Baseball Advances to NEC Championship Round, Downs LIU on Saturday; Hickey Wins 800th

The Central Connecticut baseball team earned a spot in the championship round at the Northeast Conference Tournament with an 8-6 win over LIU at Heritage Financial Field in Wappingers Falls, NY on Saturday. The third-seeded Blue Devils scored six runs in the seventh to go ahead and held off the top-seeded Sharks. The win was head coach Charlie Hickey's 800^th career victory.

CCSU will play in the championship game on Sunday at 11:00 a.m. against either LIU or Wagner.

GAME INFORMATION | BOX SCORE

Score: CENTRAL CONNECTICUT 8, LIU 6
Pitching Record: W: Munn (8-2) | L: DeCastro (8-5) | Save: Cameron (6)
Records: CCSU (30-14, 23-7 NEC), LIU (33-22, 24-6)
Location: Heritage Financial Park | Wappingers Falls, NY

KEY MOMENTS

• The Blue Devils pushed across a run in the first inning. Brady Short worked a leadoff walk and moved to third on a single by Aidan Redahan. Chris Brown would follow with a infield single that brought Short home to make it 1-0.
• CCSU doubled its lead in the second inning. Antonio Ducatelli led off with a single and moved to third on a double by Kyle Gordon. Short would plate Ducatelli with a sacrifice fly to center field.
• LIU would respond with a pair of runs in the bottom of the second. Back-to-back hits to open the inning would put runners on second and third. Joseph Durso would line a single to left field to clear the bases and make it 2-2.
• The Sharks took the lead in the fifth when Durso led off with a homerun just over the fence in left field to make it 3-2.
• After allowing a two-out single in the third, LIU starter Julian DeCastro retired 10 straight batters until Kyle Gordon led off the seventh with a single. He moved to second on a sacrifice bunt and would come across with the tying run on a single by Short, who took second on the throw home. Colby Brouillette followed with a base hit that plated Short to make it 4-3. Brouillette took an extra base on the throw into home, which was important because on the next play Redahan beat out an infield single, but an error on the throw allowed Brouillette to come around to make it 5-3. Another single and a walk would load the bases before Ducatelli drew a free base to force in a run and push the lead to 6-3. Gordon, who opened the frame with a single, would bounce a single through the middle to drive in two runs and make it an 8-3 lead.
• LIU loaded the bases with one out in the seventh inning and Central would go to Wyatt Cameron in the bullpen. Although the Sharks would get one run across on a wild pitch, a strikeout and a fly ball to right field would end the inning and leave three runners stranded.
• The Sharks would draw a one out walk in the ninth and a double by Jacob Piperic would put runners on second and third before a walk loaded the bases with one out. Back-to-back walks would force in two runs before Cameron got a called strike three to end the game.

NOTES

• Hickey is in his 29^th season as a head coach at CCSU and Providence becomes the 26^th active coach with 800 wins.
• Gordon collected three hits, while driving in two runs and scoring another. He has reached base safely seven times in two games.
• Short collected a pair of runs and a pair of RBIs.
• Redahan chipped in three hits in the game.
• Drew Munn started and went 6.1 innings. He was charged with four runs
• Central has collected 10+ hits as a team in 35 games this season
• The teams were meeting for the second time in the NEC Tournament. CCSU has won both matchups.

UP NEXT

• CCSU plays at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday in the championship round.

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