WEST HAVEN, Conn. – David Palmer (East Islip, N.Y./East Islip) pitched a game one gem and Tom Walraven (Pine Bush, N.Y./Pine Bush) scored on a steal of home in the bottom of the 13th inning of game two as the University of New Haven baseball team swept a Northeast-10 Conference doubleheader from the Bentley Falcons by scores of 5-0 and 2-1 on Saturday afternoon.
Palmer matched career highs with seven innings pitched and eight strikeouts as he turned in his best outing of the season. The junior righthander did not walk a batter and scattered five hits while keeping Bentley scoreless.
The second game turned out to be a pitchers' duel as after a first inning run for both teams, neither squad cracked the scoreboard again until the bottom of the 13th inning when Walraven stole home on an 0-1 pitch to Eddie Tammaro (South Hempstead, N.Y./South Side).
Offensively for the day, five Chargers enjoyed multi-hit games. Jack Zagaja (Merrick, N.Y./St. Dominic) and Billy Huber (Hauppauge, N.Y./Hauppauge) led the way with three hits apiece with Zagaja driving in a trio of runs. Robert Petrillo (Branford, Conn./Branford) had two hits and also walked twice and was hit by a pair of pitches. Nick Russo (Shirley, N.Y./William Floyd) and Matt Chamberlain (North Branford, Conn./North Branford) each had two hits for New Haven.
GAME ONE HIGHLIGHTS
- The Blue and Gold cracked the scoreboard in the second when with Nick Perrelli (North Branford, Conn./North Branford) on third and Zagaja on second after a single and a double, a wild pitch scored Perrelli to make it 1-0.
- The game remained 1-0 into the sixth thanks to stellar pitching from Palmer, who at one point retired 10 Falcons in a row.
- New Haven broke the game open in the bottom of the frame scoring four times. With Russo on second and Petrillo on first, a throwing error on a sac bunt by Perrelli scored Russo and put runners on second and third. Zagaja followed with a single to bring both runners to the plate, making it 4-0. Zagaja later scored on a Chamberlain single.
- Kellen Croce (Middlebury, Conn./Gunnery School / Maine) pitched a scoreless eighth and Devon DiMascio (Mansfield, Mass./Xaverian Brothers) followed suit in his first collegiate appearance in the ninth to cement the victory.
GAME TWO HIGHLIGHTS
- After Bentley posted a run in the top of the first, the Chargers countered in their half of the inning as Petrillo came in to score on a throwing error, knotting the game at 1-1.
- The New Haven bullpen took over in the third, as Vincent Aprea (Port Jefferson Station, N.Y./Comsewogue), Brandon LaManna (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown West), Connor Moriarty (Branford, Conn./Branford), Will Aldam (Danbury, Conn./Berkshire School) and Joe Caico (Hopedale, Mass./Worcester (MA)) held the Falcons scoreless into the ninth inning.
- Josh Walker (Otisville, N.Y./Minisink Valley) came on in the ninth and pitched five shutout innings, striking out five and allowing just three hits.
- Still tied 1-1 in the 13th, Walraven led off with a single and stole second. He moved to third on a groundout. With two outs, the Bentley pitcher went back into the windup. The move allowed Walraven the extra jump he needed as on an 0-1 pitch, he broke for the plate and slid around the tag of the Falcons' catcher with the winning run.
UP NEXT
New Haven returns to action on Tuesday, March 28 when it hosts Concordia in a non-conference matchup at Vieira Field. First pitch is slated for 3:30 p.m.
