Baseball Shuts Out LIU Brooklyn in Friday's Opener, 5-0
The series continues with a doubleheader on Saturday.
Senior Brendan Smith tossed eight shutout innings and junior Ryan Costello knocked in three runs to lift the Central Connecticut baseball team to a 5-0 win at LIU Brooklyn in Northeast Conference action on Friday. The Blue Devils posted their third shutout in league play to improve to 14-11 overall and 5-2 in the NEC.
The teams will play a doubleheader Saturday, consisting of a pair of seven-inning contests. The loss dropped LIU to 9-12 overall and 1-3 in NEC play.
Central opened the scoring in the third inning. Junior Nick Garland led off with a walk, followed by a single from senior Nick Landell. Junior Dean Lockery was hit by a pitch with two outs to load the bases. Freshman Buddy Dewaine walked to bring home the first run and was followed by a single from junior Ryan Costello, which drove in a pair of runs to make it 3-0.
Lockery led off the CCSU fourth inning with a walk and came around to score on a double to left field by Costello to make it 4-0. The Blue Devils would load the bases with one out, but were unable to push across another run.
That would be more than enough support for Smith who held the Blackbirds in check all afternoon. He scattered seven hits over 8.0 innings of work, while striking out nine and walking just two. He only allowed two LIU runners to reach third base, including the seventh inning when Andrew Turner reached third with just one out. Smith would end the threat by striking out the next two batters looking.
The Blue Devils tacked on a run in the eighth. Senior Franklin Jennings tripled to center field and came home on a sacrifice fly by junior Ron Jackson to make it 5-0.
Central collected eight hits as a team, led by two from Costello. Garland, senior Tyler Coleman and junior Mitch Guilmette each reached base safely three times on the afternoon, while Lockery scored twice.
Smith got the win to improve to 2-4 on the year. Sophomore Patrick Mitchell pitched the ninth inning, allowing one hit and one walk, while striking out two.
William Jackson started and took the loss for LIU. He allowed four runs on five hits with five walks in 4.0 innings of work. He struck out three batters.
Turner and Harrison Preschel each had two hits for the Blackbirds, who combined for eight hits as a team.
The teams are back in action on Saturday with a doubleheader beginning at 1:00 p.m.
