RUTHERFORD, N.J. – A big six-run 10th inning helped the New Haven baseball team grind out a big 8-2 win in game two of Wednesday's doubleheader at Felician, helping the Chargers earn a split of the two seven inning games. Six different Charger pitchers combined to allow just three hits in game two, with junior Brandon LaManna (Smithtown, N.Y./Smithtown West) earning the win by firing 68 pitches over 5.2 hitless innings of relief with five strikeouts.
Freshman Noah Budzik (Cromwell, Conn./Cromwell) accounted for three of New Haven's nine hits in the nightcap out of the leadoff spot, Billy Huber (Smithtown, N.Y./Hauppauge) and PJ Contreras (Hauppauge, N.Y./Hauppauge) also added two hits apiece. Contreras delivered the big blow in the 10th for New Haven with a one-out, RBI double to put the Chargers up 4-2.
Felician limited New Haven to just two hits in game one, prevailing 2-1 in seven innings.
GAME ONE
Making his first career start as a Charger was Christopher Leindecker (East Lyme, Conn./East Lyme), who allowed just four hits and one earned run while striking out six in the six-inning complete game effort. Felician starter Michael Gutierrez made his team's pair of runs stand up, going the distance for the seven-inning complete game win, allowing just two New Haven hits and striking out 11.
Both teams pushed across unearned runs in the early going as the Golden Falcons took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first on a throwing error. New Haven answered right back in the second after Andrew Garcia (Medford, N.Y./Patchogue Medford) was hit by pitch leading off, then advanced to second on a Contreras sac bunt, and scored with two outs on a fielding error by the first baseman.
After New Haven was retired in order in the third, Felician took the lead in the bottom of the frame. Leadoff man L.T. Struble smacked a double down the right field line, then stole third. After Leindecker picked up the second out with a strikeout swinging in the dirt, Struble rushed home on the catcher's throw down to first with what proved to be the winning run.
New Haven threatened once more in the fourth as Garcia and Rob Giovanelli (Manhasset, N.Y./Manhasset) both singled for the Chargers only two hits of the contest. Both men advanced to second and third after a passed ball with one out, but Gutierrez came back to pick up back-to-back strikeouts to escape the jam.
GAME TWO
After stranding a pair of runners after three hits through the first two innings, Cam Guarino (Falmouth, Maine/Falmouth) struck out two batters in a 1-2-3 second inning. New Haven struck first in the nightcap with a two-run top of the third. Budzik and Huber got the stanza going with one-out singles, and advanced to second and third on an error. Matt Chamberlain (North Branford, Conn./North Branford) followed by stepping up and smacking a two-run double through the left side to move the Chargers in front 2-0.
Felician cut the lead in half with a run in the third off a leadoff hit batsman and a sacrifice fly. The Golden Falcons drew even in the fifth, starting after another leadoff hit by pitch. After a sac bunt, and single put runners at second and third with one out, the tying run came across on a wild pitch with two outs to knot the game at two.
New Haven put two men on in the sixth, but was unable to score. LaManna picked up a huge strikeout to strand the winning run on second in the bottom of the seventh, sending the game to extra innings.
Garcia drew a leadoff walk to start the eighth, but to no avail, and Giovanelli led off the ninth with a base hit before getting stranded. LaManna kept Felician off the scoreboard, facing the minimum over the next two innings, including getting a double play on a popped up bunt in the ninth inning.
New Haven put the game away with a big six-run top of the 10th inning that saw them send 10 men to the plate. Budzik started the rally with a leadoff knock to left field, and advanced to second on a sac bunt by Huber. After Chamberlain reached on a fielder's choice that advanced Budzik to third, Budzik crossed the plate on a wild pitch and Contreras followed by lining a RBI double the other way down the right field line to make it a 4-2 ballgame.
The Chargers kept the pressure on as Grzenda was intentionally walked to load the bases, and Cain followed by drawing a walk on a 3-2 pitch to force in a run. New Haven tacked on two more runs on a squeeze attempt, with the pitch skipping to the backstop, allowing Contreras to score from third, and Grzenda hustled around to score from second and make it a 7-2 game. James Myers (Saint James, N.Y./Smithtown East) legged out an infield hit to extend the inning and allowed Cain to score from third, giving the Chargers the 8-2 lead.
LaManna came back out to finish off the victory for New Haven, blowing away the first two hitters on nine pitches, before inducing a popout to second to end the game.
Next up, New Haven will play a three-game series against Mercy this weekend, with all games taking place in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. First pitch for Friday's single game is scheduled for 3 p.m., followed by a doubleheader on Sunday starting at noon.
