After a tough loss on Wednesday to the Yale University Bulldogs, the Chargers hosted the Long Island University (LIU) Sharks for a three-game weekend conference series. While they lost the series, New Haven made a comeback in extra innings to take game three.
Game one of the series was a close game and the lowest scoring matchup of the weekend. The first two innings went scoreless on both sides until LIU put up two runs in the top of the third. The Chargers answered back in the bottom of the seventh with one run off of designated hitter Casey Cerruto’s RBI fielder’s choice that brought home catcher Jake Russo. That would be the only offensive action for New Haven, resulting in a 2-1 loss against the Sharks. The Chargers totaled four hits on the day, with two from Russo, one each from right fielder Shaun Callahan and center fielder Nick Ungania.
Game two against LIU saw a much different pattern, with almost 40 combined runs scored from both sides. The Chargers had a strong first inning and put up four runs after LIU started the scoring with one run in the top of the inning. Cerruto had an RBI single, followed by a ground out from second baseman Joe Frazzetta that brought home Russo. The next two RBIs came off singles from first baseman Cam McGugan and third baseman Bobby Herzman. The Sharks answered back quickly and tied the score in the top of the second. Tied at four, Long Island kept their foot on the gas and put up five more runs in the third. New Haven kept the scoring going too, after left fielder Matt McIntire hit a solo home run to start the inning, followed by an RBI single from Russo. An error by Sharks’ shortstop allowed Ungania to score an unearned run, leaving the Chargers down by one. The score was tied in the fourth after a ground out from shortstop Aedan Forde brought Herzman in. The back-and-forth scoring continued through multiple innings, and the Chargers went into the ninth down by four.
An unexpected rally from the Sharks led to a nine-run inning and left little room for New Haven to come back. After a mix of earned and unearned runs, game two ended in a 23-16 loss for the Chargers. McIntire led the offensive action for the Chargers, who went 5-for-5 on the day and totaled four RBIs.
Game three also saw high scoring on both sides, this time with New Haven coming out on top in a close 12-11 game. LIU started the game with momentum from the day before, scoring eight runs in the top of the first. The Chargers chipped away at the large deficit and brought in just two runs over the first six innings, brought home by Russo and Cerruto. After the Sharks added a ninth run in the top of the seventh, New Haven broke open the scoring with six runs in the bottom of the seventh, with RBIs from second baseman EJ Ettinger, Forde, McGugan and Russo. Forde brought home another run in the eighth and tied the score at nine for the Chargers. LIU added two more runs in the tenth inning, leaving New Haven trailing by two runs when Forde tied it up for the second time in the game with a 2 RBI single. Ungania stepped up with bases loaded and the winning run on third and walked it off with an RBI single to right field. The game ended in a 12-11 victory for the Chargers.
After the four-game week, New Haven has an overall record of 4-23 and 4-11 in conference play. The Chargers will host the Bridgeport University Purple Knights on Wednesday at 3:00 p.m. For more information, visit NewHavenChargers.com.
