GAME DAY INFORMATION DATE: April 15-16, 2022 LOCATION: Bonomo Field, Garden City, N.Y.   GAME DAY LINKS WATCH LIVE STATS

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THE LEAD
The University of New Haven baseball team is coming off a comeback victory over the Mercy Mavericks after trailing by four runs in the first inning. The Chargers completed the season sweep of the Mavericks with the 5-4 win on Wednesday afternoon as they will stay in the Empire State to take on the Adelphi Panthers, their final time leaving Connecticut. The two will face off in a pair of doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday at Bonomo Field in Garden City and is scheduled to start at noon on both days.

SERIES HISTORY VS ADELPHI 
With a record of 56-36-1, history has favored the Chargers when these two programs clash. When hosting the Panthers, New Haven holds a 31-15-1 record but when on the road, the Chargers trail 17-19 in the series. After winning both games of a doubleheader on April 3, 2021, the squad most fell to the Panthers in their last outing, a 5-7 loss at home on April 5, 2021. The series dates back to the early 70s as Adelphi won the first matchup between the two, 1-3, on April 5, 1972.  Click here for a deeper dive into the series history!

SCOUTING THE CHARGERS: 
After dropping their final three games against the Le Moyne Dolphins, the Chargers rebounded with a 5-4 victory against the Mercy Mavericks. Despite trailing by four runs after the first inning, the squad completed the comeback effort with the help of a three-run sixth inning.

New Haven was last ranked at seventh, again, in the National College Baseball Writers Association East Region Poll with 30 points. 

Andrew Cain (Seaford, N.Y./Seaford), who hit his second homerun in the past three game, now leads the team in RBIs with 17. The senior utility man is batting .363 on the season, second on the team, while owning a team high .563 slugging percentage, as well. Surpassing Cain was Robert Taylor (Wolcott, Conn./The Gunnery), who holds a .366 batting average after racking up a six hit weekend versus Le Moyne. The junior center fielder has record a hit in 12 of his past 13 games as he's racked up 36 total hits, tied for eighth in the conference. Taylor has also tallied 12 extra base hits, so far, eight of which were doubles. Cole Maucere (West Babylon, N.Y./West Babylon) has played a vital role in the New Haven offense, so far this year. The freshman left fielder is second on the team in RBIs (16) and first in on-base percentage (.505) while batting a team third-best .362 and drawing the second-most walks (21). Tyler Wells (Danville, Vt./St. Johnsbury Academy), who launched his first collegiate homerun against Le Moyne on Sunday, recorded two doubles in the Wednesday win over Mercy. The junior outfielder has drawn a team high 23 walks while also stealing six bases, tied with Taylor for most on the team. Andrew Bianco (Kings Park, N.Y./Kings Park) is now tied with Cain for the most homeruns on the season (3) as the junior first baseman has scored 21 times, as well.

Thomas Eletto (Locust Valley, N.Y./Locust Valley) continues to dominate on the mound, tallying a 1.90 ERA, fourth lowest in the NE10, and a 1.17 WHIP. The senior allowed five hits and four walks through 6.0 innings, in his last outing, but also struck out nine batters. Bryan Pazulski (Media, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara), who owns a 2.89 ERA and 1.58 WHIP, gave a strong performance during his time on the mound. The junior, who is currently second on the team with 38 strikeouts, allowed five hits and five walks through 5.0 innings while punching out three. Freshman southpaw Liam Carroll (Massapequa Park, N.Y./Massapequa) held opponents to their lowest average (.208) out of all starters. Kevin McNiff (Garden City, N.Y./Garden City) started his first game of the season on Wednesday but was a no-decision after allowing four hits and three walks through 4.0 innings.

Drew Silverman (Commack, N.Y./Commack), who picked up a win last weekend, holds a 2.33 ERA and a 1.03 WHIP while recording 20 strikeouts and six saves, tied for first in the NE10. The junior closer has also held opponents to a team low of a .182 batting average.

SCOUTING THE PANTHERS:
The Panthers enter the series on a three-game losing streak after dropping both games of their doubleheader with Southern Connecticut State oon Sunday prior to an 11-3 loss to Bloomsburg on Tuesday. In that span, the Panthers have been outscored 4-31, which includes a 0-16 loss to SCSU in game one. 

Adelphi currently holds a 16-8-1 record with the one tie coming from a 2-2 draw with the Mercy Mavericks on April 5. The Panthers are currently ranked second in the Southwest Division of the NE10 with a 7-3 record in conference play.

The Panther's three-headed monster on offense consists of senior outfielder Kyle Olson, and junior infielders Michael Draskin & Matt Alifano. All three rank within the top five amongst NE10 batters with Olson leading the conference with a .465 average. Draskin leads the team with six homeruns and 30 RBIs on the season while Alifano, who homered in their last game, follows close behind with four homeruns and 25 RBIs. The trio has combined for 116 hits, 83 runs, 37 doubles and 76 RBIs, so far this season. Fifth in the conference with 163 RBIs as a team, seven Panther's have recorded 10+ RBIs while ten have gone yard at least once. Olson, Tim Feliz and Jack Wishner are tied for most steals on the team with four a piece.

On the mound, Lucas Nicolas and Andrew Williams have accounted for three wins, each, with the latter owning a 2.79 ERA and 1.03 WHIP through 29 innings. Nicolas has held opponents to a .198 average while striking out a team high 34 batters. In seven appearances, Michael Storms has recorded a 2-1 record while striking out 31 batters. John Rizzo, 2-2, has thrown 32 innings while posting a 4.22 ERA and 1.41 WHIP. In addition to tossing a complete game, Rizzo has also recorded a save on the season while striking out 27. Kevin Glasser and Max Steele have each tallied two saves with the former recording a win, as well.

UP NEXT
New Haven will return home for a long homestand starting with a one-game series with the Molloy Lions on Tuesday. First pitch for that game is scheduled for 3:00 PM at Frank Vieira Field.