NEW BRITAIN, Conn. – Jason Foley went a career high seven innings without allowing an earned run, as the Sacred Heart baseball team clinched its seventh consecutive berth in the Northeast Conference Baseball Tournament with a 7-1 victory in game one of a doubleheader at Central Connecticut State on Friday afternoon. Before losing game two 3-1, the Pioneers extended their winning streak to three games and four of five. SHU still controls third place in the conference standings with a 12-11 league mark, and moves to 19-29-1, while CCSU moves to 9-14 and 18-29 overall.

Game One

Ahead 2-1, three fifth inning runs would give Foley the cushion he needed, as four straight Pioneers reached to open the frame. Kenny Byram, Jayson Sullivan, Jesus Medina, and Zack Short all singled before Byram came around to score on an error following Sullivan's bunt single, and Medina's RBI single made the score 4-1. A failed pickoff attempt extended the lead to 5-1.

Foley allowed one hit in the final three innings, securing Sacred Heart's berth in the NEC tournament. That capped a line in which the sophomore pitched all seven, striking out six and walking just one in addition to the three hits that he allowed. Twice Foley had gone 6.2 innings before the career outing. Sullivan, Medina and PJ DeFilippo all had three hits in the opener with Sullivan scoring twice and Medina adding two more runs and a RBI. DeFilippo scored one run and drove in one more.

The two teams traded runs in the first two innings, with SHU jumping on top thanks to a RBI groundout by DeFilippo Sullivan scored on the play after singling to open the frame and moving to third on a Medina single and Short lineout.  Ryan Costello scored Central's only run in the second, unearned, after leading off with a single. An error with one out allowed Matt Martinez to come to the plate despite a strikeout and he made Sacred Heart pay with a double down the right field line.

The Pioneers' fourth inning run came after DeFilippo doubled with one out. A Cody Doyle single moved him up to second before Keaton Flint grounded out to put SHU ahead 2-1. After the three fifth innings runs, Sacred Heart added two more with back-to-back doubles by Sullivan and Medina and a ground out by Short.

Game Two 

Three second inning runs were all the Central Connecticut State needed, as it bounced back from losing the two opening games with a 3-1 win. 

After a single and error began the rally, Mitch Guilmette doubled to right center to score the first run of the game. Central then scored two more unearned runs on a groundout and sacrifice fly to take the 3-0 advantage.

Managing to get just one runner into scoring position in the first four innings, SHU finally struck in the fifth after DeFIlipo tripled with one out. Flint then plated him with a sacrifice fly for the Pioneers' only run of the nightcap. Sacred Heart made it interesting in the seventh with a leadoff single by Short and a two out single by DeFilippo to put runners on first and second, but Dominic Deverino put an end to the game with a groundout for hit first victory of 2015.

Deverino pitched all seven innings, allowing just sixth hits and the one earned run while striking out two and walking one. Ian Glassman provided the lone multi-hit afternoon for the Blue Devils, scoring once.

Medina lasted just the first two innings before Matt Cooney came on for the final four scoreless, giving up just two hits. DeFilippo was the only Pioneer with two hits. 

Sacred Heart and Central close out the regular season on Saturday with a final nine inning game beginning at 1 pm. The Northeast Conference tournament begins the following Thursday at Dodd Stadium in Norwich, Conn.