MYRTLE BEACH, S.C.—Southern Connecticut baseball defeated Saint Anselm, 10-4, at the Ripken Experience in Myrtle Beach, S.C. With the win, Southern Connecticut improves to 3-1 while Saint Anselm falls to 1-3.

Jagger Duquette started for the Owls and dominated the first three innings of play; however, in the fourth the Owls ran into some trouble. Saint Anselm would score four runs in the inning jumping out to an early 4-0 lead. Despite giving up the runs, Duquette put the past behind him and tossed another three-shutout innings.

The game started with quiet bats from the Owls; however, in the sixth the Owls put a run on the board on a single to left center by Billy Sullivan which scored Jake Chacho which decreased the Saint Anselm lead to 4-1.

With only three innings of baseball left to play, the Owls bats needed to wake up if they were going to come back and they did in the following frame. In the bottom of the 7th, the Owls exploded for three runs with Mike Talavera scoring on a wild pitch. With only one run being the equalizer, Chacho had a single and with help from a costly error from the Saint Anselm defense allowed two runs to score and the Owls evened up the game at 4-4.

After the Owls tied the game at 4-4, it was time for a call to the bullpen and Braeden Sparaco entered the game. Sparaco pitched two scoreless innings which shut the door on Saint Anslem and earned him the first win of his college career.

With a tie game in the bottom half of the eighth, Talavera once again came up big. With two outs, Talavera knocked a clutch single to right moving runner Devin Pelletier up to second, both advanced on the throw. With Pelletier just 90 feet away and the score tied, he hustled in to home plate on passed ball which completed the Owls comeback and put them up 5-4. With Talavera now at third, Izaiah Walker drove him in with a base hit adding insurance to the lead, which made the score 6-4.

The scoring did not stop there for the Owls in the bottom of the eighth. With a two run lead, it was time for two players to get their first collegiate homeruns as Jake Gruttadauria stepped into the batters box and added more insurance to the lead as he launched a two run homer making the score 8-4. After the next batter got aboard on an error, the Owls would see another ball go over the fence as Chacho sent another two run homer erasing what was once a four run deficit and turning into a six run lead.

Southern is back in action Friday, Feb. 23 when they take on the College of Staten Island at 4:30 p.m. in Myrtle Beach, S.C.