April 18, 2003

Final Stats

NEW BRITAIN, CT - Junior first baseman Jamie Schilkowski (Shelton, CT) had a pair of hits and three RBI, while freshman Anthony Diaz (Middletown, NY) hit his first homer of the season to help Sacred Heart University (9-20, 5-9) to a 10-8 win over host Central Connecticut State (16-9-1, 10-3) in the second game of a Northeast Conference baseball doubleheader Friday afternoon. Central won the first game 6-0 on a three-hitter by junior Barry Hertzler.

In the opener, Central Connecticut scored gave Hertzler a three-run lead in the second inning on an RBI triple by sophomore Tom Pezzello (Waterford, CT), an RBI single by Nick Macellaro (Plainville, CT) and a sac fly by junior Brad Muldoon (Wareham, MA).

The only serious Pioneer threat to the shutout came in the third inning when they loaded the bases with two outs. Hertzler got Brian Rojee (Foxboro, MA) to foul out to the catcher to end the inning, however. The win upped Hertzler's record to an NEC-best 5-1.

It looked like it would be more of the same for the Blue Devils in game two, when they jumped on SHU starter Eric Bushor (Uncasville, CT) for three runs in the bottom of the first. Junior catcher Tim D'Aquila (Middletown, CT), who would finish with three hits and pair of RBI in the game, drove in one with an RBI single.

Not to be outdone, Sacred Heart put up a five-spot in the top of the third. Rojee and Schilkowski had the big blows in the inning with a pair of two-run singles. Freshman third baseman Jason Maiella (N. Haledon, NJ) drove home the other.

The Pioneers extended the lead to 6-3 on the in the top of the fourth, getting an unearned run on a dropped fly ball to center. CCSU stormed back in the bottom of the inning and scored four to take the lead back , 7-6. Junior Keith Stegbauer (Seminole, FL) drove home two of the runs with a double to left center.

Sacred Heart wasn't done with the bats yet, scoring two in the fifth. One of those came on a squeeze bunt by freshman Tim Lantz (New Rochelle, NY) that scored Maiella who had led the inning off with a double. The Pioneers scored two more in the sixth, starting with a leadoff homer by Diaz that chased Blue Devil starter Lew Pappariella. The second would be on an RBI single by Schilkowski.

Bushor started the bottom of the sixth for the Pioneers, but after giving up a run on an RBI single by Stegbauer, junior Adam Dinihanian (Stratford, CT) came on in relief. After giving up a single to the first batter he faced, D'Aquila, he retired the next five in a row to earn his first save of the year.

The win pushed Bushor's record to 3-4, while Pappariella dropped to 4-2 with the loss.