WEST HAVEN, Conn. – The University of New Haven baseball team scored five unearned runs in the seventh inning, but the Chargers were upended 7-5 by the Pace University Setters in a Northeast-10 Conference Southwest Division game on Wednesday afternoon at Frank Vieira Field. New Haven is now 8-10 overall and 3-2 in Southwest Division play.
Key Players:
- Nick Russo (Shirley, N.Y./William Floyd) delivered a career-high four hits including a double and scored a run.
- Nick Perrelli (North Branford, Conn./North Branford) went 2-for-3, extending his hitting streak to nine games.
- Andrew Garcia (Medford, N.Y./Patchogue Medford) had a two RBI single in the five-run seventh inning.
- David Palmer (East Islip, N.Y./East Islip) and Luke Foster (Stonington, Conn./Stonington) each pitched a scoreless inning out of the bullpen.
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How it Happened:
- Pace built a 6-0 lead scoring two runs each in the first and sixth innings, sandwiched around single tallies in the third and fifth.
- New Haven left the bases loaded in the fourth.
- The Chargers had the bases empty and two out in the seventh before Dylon Grzenda (North Attleboro, Mass./North Attleboro) reached on an error. A Russo single moved him to second and a single from Perrelli brought Grzenda home.
- A walk by Robert Petrillo (Branford, Conn./Branford) loaded the bases and a free pass to Jack Zagaja (Merrick, N.Y./St. Dominic) forced in a run to make it 6-2. Garcia followed with a single to chop the lead to 6-4.
- With runners on first and second, Eddie Tammaro (South Hempstead, N.Y./South Side) struck out, but the ball was dropped by Pace catcher Frank Mayo. His throw to first sailed into right field, allowing Petrillo to score.
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Turning Point:
With momentum on its side, the Blue and Gold loaded the bases with one out in the eighth, but hit into an inning-ending double play with the second out coming on a bang-bang play at first. The Setters scored an insurance run in the top of the ninth to seal the win.
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By the Numbers:
- Both New Haven and Pace had their share of baserunners as each team 10 stranded men.
- The five runs the Chargers scored in the seventh are the most for the squad in any single inning this season. They are now outscoring opponents 21-4 in the seventh inning in 2016.
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Up Next:
New Haven travels to Assumption for a Northeast-10 Conference doubleheader on Saturday, April 9 in Worcester, Mass. First pitch is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.
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