BOX SCORE PLEASANTVILLE, N.Y. – Joe Romanelli (Baldwin, N.Y./Holy Trinity) continued his hot streak with a 4-for-5 day at the plate and three runs batted in to lead the University of New Haven baseball team to a 4-1 win at Northeast-10 Southwest Division foe Pace. Taylor Candage (Portland, Maine/Deering) earned the win on the mound for the Chargers.
 
With its fifth straight win, New Haven improves to 11-5 overall, 5-0 in the NE-10 and 1-0 in the conference’s Southwest Division.
 
Including today, Romanelli is 7-for-10 with seven RBI in his last two outings. His performance at Pace this afternoon included two doubles, a run scored and a stolen base. Left fielder Kyle Cullen (Dumont, N.J./Dumont) went 3-for-4 with a two-bagger to turn the batting order around, while designated hitter Chris DeMorais (West Hartford, Conn./Conard) and first baseman Zach Collett (Westbrook, Maine/Westbrook) added two hits apiece. #Brendan O’Reilly# also had a base-hit and scored three runs.
 
Candage moved to 3-0 with the win in seven strong innings. The right-hander scattered six hits and one earned run while striking out four. Right-hander Peter Jay (Shelton, Conn./Shelton) fired the final two innings to notch his seventh save in as many opportunities.
 
The Charger hurlers also benefitted from double plays turned behind them in both the seventh and eighth frames.
 
Right-hander Robert Rizzitelli (1-3) took the loss for the home team, allowing 11 hits and four walks en route to four runs (three earned) in seven innings of work. Rizzitelli struck out nine batters.
 
New Haven got on the board in the top of the first inning with the first of three two-out runs scored by the Chargers in the game. O’Reilly reached on an error with two outs to extend the inning and DeMorais followed with a single to move him into scoring position. Romanelli then delivered his first RBI hit of the day, singling home O’Reilly to stake UNH to a quick 1-0 lead.
 
Candage pitched around a runner on third base with one out in the top of the first and then retired the side in order in the second, and the Chargers added to their lead in the top of the third stanza. After right fielder Stephen Clout (Bristol, Conn./Bristol Eastern) walked to lead-off the inning, O’Reilly replaced him at first via fielder’s choice. The damage was done with two outs once again as DeMorais earned a base-on-balls to keep the rally alive for Romanelli, who doubled into the gap in left centerfield to push O’Reilly across again with New Haven’s second run of the day.
 
Pace responded in the fourth with an RBI groundout from Joe Solomeno, but Candage held the lead with an inning-ending strikeout with two Setters in scoring position.
 
The Chargers added to their 2-1 lead in their following at-bats. O’Reilly legged out an infield hit with one out, and DeMorais followed with a single to put runners on the corners. Romanelli delivered for a third time with a double down the left field line to run the tally to 3-1 in favor of the visitors from New Haven.
 
In the top of the seventh inning, Romanelli would cross the plate on a wild pitch following his fourth hit of the afternoon to run the score to its eventual final of 4-1.
 
The Chargers continue Northeast-10 Southwest Division play this weekend for a three-game set at American International. The series begins with a single game on Friday at 3:30 p.m. followed by a Saturday doubleheader beginning at noon in Springfield.