GAME DAY INFORMATION DATE: April 20, 2022 LOCATION: Frank Vieira Field, West Haven, Conn.   GAME DAY LINKS WATCH LIVE STATS

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THE LEAD
The University of New Haven baseball team is coming off a tough weekend in New York after dropping three games of a four game series with the Adelphi Panthers. On day one, the Chargers split the doubleheader with a 9-8 win after a 5-6 loss. Saturday's slate resulted in a pair of losses for New Haven, 5-7 & 6-7, despite the Chargers hitting three homeruns. New Haven returns to Frank Vieira Field on Wednesday for the beginning of a long homestand which starts at 3:30 PM against Molloy College. 

SERIES HISTORY VS MOLLOY
History has favored the Chargers when these two programs collide as New Haven holds the advantage with a 21-13 record in the series. In a series that dates back to the mid 90's, the Chargers are 10-9 when hosted by the Lions. The first time the two met was on April 30, 1995 and it was a victorious 11-2 effort for New Haven. The last time the two played was on March 8, 2020 with the Lions besting the Chargers, 3-10.

SCOUTING THE CHARGERS: 
After dropping the opening game of the weekend, 5-6, New Haven answered with a 9-8 victory in the second game. Although the squad was swept on Saturday, the Chargers recorded six homeruns in the series. The team has now homered at least once in seven straight games.

New Haven dropped out of the National College Baseball Writers Association East Region Poll but received votes with nine points. 

With no shortage of action, Kenneth Franquiz (Bellmore. N.Y./Mepham) led the offense over the weekend with three homeruns in four games while tallying eight RBIs. The sophomore infielder is now tied with three other batters for second on the team with 16 RBIs on the season. Andrew Bianco (Kings Park, N.Y./Kings Park), who is one of those three, also enjoyed the weekend series with Adelphi. The junior first baseman went 6-11 at the plate, 4-4 in game one, while homering twice and driving in four runs. Sunday, however, the spotlight was on Hunter Boag (Colts Neck, N.J./Colts Neck), who went 3-5 while hitting a homerun and plating two. Andrew Cain (Seaford, N.Y./Seaford) is still the team's leader in RBIs, adding another one of the weekend, while also leading with a .347 batting average (33-95). Following close behind him, Robert Taylor (Wolcott, Conn./The Gunnery) holds a .345 batting average while leading the team with 13 extra base hits. His team-leading 39 hits on the season are also tied for 13th in the NE10. Tyler Wells (Danville, Vt./St. Johnsbury Academy), who recorded four hits including a triple over the weekend, has drawn a team high 25 walks while also stealing eight bases. 

Although he picked up his second loss of the season, Thomas Eletto (Locust Valley, N.Y./Locust Valley) has been a threat when he's on the mound, tallying a 2.98 ERA, eighth lowest in the NE10, and a 1.32 WHIP.  Bryan Pazulski (Media, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara), who owns a 3.60 ERA and 1.75 WHIP, has struck out 41 batters, second most on the team. All eyes were on southpaw Liam Carroll (Massapequa Park, N.Y./Massapequa), however, after the freshman struck out 13 batters across six innings. Carroll has also held opponents to their lowest average (.216) out of all starters. 

Drew Silverman (Commack, N.Y./Commack) holds a 2.61 ERA and a 1.21 WHIP while recording 22 strikeouts and seven saves, first in the NE10. The junior closer has held opponents to a team low of a .213 batting average.

SCOUTING THE LIONS:
The Lions enter the series on a three-game winning streak after completing the season sweep of the Bridgeport Purple Knights over the weekend. In that span, the Lions have outscored their opponents 22-10 which includes the 3-0 shutout on Thursday.

Adelphi currently holds a 24-10 record while racking up a 10-4 record on the road. The Lions are currently ranked second in the East Coast Conference standings with a 10-2 record in conference play.

The Lion's offense is headed by Matt Overton, who has batted .344 while recording five homeruns and 30 RBIs, second on the team. Chris Einemann leads the team with 31 RBIs while hitting 12 doubles, second only to Overton, who has hit 13. Both Overton and Einemann top the leaderboards in the ECC as the pair ranks first and second in RBIs. Thomas Brady holds a team high .366 batting average after hitting 45-123 on the year, tenth in the East Coast Conference. Seven batters on the Lions have hit over .300 while five have recorded over 20 RBIs on the season. On the bases, Vincent Pecora has been hard to catch, successfully stealing 19 bases, first in the conference.

On the mound, Charlie Cucchiaro has been the team's primary workhorse, owning a 2.95 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP across 61 innings while striking out 40 batters. Billy Wildeman has been impressive for the Lions, as well, as the graduate has posted a 3.48 ERA and a 1.18 WHIP while striking out a team-high 55 strikeouts. Despite Cucchiaro and Wildeman racking up five wins, each, Mike Andreoli has earned six wins on the campaign. The graduate southpaw, who has a record of 6-2, holds a 3.38 ERA through 48 innings. Five Lions have tallied a save on the season but Brian Morrisey leads the bullpen with two.

UP NEXT
New Haven will host the American Int'l Yellow Jackets for a four game series over the weekend. The series will start with one game on Friday before a doubleheader on Saturday and finishing with a game on Sunday. Friday's game at Frank Vieira Field is set to start at 3:00 PM while both weekend games are scheduled for noon.