MANCHESTER, N.H. – The No. 5 University of New Haven baseball team (22-4, 7-4 NE10) added a pair of wins to its 2017-18 campaign, sweeping the Saint Anselm Hawks on the road, 4-2 and 7-1 on Sunday at Sullivan Park.
 
Three Chargers finished with a trio of hits on the day, as graduate students Tom Walraven (Pine Bush, N.Y./Pine Bush) and Jack Zagaja (Merrick, N.Y./St. Dominic) as well as junior James Myers (Saint James, N.Y./Smithtown East) all batted .375, with Myers leading the pack with three RBI. In addition, Walraven drilled two doubles and drove in a pair of runs, while Zagaja also had an RBI and run scored. Senior Joe Caico (Hopedale, Mass./Worcester (MA)) had the hot bat, recording a .667 batting average on a 4-for-6 performance at the dish with a double, RBI, and three runs scored. Junior PJ Contreras (Hauppauge, N.Y./Hauppauge) also registered two hits and two RBI on the day.
 
GAME 1: New Haven 4, Saint Anselm 2
 
Saint Anselm's Max Wadington wasted no time getting on the scoreboard, homering to left field in the lead-off spot in the bottom of the first inning. New Haven answered quickly in the top of the second, as Zagaja sent a single up the middle and advanced on Caico's single on the next at bat. Caico then got in a run down between first and second base, allowing Zagaja to score on the pick off as New Haven leveled the score at one a piece.
 
Sophomore Matt Chamberlain (North Branford, Conn./North Branford) led off the top of the third with a double to center field before New Haven took the lead with Walraven's sacrifice fly to center field to score Chamberlain. Senior David Palmer (East Islip, N.Y./East Islip) took care of business over the next 5.0 innings, not allowing a Hawk baserunner past second base, before New Haven added two insurance runs in the top of the eighth inning to take a 4-1 lead. Walraven first ripped a double down the left field line to score Chamberlain before Zagaja followed that up with a base hit to plate freshman Rob Giovanelli (Manhasset, N.Y./Manhasset).
 
Saint Anselm added a run in the bottom of the eighth inning with an RBI double, but that was all the Hawks could push across, leaving two runners on base in the bottom of the ninth as the Chargers got all three outs on a fielder's choice.
 
Palmer (6-1) earned the win on the rubber, working through 7.0 innings while striking out five and surrendering one earned run. In addition, senior Kellen Croce (Cheshire, Conn./Gunnery School) registered his fifth save of the season.
 
GAME 2: New Haven 7, Saint Anselm 2
 
Saint Anselm scored first in the second-straight game, plating one run in the bottom of the first with an RBI single down the right field line. New Haven once again fought back to score two-straight runs in the next half inning, as Myers hit a bases-loaded two-RBI single up the middle, plating junior Andrew Garcia (Medford, N.Y./Patchogue Medford) and Caico. Saint Anselm tied the game in the bottom of the second, but was completely shut down in the third, as freshman Izaiya Mestre (Pittsfield, Mass./Taconic) struck out the side.
 
New Haven pulled away in the top of the fourth, breaking the game open on three runs on three hits as the Chargers put its first four batters of the inning on base. Caico led off the inning with a base hit and Garcia doubled down the left field line before Contreras knocked home Caico on a single to center field. The Blue and Gold got each of its next two RBI on outs, with Garcia and Contreras scoring on a ground out and sacrifice fly.
 
In the top of the fifth, Walraven led off with a double to right center and Caico completed his perfect 3-for-3 game with another double to center field, scoring Walraven. Contreras drove in New Haven's final run on the day, plating Caico with a single to center field to cap off the score, 7-2 as neither team scored a run over the next four innings.
 
Mestre improved his record to 5-0 on the season, tossing 5.1 innings on the hill with three strike outs. Sophomore Devon DiMascio (Mansfield, Mass./Xaverian Brothers) pitched well in relief, seeing 2.0 innings with two strikeouts and did not surrender a run.
 
UP NEXT

The Blue and Gold return to action on Wednesday, April 11 for the second game of a three-game Southwest Division series with Southern Connecticut State. First pitch at the Ballpark at SCSU across town is slated for 3:30 pm.