Pitching And Power Propels Purple Knights To Important ECC Doubleheader Sweep At LIU Post
UB Wins Game One, 1-0, And Completes Sweep With 7-4 Victory In Game Two
Brookville, N.Y.-The University of Bridgeport baseball team continued its strong push for a spot in the East Coast Conference Championship Tournament with an important road doubleheader sweep over the host LIU Post Pioneers on Saturday afternoon on Long Island. UB won a pitchers' duel in game one, 1-0, and blasted a pair of home runs to complete the sweep with a 704 victory in the nightcap. The Purple Knights are now 17-22-1 overall and 11-12 in conference play. Bridgeport opened its ECC schedule at 0-8, but the squad has come back to notch wins in 11 of its last 13 conference tilts. LIU Post slips to 15-16 overall and 8-11 in the East Coast Conference.
In the opener, sophomore Alec Jannotta (Branford, Conn.) drove in the contest's only run with a one-out double in the top of the ninth inning that scored freshman Casey McCone (Milford, Conn.) from second base. McCone opened the inning by reaching on an LIU Post error.
Freshman hurler Dakota Edwards (Turlock, Calif.) was masterful in game one pitching a five-hit, nine-inning complete game shutout to raise his season record to 4-3. Edwards blanked the Pioneers on 116 pitches, striking out 10 and walking only one.
Freshman Dylan Steigerwald (Holbrook, N.Y.) had two hits for the Purple Knights in the opener.
In game two, junior Tim Bickford (Wallingford, Conn.) launched a two-run homer in the first inning, and junior Mike Miniter (Branford, Conn.), who finished with four runs batted in the nightcap, smashed a three-run home run in the fourth inning.
Game one hitting hero Alec Jannotta drove in the team's other run in game two, and Casey McCone had two hits for the winners.
On the mound, freshman Sal Lovaglio (Dix Hills, N.Y.) picked up his third win of the season (3-6) spinning seven-inning complete game in which he scattered eight hits, while striking out four and walking two.
UB and LIU Post will close their four-game weekend series at the Ballpark at Harbor Yard on Sunday afternoon at 3:30 p.m. with a single, nine-inning contest. Sunday, which is the Purple Knights final regular season ECC game, will also be Senior Day for the University of Bridgeport baseball program.