BOX SCORE WEST HAVEN, Conn. – The University of New Haven baseball team rolled to its eighth consecutive victory on Wednesday afternoon with a 6-1 win over visiting Pace. Derek Drag (Meriden, Conn./O.H. Platt / Central Conn. St.) fired eight innings of one-run ball, and Zach Collett (Westbrook, Maine/Westbrook) drove in four runs in the Northeast-10 Southwest Division triumph.
 
The Chargers improve to 16-8 overall and 11-6 in the Northeast-10 following the win. The Setters drop to 11-19 with a 5-14 conference mark.
 
Drag (3-1) scattered four hits and two walks that led to one earned run over his eight innings of work. The senior right-hander struck out six. Frank Vilacha (Dartmouth, Mass./Dartmouth) picked up two strikeouts as a part of his perfect ninth inning in relief.
 
Collett went 2-for-4 with a two-run double in the third inning and two-run home run in the eighth. The Chargers' first baseman, who extended his hitting streak to 12 games, went opposing field for his second roundtripper of the season.
 
TJ Riccio (Port Jeff Station, N.Y./Comsewogue) was also 2-for-4 with two doubles and an RBI. On the basepaths, Brendan O'Reilly and Brendon Buckley (Monroe, Conn./Masuk) each swiped a base. Buckley scored three of the Chargers' six runs.
 
The Setters plated their lone run in the top of the first inning, as Andrew Coffey raced home on a wild pitch as Drag struck out James Pjura for the second out of the inning.
 
New Haven erased the deficit in the second frame, which was led off by a Buckley single. Two batters later, Riccio lined a double to move Buckley to third, and the third baseman came around to score on a Pace fielding error.
 
The Chargers then claimed the lead in a three-run third inning. O'Reilly walked and stole second base then moved to third on a Chris DeMorais (West Hartford, Conn./Conard) groundout. Buckley was hit by a pitch and swiped second, then Collett took advantage of a hanging breaking ball with an 0-2 count, roping a double to the gap in left centerfield that allowed both runners to score. Riccio followed with a double on a similar pitch while in an 0-2 hole, extending the lead to 4-1.
 
At that point, Drag traded zeroes with the combination of Pace hurlers Josh Garran and Dylan Mouzakes into the bottom of the eighth inning. Buckley worked a walk with one down in the frame, and Collett followed with his blast over the wall in right field, rounding out the score at its eventual final of 6-1.
 
Garran took the loss for the Setters, falling to 1-2. The right-hander allowed four runs (three earned) on five hits and three walks in 5.1 innings of action.
 
The Chargers conclude their 2014 regular season home slate on Friday, March 25 with a doubleheader against Saint Rose. First pitch from Frank Vieira Field is set for 1 p.m. All nine of New Haven's remaining contests are against Northeast-10 Southwest Division opponents.