Game-Winning Hit By Freshman Christian Ortiz In The Tenth Inning Lifts UB Baseball To Doubleheader Sweep Over Jefferson

Bridgeport, Conn.-The University of Bridgeport baseball raised its overall season record to 7-9 on Friday, as the Purple Knights swept a home, non-conference doubleheader over the visiting Jefferson University Rams (6-7), as UB won game one, 1-0, and completed the sweep with a 6-5 victory in the nightcap in 10 innings.

In the opener, junior Tyler Sharfetz (Fords, N.J.) drew a bases loaded walk in the bottom of the sixth inning to score the game's only run.

Freshman John Ruggiero (East Haven, Conn.) and senior Matthew Wirz (Stamford, Conn.) pitched a four-hot combined shutout in game one with Ruggerio earning his first collegiate win and Wirz registering his second save of 2022.

Ruggiero worked six innings in which he allowed three hits, two walks and struck out five.  Wirz pitched a scoreless seventh inning for the save, as he was helped by left fielder Alex Rauso (Grad., Trumbull, Conn.) gunning down the potential tying run at the plate in the game's final frame.

Graduate student Conall Roberts (Mt. Laurel, N.J.) had two hits in game one and finished with three hits on the day.

In game two, the visiting Rams scored three runs in the top of the first inning, but the Purple Knights responded quickly with five in the bottom of the inning.

The game would stay that way until the top of the seventh when Jefferson forced extra innings by scoring two runs to send the contest into bonus baseball with a 5-5 score.

The Purple Knights claimed the sweep in the bottom of the tenth when freshman Christian Ortiz (Linden, N.J.) stroked a two-out single to right field that scored classmate Jeremy Rodrigues (Monroe, Conn.), who opened the inning by reaching bases on a hit by pitch, from second base.  Rodrigues finished game two with two hits and two runs batted in for the winners.

Sophomore Jake Woods (Stony Brook, N.Y.) had two hits and one RBI in game two, and junior Jacob Rich (Northwood, N.H.) had a pair of runs batted in Bridgeport as well.

Ortiz's game-winning hit made a winner of Justin Hafele (Sr., Shelton, Conn.) who worked five innings in relief to pick up his second win of 2022.  Hafele allowed only three hits over those five innings with four strikeouts and two walks.

The same two teams will meet again in another doubleheader on Sunday at 12 noon in Seaside Park, as the Purple Knigts will look to up their three-game winning streak and continue their nine-game homestand.