BOX SCORE

New Britain, CT - Central Connecticut State (CCSU) scored six times in the bottom of the second inning en route to a 10-5 victory over Wagner in the first of four games at the CCSU Baseball Field. The Seahawks fall to 20-27 and 12-13 in the Northeast Conference (NEC) while the Blue Devils improve to 24-18 and 13-12 in the NEC.

Reigning National Player of the Week Sean Allaire, who entered the game with a .448 average, went 3-for-5 with a grand slam and five RBI to lead a 14-hit CCSU attack. Four other Blue Devils also notched a pair of hits.

Vin Avella (Matawan, NJ / CBA) had an outstanding game, going 3-for-4 with two runs and a RBI and is now batting a team-best .324. Avella's three hits also give him 216 career for his career, moving him past former Chicago Cubs farmhand Mike Cerminaro for third place on the all-time hits list.

After both teams left the bases loaded in the first inning, CCSU took the early lead with six runs in the bottom of the second inning while sending 11 batters to the plate. Allaire punctuated the frame with a grand slam to left center.

Wagner rallied with four runs in the top of the third inning, cutting the deficit to 6-4. Tommy Higgins (So., Port Monmouth, NJ / Red Bank Catholic) led off with his walk before junior Seth Boyd (Perth Amboy, NJ / Perth Amboy) followed with a bloop single to left field, moving Higgins to second base. Avella cut it to 6-1 with a RBI-single through the right side, plating Higgins. Following a strikeout, junior Brian Martutartus (Carlsbad, CA / La Costa Canyon) crushed his second home run on the year, a three-run shot to left center, making it 6-4.

Allaire got one of those runs back in the bottom of the frame, singling home Sean Miller-Jones off a 0-2 offering up middle, making it 7-4.

The Blue Devils added to the lead with two more runs in the bottom of the sixth inning. Allaire led off with an infield single before Anthony Scialdone walked. Pat Epps then doubled down the left-field line, plating Allaire while advancing Scialdone to third base. Tommy Meade made it 9-4 with a RBI ground out, scoring Scialdone.

The Seahawks got one of those runs back in the top of the seventh inning. Avella was hit by a pitch leading off the frame before advancing to third base on a pair of ground outs. Junior Jon Lucas (Hackettstown, NJ / Hackettstown) rapped out the two-out RBI with a single to left field, plating Avella while cutting the deficit to 9-5.

CCSU tacked on an insurance run in the bottom of the eighth inning on a Tri RBI single to left center, plating Epps while providing the final 10-5 tally.

Higgins and freshman Nick Alfano (Coral Springs, FL / North Broward Prep) each went 2-for-4 joining Avella with multiple hits as the Green & White notched 10 on the day.

LHP Jason Foster evened his record at 2-2 with the win, striking out two while yielding four runs on eight hits and a pair of walk. RHP Nick Nuemann closed out the game with 4.0 innings of one-run ball for his first save of the year.

Freshman RHP Christian Rautenstrauch (Charlotte, NC / Providence Day) was saddled with the defeat, allowing six runs on six hits and four walks while fanning two over 2.0 innings.

The teams resume their series tomorrow with a 1:00 pm doubleheader.