Box Score

RINDGE, N.H. – Thanks to an eight inning, three-hit effort from Chris Zbin (Colchester, Conn.) and a 14-hit attack, the No. 8 nationally ranked Southern Connecticut State University baseball team downed Adelphi, 9-1, to force a winner-take-all contest later this afternoon. The Owls actually trailed 1-0 but scored three times in the fourth, five times in the seventh and once in the eighth to capture the victory.

Southern Connecticut improves to 42-7-1 with the win. Adelphi drops to 36-13-2.

Michael Cleary (West Boylston, Mass.) went 4-for-5 to lead the offensive attack. Seven of the nine Owls' starters had a hit in the win.

Adelphi pushed a run across in the third, but the Owls took the lead for good with three runs in the fourth. Kyle Rosadino (Berwyn, Pa.) was hit by a pitch to open the frame before Ryan Geffert (Plymouth, Pa.) singled to put runners at the corners. A.J. Rouleau (Westborough, Mass.) tied the game with a RBI single. Later in the frame, T.K. Kiernan (Wallingford, Conn.) pushed another run across with a fielders' choice before Cleary laid down a perfect suicide squeeze that went for a bunt single.

The issue was still in doubt until the Owls blew the game wide open with five runs in the seventh.

Nick DeProspo (Worcester, Mass.) singled to start the rally. One out later, Geffert smacked a grounder to first that was dropped by the shortstop in an effort to turn the double play. A groundout by Rouleau moved the runners up 90 feet before Bryan Dorsey (Cheshire, Conn.) laced a two-run single that extended the Owls' lead to 5-1. Kiernan and Cleary would add run-scoring hits later in the frame.

The Owls added one more run in the eighth to make it a 9-1 final.

Zbin, seeing his first action in more than a week, was masterful in improving to 10-2 on the year. A.J. Turnier (Waterford, Conn.) worked a scoreless ninth.

Game two is set for approximately 3:15 p.m.