May 26, 2006
Box Score
LAKEWOOD, NJ - Central Connecticut scored 25 runs on 25 hits on Friday night in the elimination game of the 2006 Akadema Northeast Conference Baseball Championship at FirstEnergy Park in Lakewood, N.J. The Blue Devils defeated Wagner 25-8. With the win Central Connecticut will face Sacred Heart on Saturday at noon and will need to win twice to capture the NEC title. The Pioneers need only one victory to win their first-ever NEC crown. Central Connecticut is 33-17 following Friday night's game while Wagner finishes its season at 18-33.
Central Connecticut struck first in the top of the first with three runs off of Wagner starter Mike D'Angelis (Paramus, N.J./St. Joseph Regional). With one out Seth Brown (Valley, Neb./Creighton) walked and went to third on a single by Sean Salvatore (Southington, Conn./Southington). A sacrifice fly by Adam Taha (Belmar, N.J./Brookdale CC) scored the first run and a two-run double to deep left field by Jay Schillaci (McKeesport, Penn./McKeesport Area) made the score 3-0. With runners on second and third, Scott Appleton (Bloomfield, N.J./Bloomfield) reached on a throwing error and both runners scored making it 5-0. A single by B.K. McLaughlin (Junction, TX/West Texas CC) and a walk to Richie Tri (Everett, Wash./Barnstable) loaded the bases and chased D'Angelis from the game.
Wagner responded in the bottom of the first with a single run off of Blue Devil starter Ken Kerski (Waterbury, Conn./Crosby). Back-to-back infield singles by Matt Mastrianni (Ringoes, N.J./Hunterdon Central) and Ed Sudol (Wallington, N.J./Wallington) put runners on first and third and a double to left field by Joseph Malfettano (Toms River, N.J./Toms River) scored Mastrianni and made it 5-1.
With two outs in the top of the second the Blue Devils used three straight singles by John Romano (Staten Island, N.Y./Brookdale CC), Schillaci and Matt Memoli (Southington, Conn./Southington) scored a run and gave the Blue Devils the five run lead at 6-1.
In the top of the third, again with two outs, Brown walked, stole second and then scored on a single down the right field line by Salvatore upping the lead to 7-1.
In the bottom of the third Mastrianni and Sudol singled and Nick Papa (Freehold, N.J./Freehold) was hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs for the Seahawks. Malfettano walked for his second RBI of the game and Andrew Huebner's (Hatfield, Penn./North Penn) sacrifice fly to right made it 7-3 with one out in the inning. An RBI single to left by Mike Picarello (Clifton, N.J./Clifton) made it 7-4 and chased Kerski from the game after 3.1 innings pitched.
The Blue Devils put a single run on the board in the top of the fifth on the second sacrifice fly of the game by Taha. Tri, who had reached on an error, scored from third to make it 8-4. They put two more runs up in the top of the sixth including an RBI single by McLaughlin, his third hit of the game, which scored Memoli who had walked and stole second. A second run scored making it 10-4 when Tri reached on an infield single but the shortstop mishandled the ball and allowed McLaughlin to score from second.
In the eighth, the Blue Devils scored 15 runs on 11 hits and a pair of Wagner errors to take a 25-4 lead. Appleton, McLaughlin and Schillaci each had two hits in the inning while Schillaci drove in three runs and Brown and Salvatore each drove in a pair for CCSU. The Blue Devils sent 19 batters to the plate in the inning.
McLaughlin tied the tournament record with five hits in the game while Brown tied the tournament record for runs scored with four. Schillaci's five RBI tie the tournament record and as a team the Blue Devils' 25 runs ties the tournament record.
Piechowski picked up the win for the Blue Devils in relief pitching 4.2 innings allowing three hits, no runs and three strikeouts. He is 5-1 this season.
The Blue Devils advance to face Sacred Heart at noon on Saturday. The Blue Devils will have to win twice to claim their fourth NEC title in the last five seasons.
