In a four game weekend against the Assumption University Greyhounds and the Bentley University Falcons, the Chargers had a two-game sweep against the Greyhounds but fell short to the Falcons in both games.
The first game against the Greyhounds finished with a close score of 8-7 over 11 innings. Assumption was the first team to strike, putting up four runs in the bottom of the second inning. The Chargers lessened the deficit in the top of the third and responded with two runs after designated hitter Matt McIntire was hit by pitch with bases loaded, followed by first baseman Cam McGugan scoring on a wild pitch. The Greyhounds extended their lead in the fifth, putting up three more runs for a score of 7-2 after five innings. The next three innings went scoreless, but New Haven did not give up and tied the game in the top of the ninth. Rob Taylor led the Chargers with two RBIs followed by RBIs from Kenny Franquiz, Mike Christian and Cole Maucere. Assumption had the chance to walk it off in the bottom of the ninth but could not put up the winning run, and the game went into extras.
After a scoreless inning in the tenth, Maucere came in clutch with a right field home run that became the winning run for the Chargers.
Going into game two with a winning momentum, the Chargers scored early, jumping to a five-run lead in the first inning. McIntire brought home third baseman Joey Frazzetta to start the scoring party, followed by a two-RBI single from Christian. Right fielder Tyler Wells then brought in the last two of the inning on a single up the middle. New Haven extended their lead to 6-0 in the third inning after a double from Franquiz brought home Christian.
Assumption answered back in the bottom of the third with a pair of runs, but the Chargers had a solo home run from catcher Casey Cerruto in the top of the fourth. The Greyhounds continued to chip away, adding one more run in the bottom of the fourth, but they couldn’t catch up to New Haven’s dominant offense. Maucere brought in the last two runs for the Chargers in the fifth after a left center double that brought in Franquiz and Christian. Despite a last-ditch effort from the Greyhounds in the last two innings, New Haven came out on top, 9-5.
Coming off the sweep, the Chargers traveled back to Massachusetts for another double header on Sunday, this time facing Bentley University. The first two innings in game one went scoreless on both sides, and the Falcons struck first with one run in the third inning. New Haven tied it up in the fifth after another solo shot from Cerruto, and McGugan helped take the lead in the sixth after bringing in Taylor on a ground out to shortstop. The Falcons’ offense could not produce, while the Chargers added two more in the seventh, with RBIs accredited to Wells and Christian.
Bentley added one run in the eighth, and the Chargers went into the final inning with a two-run lead. Unfortunately for New Haven, the Falcons obtained a walk-off win after relief pitcher Timothy Lewis walked in the winning run, finalizing the score at 5-4.
The second game would find a similar result, with Bentley walking off another game against the Chargers with an identical score of 5-4. This time, the Falcons struck first, putting up three in the bottom of the third. New Haven was quick to answer back, tying the score with three runs of their own in the fourth, with two coming in off an error from Bentley’s shortstop. Then, Wells singled to right field to bring in Franquiz. The Chargers took the lead in the top of the sixth after Maucere walked on bases loaded, and went into the seventh and final inning with a one-run lead.
The Falcons sealed the win in the bottom of the seventh with a walk-off home run over the left-field fence.
After the long weekend of games, the Chargers will host the Mercy College Mavericks on Wednesday, with first pitch scheduled for 3:00 p.m. For more information, please visit NewHavenChargers.com.
