GAME DAY INFORMATION DATE: April 30-May 1, 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 walkoff 7-6 win over the American International Yellow Jackets on Sunday afternoon. After splitting the four game series, the Chargers head into the weekend with a 20-16 record as they finish their home schedule with the Saint Rose Golden Knights. The series will feature a doubleheader on Saturday followed by a doubleheader on Sunday, with both days set to start at noon at Frank Vieira Field.

SERIES HISTORY VS SAINT ROSE
History has favored the Chargers when these two programs collide as New Haven holds the advantage with a 32-19 record in the series. In a series that dates back to the early 90's, the Chargers are 17-5 when hosting the Golden Knights. The first time the two met was on May 9, 1992 and it was an unsuccessful 5-6 effort for New Haven. The last time the two played was a doubleheader on April 19, 2021 with the Chargers falling to the Knights, 5-7.

SCOUTING THE CHARGERS: 
After dropping both games of their doubleheader with AIC on Saturday, New Haven bounced back with a walkoff 7-6 win in the bottom of the ninth inning on Sunday. Robert Taylor (Wolcott, Conn./The Gunnery) scored the game winning run on an error after Andrew Bianco (Kings Park, N.Y./Kings Park) beat the play at first.

New Haven re-entered the National College Baseball Writers Association East Region Poll after falling out in the last poll, ranking tenth with 13 points.

Tyler Wells (Danville, Vt./St. Johnsbury Academy) could not be stopped over the weekend, going 10-13 at the plate while tallying three homeruns, five RBIs and eight runs. The dominant offensive effort led to the junior outfielder receiving Player of the Week honors in the NE10. Including a pair of intentional walks over the weekend, Wells has drawn a conference-high 32 walks while successfully stealing 11 bases on the season.

Taylor hit three doubles in the series, bringing his season total to 13, tied for fourth in the NE10. The junior center fielder leads the team with 17 extra base hits, as well as 48 total base hits. Andrew Cain (Seaford, N.Y./Seaford), however, has led the team in batting with a .351 average (40-114) while driving in a team-high 23 RBIs. Cain also made an appearance on the mound, starting Sunday's game while batting in the DH spot, allowing three hits and one walk across three innings while striking out three. Bianco, who put the ball in play to win the game, recorded at least one hit in each of the four games including a pair of triples in game one. The junior first baseman trails only Taylor on the team in extra base hits, tallying 16, five of which coming from homeruns. Kenneth Franquiz (Bellmore. N.Y./Mepham), who hit three homeruns in the series against Adelphi, played a key role in Sunday's victory as the sophomore middle infielder went 3-4 with a bases clearing double to left center field. Franquiz currently ranks fourth amongst New Haven batters with 20 RBIs on the campaign while batting .255. 


Although he didn't start the game, Thomas Eletto (Locust Valley, N.Y./Locust Valley) still picked up the win on Sunday. Now with a 5-2 record, the senior has recorded 3.10 ERA and a 1.36 WHIP across 49.1 innings, the former ranks seventh in the conference. Back by a high scoring effort, Bryan Pazulski (Media, Pa./Cardinal O'Hara) picked up his fourth win of the season, yielding six hits and three walks across seven innings while punching out seven batters. The junior owns a 3.45 ERA and a 1.68 WHIP through 47 innings while striking out a team-high 48 batters. Although he was handed a loss in his last outing, Liam Carroll (Massapequa Park, N.Y./Massapequa) has held opponents to their lowest average out of all starters (.248)

Drew Silverman (Commack, N.Y./Commack) holds a 3.97 ERA and a 1.32 WHIP while recording 24 strikeouts and seven saves, first in the NE10. The junior closer has held opponents to a .247 batting average.

SCOUTING THE GOLDEN KNIGHTS:
The Golden Knights enter the series on a one-game losing streak after dropping their second game of their Wednesday doubleheader with the Franklin Pierce Ravens, 6-19. Saint Rose has won four of their last six games including a 21-1 victory over the Le Moyne Dolphins on Sunday.

Saint Rose currently holds a 17-21 record while going 6-11 on the road. The Golden Knights are currently ranked fourth in the Southwest Division of the NE10 with a 10-7 record in conference play.

Leading the highly opportunistic offense that has racked up 350 hits has been first baseman Jack McDonald. The junior has tallied 30 runs and 42 hits while batting .326 on the season, all of which rank first on the team. McDonald has also gone yard on three occasions, tied with Zephaniah Vaughn for most on the Knights, while both have driven in 24 runs. Vaughn, who has recorded 33 hits on .359 batting, was named NE10 Player of the Week in week 3 when he batted .647 (11-for-17) with six runs scored, two homers, eight RBI, and a 1.176 slug% throughout a 3-1 week for the Golden Knights. Freshman James Ward follows close behind McDonald with 38 total hits, 13 of which were extra base hits. The utilityman also leads the team on the bases with a perfect 7-7 SB-ATT record on the campaign. Derek Haughey has been another threat at the plate, racking up 20 runs, 37 hits and 25 RBIs in 115 at-bats. In his last appearance, the sophomore catchers went 2-2 with two doubles and four RBIs.

On the mound, the Golden Knights have had three pitchers with over 40 innings pitched on the year as Jared Restmeyer leads the staff with a 6-2 record as a starter. The junior owns a 3.74 ERA and a 1.27 WHIP while striking out 42 batters. Although he holds a 3-4 record, Anthony Amorosa has recorded a 3.20 ERA and a 1.29 WHIP through 45 innings while punching out 46 batters. Another notable pitcher on Saint Rose's staff is Randall Alejo, who was named NE10 Pitcher of the Week in week 4 after fanning 11 and walking just one, while surrendering only four hits during 8.0 shutout innings in a 5-1 win over Alderson Broaddus. The sophomore has earned a 3.29 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP through 41 innings while striking out a team-high 47 batters. The Golden Knights have only recorded three saves on the season, each one coming from a different pitcher. As a team, Saint Rose ranks fourth in the NE10 with 277 Ks while standing at tenth in ERA with 6.14.

UP NEXT
New Haven will finish their regular season on the road, however, the team won't have to travel far as they will take on the Southern Connecticut Owls in an Elm City Showdown next weekend. The series will feature a pair of doubleheaders on Friday and Saturday and will take place at The Ballpark at SCSU with both days starting at noon.