The Central Connecticut baseball team dropped to 4-4 overall on the season with an 8-5 loss to the University of Connecticut on Wednesday afternoon. The game was the home opener for the Blue Devils.
Junior J.P. Sportman drove in four runs in the loss. He had a two-run home run and a two-run double in the game.
The Huskies are 9-4 on the season after the victory. The Blue Devils will return to action on Friday on the road at High Point in the first game of a weekend series.
UConn took a 2-0 lead with a pair of runs off Blue Devil sophomore starter Casey Brown in the top of the third inning. L.J. Mazzilli drove in a run with a sacrifice fly and Vinny Siena's RBI single scored the second run.
The lead reached 3-0 on the second RBI of the game from Siena in the top of the fifth inning.
Central threatened in the bottom of the fifth. Sophomore Ryan Beal led off the inning with a single and went to second on a bunt single from senior Nick Palmisano. After a sacrifice bunt from junior Josh Ingham runners were on second and third with one out. A pair of ground balls, however, ended the threat.
UConn scored three in the eighth inning to push the lead to 6-0. Jon Testani drove in one and Max McDonnell added a two-RBI single off of freshman pitcher Robby Anderson for the Blue Devils.
Central got on the board in the eighth on back-to-back home runs from Sportman and senior Tyler McIntyre. Sportman's was a two-run shot, and McIntyre followed up with his first home run of the season to make it 6-3.
UConn added two runs in the ninth to push the lead to 8-3. Sportman drove in two more runs for the Blue Devils in the ninth inning to cut the lead to 8-5.
Brown went five innings for the Blue Devils allowing three runs, all earned, on six hits. He struck out one UConn batter. He is now 0-1 on the season.
The Blue Devils head to the road this weekend playing three single nine-inning games at High Point. The first game is on Friday at 4 p.m.
