BOX SCORE WEST HAVEN, Conn. – Andrew Johnson (Branford, Conn./Branford / Wheaton) singled home the tying run with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning, and the game-winning tally came home on an error in the bottom of the 11th frame as the University of New Haven baseball team rallied to a 4-3 victory over Bentley on the first day of Northeast-10 Championship Weekend.

The Chargers, who improved to 31-13, will meet Le Moyne in the winners’ bracket tomorrow at approximately 12:30 p.m. That contest will follow an elimination game between Bentley and Merrimack beginning at Frank Vieira Field at 10 a.m. The Dolphins topped the Warriors, 8-0, this afternoon.
 
Today’s game featured a rain and lightning delay spanning 2:05 prior to the top of the sixth inning with Bentley holding a 3-2 advantage. When action resumed, Frank Vilacha (Dartmouth, Mass./Dartmouth) and Peter Jay (Shelton, Conn./Shelton) each fired three perfect innings to keep the Falcons at bay during the Chargers’ rally. Jay, who struck out five batters, improved to 3-1 with the win.
 
Offensively, Johnson and Kyle Cullen (Dumont, N.J./Dumont) each had an RBI, and Brendan O’Reilly pounded out three hits with a run scored. Chris DeMorais (West Hartford, Conn./Conard) doubled and scored a run as a part of a 2-for-4 day at the plate. O’Reilly and Stephen Clout (Bristol, Conn./Bristol Eastern) converted a successful double steal that resulted in Clout crossing the plate, and Joe Romanelli (Baldwin, N.Y./Holy Trinity) dropped down a successful sacrifice bunt.
 
Henry Hirsch (Scarsdale, N.Y./Scarsdale) started on the mound for New Haven. The right-hander allowed three runs on seven hits, four walks and hit batter while striking out six in 4.2 innings of work. Joey Royer (Westbrook, Maine/Cheverus) got the final out of the fifth, inducing a groundout with the bases loaded to retire the only batter he faced prior to the two-hour weather delay.
 
JP Ashline worked all 10.2 innings for the Falcons, nearing 180 pitches. He falls to 6-3 after allowed four runs (three earned) on seven hits. He struck out eight batters, walked four (one intentional), hit a batter and uncorked two wild pitches.
 
Bentley started the scoring in the top of the first inning on an RBI single by Kevin Korwek before the Chargers pulled even in the bottom of the frame. O’Reilly reached on a one-out single, and a DeMorais base hit with two down put runners on the corners. Cullen followed with a single to knot the score at 1-1.
 
The Falcons responded with an RBI single from Sean Keady in the top of the second and maintained their 2-1 advantage into the bottom of the third. Clout walked to leadoff the stanza and moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. After an O’Reilly single, the Chargers’ centerfielder broke for second. On the throw down by Korwek, Clout raced for home and slid in safely to tie the game at 2-2.
 
Bentley went into the two-hour delay with a 3-2 lead courtesy of a Will Brennan infield hit and RBI before Royer entered to squash a bases-loaded jam in the top of the fifth inning.
 
As Vilacha set down all nine Falcons he faced, the Chargers pulled even in the bottom of the eighth inning. Romanelli was hit by a pitch with one out, and DeMorais followed with a double down the line to put the tying and go-ahead runs in scoring position. A wild pitch on strike three thrown to Cullen resulted in Romanelli being cut down at the plate but left runners on the corners with two down for Johnson. The Chargers’ second baseman delivered the two-out RBI with a single up the middle to knot the game at 3-3.
 
Jay and Ashline dueled through the ninth and 10th frames, and the New Haven closer fired a perfect 11th to set New Haven up for a victory. With two out in the inning, Brendon Buckley (Monroe, Conn./Masuk) reached and took second on a throwing error by third baseman Nate Witkowski. The next batter was Clout, who sent a groundball to the Brennan at shortstop. His throw that would have ended the inning sailed wide, allowing Buckley to come home with the winning run in a 4-3 come-from-behind triumph.
 
NORTHEAST-10 BASEBALL CHAMPIONSHIP WEEKEND SCHEDULE
Thursday, May 9
    Game 5: New Haven 4, Bentley 3 (11 innings)
    Game 6: Le Moyne 8, Merrimack 0 (game played at Southern Connecticut State)
Friday, May 10
    Game 7: Bentley vs. Merrimack – 10 a.m. (elimination game)
    Game 8: New Haven vs. Le Moyne – 12:30 p.m.
    Game 9: Game 7 winner vs. Game 8 loser – 3 p.m. (elimination game)
Saturday, May 11 (at New Haven)
    Game 10: Game 9 winner vs. Game 8 winner – 11 a.m.
    Game 11 (If necessary) – 30 minutes following completion of Game 10