WEST HAVEN, Conn. – The University of New Haven baseball team opened Northeast-10 play on Saturday afternoon with a doubleheader sweep of visiting Bentley by scores of 4-3 and 4-1.

The Chargers’ pitching staff scattered just 10 hits and three earned runs with 21 strikeouts in 18.0 innings of work on the day. John Melville (Ulster Park, N.Y./Kingston) took the ball for Game 1 and allowed two earned runs over the first 5.2 innings of work. He was relieved by fellow right-hander Jason Lewicki (Milford, Conn./Foran), who recorded the win out of the bullpen – moving to 1-0 – with 1.1 scoreless frames. Peter Jay (Shelton, Conn./Shelton) racked up three strikeouts in two perfect innings of work to close out the game and earn his conference-leading fifth save of the season.

In the nightcap, Joey Royer (Westbrook, Maine/Cheverus) retired all nine Falcons he faced, including three via strikeout, in his season debut. The southpaw was spelled by righty Henry Hirsch (Scarsdale, N.Y./Scarsdale), who went the rest of the way to earn the win. Hirsch (1-1) ceded one earned run on four hits with nine strikeouts in his six innings on the bump.

Offensively, shortstop Nick Nunziato (Setauket, N.Y./Ward Melville) went 3-for-3 in Game 2 en route to a 4-for-5 day at the plate. The freshman stroked two doubles, scored twice and registered an RBI and a stolen base. Left fielder Kyle Cullen (Dumont, N.J./Dumont) added three hits, and first baseman Zach Collett (Westbrook, Maine/Westbrook) went had two RBI hits, including his first home run of the spring.

Right fielder Stephen Clout (Bristol, Conn./Bristol Eastern) also had two hits and two runs batted in, while centerfielder Brendan O’Reilly and designated hitter Chris DeMorais (West Hartford, Conn./Conard) also had two hits apiece. O’Reilly and second baseman Andrew Johnson (Branford, Conn./Branford / Wheaton) had a RBI and swiped two bags.

Game 1

The Falcons struck first in game one, scratching out a run in the top of the first without the benefit of a base-hit. Sean Keady reached on an error to lead-off the game, and Bentley manufactured a run as Keady stole second, and came around to score on back-to-back groundouts.

New Haven tied the score in the bottom of the third frame. Johnson drew a leadoff walk and stole second base. Following a one-out walk to Nunziato, the pair executed a double steal to move into scoring position. Clout finished the job with a sacrifice fly to plate Johnson.

The Chargers went on to take a 2-1 lead in the fifth frame on a one-out, solo home run to left centerfield by Collett.

The margin only held into the next half-inning. Will Brennan started the offense with a one-out single and took second on a wild pitch. Tom Nagy picked up the RBI with a base-hit to tie the game at 2-2 and stole second. Logan Gillis brought the Falcons into the lead with a single up the middle.

After Lewicki came on to get the final out of the sixth, New Haven once again tied the game in the bottom of the stanza. DeMorais singled to lead-off and moved to second base on a Joe Romanelli (Baldwin, N.Y./Holy Trinity) sacrifice bunt. Two batters later, Johnson smoked a ball toward first base that took a hard hop and bounded down the right field line for an RBI double.

Following another scoreless frame by Lewicki, Nunziato led off the bottom of the seventh inning with a double over the centerfielder’s head to set the table. The freshman took third on a wild pitch and raced home with what proved to be the winning run on another errant offering from Bentley’s Lamarre Rey.

Jay entered in the top of the eighth frame and fired a pair of 1-2-3 innings to preserve the 4-3 win.

Despite racking up seven strikeouts in 2.1 innings of relief, Rey took the loss for the Falcons to fall to 0-2.

Game 2

New Haven’s momentum from Game 1 rolled into a fast start in the nightcap. With Royer mowing down the side in order in the first and second frames, the Chargers claimed the lead in the bottom of the second inning. DeMorais led off with a single and advanced into scoring position on a Brendon Buckley (Monroe, Conn./Masuk) sacrifice. An error on a groundball from Johnson put runners on the corners with one out, and Collett followed with a broken-bat single to left field to put the home team on top, 1-0. Nunziato made it back-to-back RBI singles with a rip to left to stake the Chargers to a fast 2-0 advantage.

The Chargers added to their lead in the fifth frame with another two-bagger to dead centerfielder by Nunziato. Cullen then dropped down a sacrifice bunt and turned it into a base-hit to put runners on the corners with none out. O’Reilly was the benefactor of the runner in scoring position with a two-out single that extended the margin to 3-0.

Bentley got on the board with a Kevin Korwek sacrifice fly in the top of the seventh inning, but New Haven took the run back in its half of the stanza. Again Nunziato led off the jumpstart the offense with a base-hit. After taking second on a wild pitch, the rookie shortstop came around to score on a single up the middle from Clout.

The 4-1 margin held up as the final as Hirsch completed a six-inning relief appearance.

JP Ashline started and took the loss for Bentley to drop to 1-1.