WEST HAVEN, Conn. – The University of New Haven baseball team (23-9, 14-7 NE10) closed out its home regular season schedule with an 11-6 win over the visiting Southern Connecticut State University Owls on Tuesday afternoon at Vieira Field. With the win, the Chargers own a two-game lead over the Le Moyne Dolphins for second place in the Northeat-10 Southwest Division heading into the final weekend of the regular season.

Overall, New Haven finished with 10 hits on the day while also working six walks. Leading the New Haven bats on the day was shortstop Tom Walraven (Pine Bush, N.Y./Pine Bush) who finished 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI and two runs scored. Walraven was one of four players to finish with a pair of base knocks, including third basemen Jack Zagaja (Merrick, N.Y./St. Dominic) who also joined him with a pair of RBI.

Rounding out the leaders at the plate was centerfielder Matt Chamberlain (North Branford, Conn./North Branford) and first baseman Andrew Garcia (Medford, N.Y./Patchogue Medford), who also each finished with an extra base hit. Chamberlain's was a double while Garcia drilled his third home run of the season over the left field fence for a solo shot. Chamberlain, leftfielder Robert Petrillo (Branford, Conn./Branford) and second baseman James Myers (Saint James, N.Y./Smithtown East) also drove in one run on the day.

On the hill, the Chargers used four total pitchers with rookie Brendon LaManna earning the victory, his first of the season. LaManna pitched four scoreless middle innings, surrendering four hits and striking out three batters in relief of classmate Devon DiMascio (Mansfield, Mass./Xaverian Brothers) who started and threw three innings. DMmascio gave up five runs, two of them earned, on six hits while striking out a staff best four batters.

Connor Moriarty (Branford, Conn./Branford) and Kellen Croce (Middlebury, Conn./Gunnery School / Maine) also pitched a pair of innings with Moriarty being tagged for allowing one run and Croce closing out the game in the ninth inning giving up one hit in a scoreless frame.

HIGHLIGHTS

·         The Chargers scored early and often putting runs on the board in each of the first four innings. New Haven answered a single run by the Owls in the top of the first by scoring a pair in the bottom half to take its first and only lead of the afternoon.

·         The Blue and Gold's first run of the day came courtesy of a throwing error on the Owls third baseman, while Zagaja drove in his first of two runs on a single to left field that scored right fielder Nick Perrelli (North Branford, Conn./North Branford).

·         The biggest inning of the day for the Chargers came in the second when they plated five runs courtesy of five hits and an error against the Owls. All five runs came with two outs in the inning with Chamberlain starting the rally with a double to left field that drove in catcher PJ Contreras (Hauppauge, N.Y./Hauppauge) who reached on a fielder's choice. Walraven, Petrillo and Zagaja also picked up RBI's in the frame while Petrillo was able to score on a fielding error at shortstop.

·         After the Owls pulled back within a pair, New Haven added two more runs in the third and a single run in the fifth to take a comfortable 10-5 lead. The first run in the third came thanks to a long ball, the third of the season for Garcia as he sailed the third pitch of his at bat over the left field fence. Walraven and Myers also picked up RBI's between the third and fourth innings.

·         During that rally, the Chargers managed to hold Southern Connecticut off the board in four straight innings as LaManna took over on the mound. The rookie would scatter four hits over his four innings of work, including a pair as the Owls threatened in the seventh but he would force a line drive for the final out of the inning.

·         New Haven plated one more run in the game when Myers managed to score from second base on a wild pitch that got away from the Owls catcher as he slide around the tag.

·         The Blue and Gold turned to their closer, Croce, to finish things off in the top of the ninth inning. Despite giving up a one-out single to right, Croce managed a groundout and secured the victory with a strike out as the Chargers took the final game of the three-game series between the crosstown rivals.

Next Up
New Haven will close out the regular season with a three-game road series against the American International Yellow Jackets on Friday and Saturday. The first pitch in the series is slated for Friday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. at Bedard Field in Springfield, Mass.