Junior Pat Epps hit a two-run home run in the seventh inning, and senior pitcher Tyler Riordan pitched 6.2 innings of one-run relief as the Central Connecticut State University baseball team topped Sacred Heart 9-3 on Sunday to claim its fourth Northeast Conference baseball championship title.  The Blue Devils won three straight games, including two over the Pioneers, to claim the 2010 title.  It marks the fourth since 2002 for Central, the most of any team in the league.  Epps was named the tournament Most Valuable Player.

Central struck first with two runs in the bottom of the first inning.  With senior Sean Allaire on third base, classmate Richie Tri bunted for a base hit, but the throw went over the first baseman's head.  Allaire scored the game's first run, and Tri ended up at third.  He scored the second run of the game on an RBI groundout from junior Pat Epps

The lead stretched to 3-0 on an RBI single up the middle by junior Sean Miller-Jones.  He plated senior Anthony Scialdone who had singled to lead off the inning.

The Pioneers scored twice in the third inning to cut the Blue Devil lead to 3-2.  John Murphy drove in his fourth run in two days, and JJ Edwards was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded to score the second run.  They tied it up on an RBI groundout from Dave Boisture.

Epps hit his two-out, two-run home run to right center field in the seventh inning to give Central a 5-3 lead.

Senior Kyle Zarotney drove in his ninth run of the tournament in the eighth inning to push the lead to 6-3.  Zarotney had eight RBI on Saturday when Central won two games.  Allaire, Miller-Jones and Epps each drove in a run in the four-run eighth to give the Blue Devils the 9-3 advantage.

Senior Tyler Riordan earned the victory in relief of start Harry Glynn.  Glynn went 2.1 innings allowing just two runs while striking out two.  Riordan pitched the final 6.2 innings allowing just one run and three hits.  He retired the final eight batters he faced and 11 of the last 13. 

Epps was joined on the All-Tournament team by his teammates Zarotney, Riordan and sophomore lefty Jason Foster.  Foster pitched a complete game victory in the first elimination game for Central on Saturday.

The NCAA will televise its selection show on Monday at 12:30 p.m. live on ESPN.

The NEC title is the fourth for the Blue Devils since the 2002 season.   They will enter the NCAA Tournament with a 33-21 overall record, the most wins in a single season since 2006 when they fiished 33-16.  It marks the sixth time in the last 11 seasons that they have won 30 or more games in a season.