GAME DAY INFORMATION DATE: March 20, 2022 LOCATION: Kiwanis Oval, Caldwell, N.J.   GAME DAY LINKS WATCH LIVE STATS

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THE LEAD
The University of New Haven baseball team is coming off a series split with the Bridgeport Purple Knights over the week. The Chargers will stay on the road as they head to New Jersey to take on the Caldwell Cougars in a double-header on Sunday. The double-dip is set to start at noon at Kiwanis Oval.

SERIES HISTORY VS CALDWELL
History has largely favored the Chargers when these two programs collide as New Haven holds a commanding record of 14-2 in the series. In a series that dates back to the early 2000's, the Chargers have won their last seven games over the Cougars with their most recent being a pair of wins, 7-3 & 7-0, over Caldwell in a double-header on April 22, 2018.

SCOUTING THE CHARGERS: 
The Chargers continue their strong start to the campaign, despite dropping their last game, as they head to the Garden State with an 8-4 record. The loss to Bridgeport broke the Charger's four game win streak as they have only lost two games since starting the season with a pair of losses to Wilmington. 

While his streak may have come to an end in Bridgeport, Cole Maucere (West Babylon, N.Y./West Babylon) has delivered some timely hits for this New Haven offense. The freshman outfielder leads the team with 12 RBIs while tied for 18th in the NE10. Trailing in second is junior first baseman Andrew Bianco (Kings Park, N.Y./Kings Park) with nine after going 2-4 in his last game with two runs batted in. Bianco has been the Charger's power threat, so far this season, as he's hit three homeruns to date. The only other batter with a homerun is Andrew Cain (Seaford, N.Y./Seaford) (1), who has gone 15-32 for a team leading .469 average. The senior utility man is currently tied for third in the conference in batting average, trailing only Kyle Olson of Adelphi and Brandon Gaul of American Int'l. After scoring three times in the series with the Purple Knights, Bianco took the lead in runs with 12 while Robert Taylor (Wolcott, Conn./The Gunnery) and Noah Budzik (Cromwell, Conn./Cromwell) have tallied 11 and 10, respectively. On the bases, New Haven speed has come mainly from Bianco and Tyler Wells (Danville, Vt./St. Johnsbury Academy) as the pair has combined for six steals, so far.

Thomas Eletto (Locust Valley, N.Y./Locust Valley) has been a force on the mound, tallying a 1.8 ERA and a 0.80 WHIP. Despite allowing three earned runs in his last contest, the senior went the distance to pick up his second win while striking out seven batters. Another pitcher with two wins is Bryan Pazulski (Media, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara), who owns a 3.00 ERA and a 1.60 WHIP. The junior also recorded seven strikeouts in his last outing as he only trails Eletto (19) in strikeouts with 16. Drew Silverman (Commack, N.Y./Commack) has been nearly unhittable in the closer role, registering a 0.96 ERA and a 0.64 WHIP while holding opponents to a 0.097 batting average. The junior has recorded four saves, first in the conference, in addition to 14 strikeouts through 9.1 innings.

SCOUTING THE COUGARS:
The Cougars are looking to build upon their 15-15 record from a year ago, as they enter the double-header above .500 with a record of 5-4. Caldwell will return home after playing seven games in Florida, where they went 4-3, including an 11-1 loss to #7/#13 Nova Southeastern. The Cougars will once again play at Kiwanis Oval after opening the season with a series split with the College of Staten Island. Caldwell is currently on a one game win streak after picking up a 9-7 win over the Saint Thomas Aquinas Spartans on Thursday.

Jalen March leads the Cougar's offense with six RBIs and eight runs while sporting a .394 batting average. The senior outfielder went 2-4 in the win over the Spartans with a triple and two runs batted in. Liam Lombardi and Kyle Richards have each also recorded six RBIs on the young season with that latter tallying eight runs, as well. Senior outfielder, Frank Lehmann, who holds a .382 average, is the team's biggest threat on the bases as he has stolen four bases while Richards and Noah Putney follow close behind with three each. Three Cougars have gone yard so far this year, including March and Putney with the third being freshman Santo Anzalone.

Brandon Scalisi picked up a complete game win over Bentley on March 14 after starting off as a reliever. The freshman owns a 1.38 ERA and a 0.77 WHIP through 13.0 innings pitched while striking out 13. Jerry Gamone has held opponents to only a .250 average while tallying a 1.86 ERA and a 1.45 WHIP through 9.2 innings. The senior has struck out eight batters, tied for second on the team with Elias Negron. Scalisi and Gamone rank third and fourth in ERA, respectively, in the CACC.
 

UP NEXT
New Haven will stay on the road as they travel to Rockville Centre, N.Y. to take on the Molloy Lions. First pitch is scheduled for 3:00 PM on Wednesday, March 23 at Mitchel Athletic Complex.