It was a busy week for New Haven baseball, with one midweek game and a conference series on the schedule. After winning last week’s series against Wagner College, the Chargers came in with confidence on Wednesday but fell short in a close match against the Stony Brook University Seawolves, 15-12.
The Seawolves struck first and put three runs on the board in the top of the second. Down by three, the Chargers started to chip away in the bottom of the third, adding one run to the board after a line drive out to center field from designated player Casey Cerruto that brought home catcher Jake Russo. The fifth went scoreless, and the Seawolves extended their lead by adding one run in the top of the fifth. The Chargers were quick to answer back and put up two runs of their own in the bottom of the fifth after right fielder Shaun Callahan homered with Russo on base.
The top of the sixth was a huge scoring inning for Stony Brook, putting up 10 runs in just one inning. The scoring party started with a home run from Seawolves’ Nick Dromboski. The remainder of the runs came off a combination of hits, walks and errors by New Haven’s defense, who had six total errors on the day. Third baseman Joe Frazzetta helped the Chargers chip away at the 10-run deficit, adding a solo home run in the bottom of the sixth. It was a big day for Frazzetta at the plate, totaling three hits and two RBI over five at bats. New Haven held the Seawolves scoreless in the seventh and eighth innings, and added a combined six runs, with RBIs from pinch hitter Clarke Beattie, substitute first baseman Bobby Herzman and Frazzetta. Stony Brook added their final run in the top of the ninth, leaving New Haven down by five going into the bottom of this high-scoring game. Despite a clutch two-RBI double from pinch hitter Matt McIntire, the Chargers fell short with a final score of 15-12.
Looking to get back in the win column, the Chargers traveled to Erie, PA to take on the Mercyhurst University Lakers. The Lakers started hot by putting five runs on the board in the first inning. The second and third went scoreless, and then Callahan stepped up in the fourth for New Haven and brought home three off a home run. Unfortunately for the Chargers, those three runs would be the only ones brought in, while the Lakers extended their lead in the fifth, seventh and eighth innings, ending the game with a score of 12-3.
Game two saw a similar score, with Mercyhurst taking a 12-2 victory over New Haven. RBIs for the Chargers came from center fielder Nick Ungania and Frazzetta. The third game of the series saw a much closer score, but the Chargers still fell short by one run. New Haven struck first after an RBI single from Callahan in the first inning. They held the 1-0 lead until the Lakers tied it in the third. New Haven took the lead back in the top of the fifth with an RBI ground out from Herzman that brought in Russo, and then extended the lead in the eighth after an RBI single from Frazzetta. With a 3-1 score lead going into the bottom of the eighth the Chargers couldn’t hold off the Lakers, and they added a late three runs to take the lead and win 4-3.
With the losses, the Chargers are now 3-20 overall and 3-9 in NEC conference play. New Haven will face the Yale University Bulldogs on Wednesday, followed by a three-game series against Long Island University. For more information, visit NewHavenChargers.com.
