Box Score 1 | Box Score 2

WINTER PARK, Fla. - The Southern Connecticut State University baseball team split a pair of games in its season-opening doubleheader on Saturday. The Owls blanked Bentley in their season opener, 9-0, behind an outstanding team effort. In the nightcap, SCSU jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but Rollins rallied for a 4-3 walkoff win over the Owls.

TEAM RECORDS: Southern Connecticut (1-1) | Bentley (0-5) | Rollins (6-2)
 
Senior co-captain Greg Zullo (Branford, Conn.) totaled a career-high five RBI in the game one win over Bentley, while fellow classmate Cole Bryant (Newington, Conn.) tossed his first career complete-game shutout (nine innings) as the Owls blanked the Falcons. Bryant retired 14 of the final 15 batters and merited just five hits.

In game two, Tyler Criscuolo (Branford, Conn.) totaled two hits, a run and a RBI to pace the Owls' offense. Criscuolo posted a team-high four hits during the twinbill.

GAME ONE HIGHLIGHTS:
The Owls struck for two runs in their first at-bat of the season. Ryan Kaplan (Fishkill, N.Y.) and Nick Lamberti (East Haven, Conn.) each singled and came around to score on a two-run triple from Zullo.
 
SCSU tacked on five more runs in the second to break the game open. Singles from Criscuolo and Nolan Cloutier (Wallingford, Conn.) and a walk to Griffin Garabedian (Hamden, Conn.) loaded the bases before Jim Palmer drove in two with a single. After a sacrifice bunt and a walk, Zullo came through with a two-run single to extend the lead to 6-0. Connor Redahan (Greenwich, Conn.) later added a RBI single to make it 7-0.
 
Zullo was again in the middle of things in Southern's fourth inning rally that resulted in a run. He was hit by a pitch, went to third on a single from Criscuolo and scored on a double steal. In the ninth, he drove in DeMartino with a double for his fifth RBI of the afternoon.
 
Zullo finished 3-for-4 with five RBi and also scored a run. Palmer, Criscuolo, Kaplan and Garabedian all had two hits apiece in the opener as part of a 15-hit attack for the Owls.
 
GAME TWO HIGHLIGHTS
The Owls scored twice in the fourth and once in the sixth to take a 3-0 lead. Lamberti and DeMartino singled to start the inning. One out later, Criscuolo plated a run with a RBI single. Mike Giordano (Norwalk, Conn.) then drove in a run to extend the cushion to 2-0.
 
In the sixth, the Owls loaded the bases before Garabedian walked to plate in another run.

Rollins chipped away with a run in the sixth, then scored two runs in the eighth to tie it at 3-3. The Tars then won the game on the walk-off wild pitch.
 
UP NEXT: vs. Wilmington in Myrtle Beach, S.C., Feb. 24.