BRIDGEPORT, Conn. (April 21, 2023) – The Sacred Heart University baseball team opened a pivotal three-game Northeast Conference home series against Wagner with a doubleheader on Friday afternoon, but things did not go the Pioneers' way. The visiting Seahawks picked up a sweep to secure the series win, with 6-5 and 14-4 victories at Veteran's Park.
Sacred Heart (16-20, 11-9 NEC) will look to salvage the final game of the series at noon on Saturday. Wagner (20-16, 13-7 NEC) will be looking for its second NEC series sweep of the season.
Game 1: Wagner 6, Sacred Heart 5
With the game tied 1-1 through four innings, Sacred Heart briefly took a 2-1 lead with a run in the bottom of the fifth. Joey Skarad (Stamford, Conn.) walked leading off and later scored on a two-out RBI single to left by Justin Jordan (Darien, Conn.).
Wagner responded in a big way though, with a five-spot in the top of the sixth to surge to a 6-2 lead. After the leadoff man reached on an error, DiMaggio Cazares drove a double to left-center and then Dante Faicchio cashed in both runs with a single back through the middle to put the Seahawks out front to stay. Later in the frame, Ariv Camacho provided an RBI double, Chris Conniff added a run via a sacrifice fly, and another run scored on the inning's second error.
SHU chipped away immediately with a run in the last of the sixth. Ryan Donnelly (Fairfield, Conn.) doubled down the left-field line, moved to third on a wild pitch and scored on an RBI groundout by Tim McGuire (Portsmouth, R.I.). However, the Pios left two runners on in the inning, including one at second, and left another in scoring position in the eighth.
The home team made its final stand in the last of the ninth. Zack Kovalchik (Archbald, Pa.) was hit by a pitch with one out and came all the way around to score when Jordan yanked a two-out triple into the right-field corner. Jordan would score when an error prolonged the game, which also put the tying run on base. However, right-hander Nicholas Hanson – who had come on with two out in the sixth – struck out Donnelly to finish of a 3.1-inning save, his sixth of the season.
Right-hander Jake Babuschak (Jobstown, N.J.) took the ball in the series opener for SHU, threw six innings, allowed six runs (three earned) on seven hits, walked one and struck out four while suffering the loss (2-4). Right-hander Connor Hayden (6-0) tossed 5.2 innings for Wagner, allowed three runs on seven hits, walked three and struck out nine.
Game 2: Wagner 14, Sacred Heart 4
The second game was tied 4-4 through five innings, but then Wagner sucked all the life out of Veteran's Park with another five-run sixth inning. This time around, free passes were the issue, as right-hander Charlie Costello (Hopewell Junction, N.Y.) issued four walks in the frame, including a pair with the bases loaded to force home two runs. Griffin Selby also provided a two-run single in the frame, while the final run scored on an error.
Wagner added four more in the seventh to win going away, 14-4.
Costello (3-1) – the third of six SHU pitchers in the game – was tagged with the loss out of the bullpen, after he was charged with five runs (four earned) on two hits and four walks, while recording just two outs. Right-hander Jack Kramer (Glen Rock, N.J.) had started, but did not factor in the decision, as he threw two-plus innings, allowed four runs on five hits, walked three and struck out two.
On the Wagner side of things, right-hander Zach Gorman was also pulled early, as he allowed two runs on four hits, walked two, hit a batter and struck out one over two-plus innings of his own on the mound. Right-hander Ryan Bilka (2-1) came on to start the fourth and finished the game with six scoreless innings, allowed four hits, walked one, hit a batter and struck out five to win out of the bullpen.
