The New Haven baseball team started their March 26 weekend series against Pace University on a high note, coming off a 7-4 victory. In an all-around team win, the Chargers were able to put together timely hitting and great pitching to take the first game of the series.

Starting on the mound for the Chargers today was senior Thomas Eletto, who delivered quite the performance. He finished the game with seven ⅔ innings, giving up only two earned runs and four strikeouts. Eletto kept the Setters off balance throughout the entire game, giving the offense the chance to score.

The Chargers got off to a hot start at the plate in the bottom of the first. After a walk by leadoff batter Cole Maucere and a sacrifice bunt by shortstop Noah Budzik, Maucere took off to third base and was able to score off a wild throw, giving New Haven an early 1-0 lead.

Eletto picked up right where he left off in the first inning, bouncing back from a leadoff single to force a double play, with a great throw by senior catcher Josh Lester to pick off the runner. After the double play, Eletto got his second strikeout of the game to end the top of the second.

After a quick bottom of the second, Pace tied the game at one after an RBI double by Matthew Rinaldi. The game remained a tie until the bottom of the fourth when New Haven’s bats came alive and scored a total of six runs. Junior center fielder Robert Taylor got the inning started with a leadoff single, followed by a double by right fielder Tyler Wells, setting up a key second and third opportunity with no outs.

Senior first baseman Andrew Cain joined in on the action with a two-run double to left field, scoring Taylor and Wells. Already with two runs scored in the inning, designated hitter Andrew Bianco was next to bat, and he drove in Cain with an RBI single to left. Senior catcher Josh Lester followed him with a double of his own, setting up another second and third situation with no outs.

After a fly out to right field, sophomore Kenneth Franquiz drove a single to right field, scoring two more runs to make it a 6-1 score in the game. Cole Maucere followed that play with a triple hit deep to right field, bringing in Franquiz to give New Haven a 7-1 lead.

Eletto ran into some trouble in the fifth, giving Pace a prime chance to score with bases loaded and only one out. Eventually, he was able to settle in and escape the jam with no runs allowed, forcing a pop out and a groundout to end the inning, keeping the score at 7-1.

The game would remain a tie until the top of the eighth inning, with Pace scratching two runs across to chip away at the lead to make it 7-3. Eletto was pulled from the game after an RBI double by Mason Baronian, bringing graduate student Cam Guarino out of the bullpen. Pace’s second run of the inning was brought across after an error by Kenneth Franquiz. After a walk, Guarino got the final out of the eighth on a flyout to left field.

Coming in relief of Guarino to close out the game was junior Drew Silverman, who struggled early on with command, walking the first batter and giving up a single, setting up a first and third with no outs chance for Pace. Silverman was eventually able to settle in, forcing a sac fly by #17 to close New Haven’s lead to three. The Chargers were able to get a double play to end the game, improving their record to 11-4 (1-0 NE-10) while Pace fell to 7-7 (0-1 NE-10).

More information can be found at newhavenchargers.com.