SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – The University of New Haven baseball team split a Northeast-10 Conference Southwest Division doubleheader with the American International College Yellow Jackets, winning the first game 3-2 before falling in the nightcap 7-4 at Bedard Field in Springfield, Mass.
 
With the split, New Haven is now 16-14 overall, 10-10 in the NE-10 and is 10-8 in the Southwest Division. AIC is 17-20, 12-9 in conference and 10-8 in divisional play.
 
In game one, New Haven got on the board in the top of the second inning. Singles by Kyle Cullen (Dumont, N.J./Dumont) and TJ Riccio (Port Jeff Station, N.Y./Comsewogue) put runners on the corners for Nick Russo (Shirley, N.Y./William Floyd) who plated Cullen with a sacrifice fly for a 1-0 lead. The Yellow Jackets tied the game in the third inning when a Tyler Geffert double scored C. J. Boykin, knotting the game at 1-1.
 
The Chargers went back on top in the eighth as singles by Brendan O'Reilly (Devon, Pa./Conestoga) and Tom Walraven (Pine Bush, N.Y./Pine Bush) followed by a fly out by Zach Collett (Westbrook, Maine/Westbrook) put runners on the corners with two out. Walraven broke to steal second. On the ensuing rundown, O'Reilly came in to score to put New Haven on top 2-1. The Chargers added an insurance run in the ninth as Robert Petrillo (Branford, Conn./Branford) hit his first home run of the season to push the lead to 3-1.
 
The extra tally would be critical as the Yellow Jackets scored a run in the ninth and had the tying run in scoring position, but Brian Caselli (Stratford, Conn./Stratford) closed the door to win his third game of the year. David Palmer (East Islip, N.Y./East Islip) started and pitched well for the Chargers, going six innings, allowing six hits and one run, walking none and striking out three.
 
In game two, New Haven, jumped out first in the third inning as singles by Jack Zagaja (Merrick, N.Y./St. Dominic) and O'Reilly put runners on first and second. Walraven came up and singled through the middle to bring home Zagaja for a 1-0 lead. AIC countered with four runs in the bottom of the inning to take a 4-1 lead,
 
The Chargers clawed closer in the fourth. Petrillo walked to open the inning and moved to third two batters later on a double by Riccio. Russo came up and singled next to score Petrillo making it 4-2. Two batters later, Eddie Tammaro (South Hempstead, N.Y./South Side) singled through the middle to score Riccio, slicing the lead to 4-3.
 
American International increased the lead with a run in the seventh and two in the eighth. New Haven got a run back in the ninth as Riccio doubled and moved to third on a single by Russo. Joey Bradley (Issaquah, Wash./Issaquah / University of North Dakota) came in to pinch-run for Riccio and scored on a groundout by Zagaja.
 
The Chargers now wait to see who they will play in the first round of the Northeast-10 Championship. The game will be played on Tuesday afternoon.