Box Score

NEW HAVEN, CONN. – Down 2-0 entering the bottom of the second, the Southern Connecticut State University baseball team rallied together six runs off three hits en route to the Owls 6-4 win over Southwest Division foe New Haven on Wednesday afternoon by the score of 6-4 in a Northeast-10 Conference clash. With the win, Southern Connecticut improves to 8-12-1 as well as earned its first conference win of the season while New Haven falls to 8-9 and 3-1.

 
Freshman Brandon Rentas (Wallingford, Conn.) picked up his first win on the mound for the Owls as he recorded three runs, five hits, three walks and two strikeouts over 7.0 innings. Freshman Shawn Urbano (Stamford, Conn.) and sophomore Jake Santamaria (Oceanside, N.Y.) also made an appearance on the mound for Southern Connecticut in the final two innings. Urbano registered one run, one hit, two walks and a strikeout while Santamaria added a strikeout.

Senior Jake Paul (Kingston, N.Y.) led the Owls' offense with a 2-for-4 showing at the plate as well as recorded a team-high two RBI and a run scored. Along with Paul, junior Greg Zullo (Branford, Conn.) and senior Jake DeRosa (North Haven, Conn.) recorded the Owls' final two RBI of the afternoon against the Chargers.

Southern Connecticut finished the day going 7-for-30 at the plate while New Haven went 6-for-31 as well as registered four runs and three RBI.

New Haven jumped out early with a 2-0 lead after collecting back-to-back runs over the first 1.5 innings before Southern Connecticut rallied together a 6-2 lead entering the top of the third. The bottom of the second began with back-to-back walks from Zullo and freshman Tyler Criscuolo (Branford, Conn.) before a double to left field and a fielding error by the third baseman allowed Criscuolo and Zullo to cross home, tying the game at 2-2. With no outs, DeMartino moved Paul to third after a sacrifice bunt, but the Owls' rally was in danger as junior McNeill Finnegan (Old Saybrook, Conn.) recorded the Owls' second out of the inning. DeRosa was able to keep the rally going with a single to left field allowing Paul to cross home and gave the Owls their first lead of the game, 3-2. With runners on second and third with two outs, annother error by the third baseman allowed senior Jake Lieberman (Commack, N.Y.) to reach first and DeRosa and Lamberti was able to score, extending the lead 5-2. The final run of the inning came from Zullo who single to right field allowing Lieberman to come home.

New Haven managed to score a run in the top of the fifth to cut the lead in half, 6-3, following back-to-back 1-2-3 innings. Southern Connecticut and New Haven kept each other quiet until the top of the ninth as the Chargers threatened the Owls with bases loaded and one out. New Haven managed to tack on a run, 6-4, after an RBI groundout to second, but a groundout to the pitcher ended the threat as the Owls gave the Chargers their first conference loss of the season.

The Owls are back in action on Saturday, April 2 against Saint Anselm. The doubleheader will begin at 12 p.m.