-ending strikeout to prevent further damage.
 
After Drag posted zeroes in three straight innings, the Chargers tied the score in the bottom of the sixth. Cullen walked to start the inning, and Clout followed with a sacrifice bunt that did not produce an out when Deacons’ catcher Reyvis Rivas attempted to cut down the lead runner and skipped the ball into centerfield, putting runners on the corners with no outs. O’Reilly then drove New Haven’s first hit of the game through the left side of the infield to plate Cullen and knot the game at 1-1.
 
The leadoff batter once again sparked the offense in the bottom of the seventh frame, when Collett blooped in a single to begin the stanza. After moving to second base on a wild pitch, Lewicki’s sacrifice bunt pushed the go-ahead run just 90 feet away from crossing the plate. Nunziato then walked and stole second base, and Cullen’s base-hit past the drawn-in infield scored them both to give the Chargers’ their first lead of the day, 3-1. After Cullen scored second, Clout once again did his job and benefitted for a defensive miscue. His groundball to the right side moved Cullen to third, but the Bloomfield first baseman tripped when attempting to cover the bag, allowing Clout to reach safely and Cullen to come around to score. Clout would later steal his second bag of the afternoon, but the Charger rally ended with the home team jumping out to a 4-1 advantage.
 
Vilacha and Jay would slam the door on the win as the Chargers’ extended their winning streak to three games.
 
New Haven will travel south this weekend to play six games in Florida. The Chargers next take the field on March 16 for a doubleheader against Mercy in Fort Pierce, Fla. Action returns to Frank Vieira Field with a noon twin bill against Bentley on Saturday, March 23.