WEST HAVEN, Conn. – Behind 14 hits and a strong effort on the mound, the New Haven baseball team toppled Pace 7-1 for a Northeast 10 Southwest Division win on Wednesday. Sophomore Rob Giovanelli (Manhasset, N.Y./Manhasset) went 4-for-4 with a walk in the win and scored two runs, senior Andrew Garcia (Medford, N.Y./Patchogue Medford) went 3-for-5 with a run, freshman Noah Budzik (Cromwell, Conn./Cromwell) tallied two hits, a walk and drove in three runs, and junior Matt Chamberlain (North Branford, Conn./North Branford) had two RBI and a walk. Starting pitcher Izaiya Mestre (Pittsfield, Mass./Taconic) spun a three-hitter in seven innings of work, allowing just one run and striking out four.
As a team, New Haven has now collected at least 12 hits in four of its last five games. The win moves the Chargers to 11-12 (5-4 NE10, 2-1 SWD) on the year, while Pace drops to 19-10 (8-6 NE10, 3-3 SWD).
After a scoreless first inning, the Chargers struck in the second after putting men at the corners with nobody out. Garcia crushed a towering fly all that short-hopped the centerfield fence for a standup double. Giovanelli followed by lining one the other way to right field for a single as Garcia stopped at third. Up next, George Pappas (Binghamton, N.Y./Susquehanna Valley) stepped in and launched a 1-2 pitch to center field for a sac fly to plate Garcia with the game's first run.
New Haven put up three insurance runs in the fourth inning as Giovanelli led off with a long double to centerfield. He then moved to third on a sac bunt, and Hunter Boag (Colts Neck, N.J./Colts Neck) drew a two-out walk to put runners at first and third. After James Myers (Saint James, N.Y./Smithtown East) walked to load the bases, Budzik drew a walk of his own to force in a run, then Chamberlain drove in Myers and Boag with a single to right field to give the Chargers the four-run cushion.
Pace got a run back in the fifth inning, stringing together three straight hits, their first hits of the game, all coming with two outs to make it 4-1.
New Haven threatened to get the run right back in the bottom of the fifth as Garcia started the inning with a liner into left field for a single, then went to third on a base hit through the right side by Giovanelli on a perfectly executed hit and run. But, a pair of strikeouts and a groundout helped the Setters escape unscathed.
Mestre returned to the mound and retired the final seven batters he faced, helped by a diving catch in centerfield by Chamberlain to start the sixth.
The Chargers put the game away with three more runs in the seventh inning. With Garcia and Giovanelli aboard with two outs, Boag singled to shortstop to load the bases, and Myers legged out a hit to the first baseman to drive in a run. Up next, Budzik drove in two more with a two-run knock to left center field to extend the lead to 7-1.
Brendon Malouf (Beacon, N.Y./Beacon) struck out two while allowing one hit in a scoreless eighth, and Christopher Leindecker (East Lyme, Conn./East Lyme) retired the side in order in the ninth to lock down the Chargers second straight win.
New Haven will hit the road this weekend for a key three-game NE10 divisional series at American International, beginning on Saturday at noon.
