BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (March 26, 2023) – Twice on Sunday afternoon, the Sacred Heart University baseball team loaded the bases in the latter stages of the game. Twice, the Pios came up empty at Veteran's Park. Instead, three early runs for Maryland Eastern Shore stood as the difference, as the visiting Hawks salvaged a 4-1 win in the finale of the three-game Northeast Conference series.
After being swept fairly soundly in a doubleheader on Friday, it was UMES (5-18, 3-6 NEC) which got things started on Sunday, with single runs in each of the first three innings. In the first, Derrick Mayes II opened the game with an infield single and later scored on a double down the left-field line by Ryan Howe. In the second, Brian Cordell opened the frame with a loud double to left-center and scored on an RBI single back through the middle by Kyle Cincinnati. In the third, Brantley Cutler tagged a one-out double to right-center and eventually scored on an RBI infield single by Alex McCoy.
Meanwhile, SHU (11-9, 7-2 NEC) had trouble getting anything going with the bats early on. Through the first six innings, the Pioneers were held to just two hits and did not advance a runner past second base, as UMES right-hander Evan Nibblett (3-1) was forced to throw just 86 pitches (53 strikes) over 6.2 innings on the mound. Nibblett retired the side in order in the third, fifth and sixth innings, and had faced just three over the minimum through the first six innings.
The Hawks picked up an unearned insurance run in the top of the seventh. Riley Horner led off with a walk, moved all the way around to third as SHU struggled to defend a sacrifice bunt, and eventually scored on a sacrifice fly to left by Howe.
The Pioneers finally strung some offense together in the home half of the seventh, when they found their only run of the afternoon. Robert Farruggio (Fairfield, Conn.) opened the frame with a double over the head of the left fielder, moved to third on a single and eventually scored on an RBI groundout by Joey Skarad (Stamford, Conn.). An ensuing walk put an end to Nibblett's day, and then the Pios loaded the bases for the top of the order with two outs, which forced another call to the UMES bullpen, this time for Nick Gatton.
Justin Jordan (Darien, Conn.) stepped in and went to work against the 6-foot-6 right-hander in what was easily the game's most tense at-bat. The two locked into an eight-pitch battle, which featured a pair of stone-cold takes with two strikes, and then a pair of foul balls to keep the inning alive. However, Jordan ultimately swung through a fastball at the letters on the eighth pitch, as Gatton stranded the bases full.
SHU would load the bases again in the eighth inning, this time with one out. The home team left them all out there again though, as right-hander Caden Parker struck out Skarad and got pinch-hitter Tyler Galletti (Plainview, N.Y.) on a comebacker to retire the side. In all, the Pioneers left 11 men on base in the afternoon, as they largely failed to capitalize on the six walks and two hit batsmen issued by UMES pitching.
Right-hander Michael Boyian (Norwalk, Conn.) threw 59 pitches (44 strikes) over five innings of work for SHU. He allowed three runs (two earned) on eight hits, struck out one and suffered the loss (2-1).
Nibblett's final line was one run on four hits and three walks, with two strikeouts, over 6.2 innings. Parker stranded a pair of runners in the ninth as well, as part of a two-inning outing to collect his first save of the season.
SHU, which has won each of its first three NEC series, has a midweek non-conference contest at Yale on Wednesday. The Pios will travel to Long Island University for a three-game NEC series next weekend.
