Junior Pitcher Andrew McGee Threw His Fourth Complete Game of the Season
The baseball team held their first home series of the season as they won three out of four games against the Central Connecticut State University Blue Devils this weekend.
Opening the first game of the series on Thursday at 3:00 pm was junior lefty Andrew McGee. Despite the challenge of 50 degree weather, McGee was able to pick up his fourth win and his fourth complete game, all of which have been victories. In the process, McGee gave up four hits and one walk while striking out six, improving his personal record to 4-1. McGee was also named NEC Pitcher of the Week for the third consecutive week. He is the first NEC pitcher to do so since 1998.
MU gave McGee the support he needed for the 3-0 win in the third inning when sophomore right fielder Craig Sweeney pushed a line drive past CCSU’s shortstop.
“It was a great feeling,” Sweeney said of his three run RBI single. “My first couple swings were bad, so I wanted to keep it short at that at-bat. I kept it simple, got a pitch, and put a swing on it.”
Sweeney plated sophomore catcher Kyle Perry, junior second baseman Jake Gronsky, and senior first baseman Chris Perret. Gronsky and Perry lead the team with two hits a piece.
The Hawks almost scored in the sixth when they loaded the bases thanks to freshman designated hitter Danny Shea being hit by a pitch, Perry connecting for a single, and sophomore center fielder Steve Wilgus being walked. However, with two outs, Gronsky stepped up to the plate and hit a deep shot to center which was caught to end the inning.
MU scored three runs on nine hits and left nine runners on the bases.
The following day, the Hawks prepared for a double header against CCSU, with both games scheduled for seven innings.
Taking the mound for the first game of the doubleheader was sophomore right hander, TJ Hunt. Hunt came out strong in the first and second throwing a total of 14 pitches and sending all six batters back to the dugout.
MU had the same fate in the first two innings of play as senior third baseman Owen Stewart was the only one to get a hit.
Hunt’s trouble began in the third when CCSU catcher Connor Fitzsimons launched one for an RBI single. Blue Devils outfielder Dylan Delacruz then sent a ball sailing as he hit a double which resulted in a game-changing play.
Fitzsimons ran to third base on Delacruz’s double, but was held up by his coach, a detail which Delacruz did not notice. MU took note of the Blue Devils glitch and tracked down DelaCruz with Perret eventually getting the tag leaving Fitzsimons as the sole base runner as he stayed on third.
Hunt walked the next batter to make the corners occupied for CCSU’s number three hitter, outfielder JP Sportman. Hunt’s second pitch proved worthy of Sportman’s bat as he doubled bringing Fitzsimons home. CCSU’s clean-up batter did no damage as he grounded out to first, ending the inning. Twenty-seven pitches and two runs later, Hunt stepped across the chalk and headed towards the dugout.
Scoring more than one run at a time was expected from CCSU, according to Head Coach Dean Ehehalt. “They’re going to play their game, they’ll swing the bats, and they’ll score runs in bunches,” Ehehalt said. “They [CCSU] have a particular style of play and it’s a real good style. We’ve had some great battles over the years and we have a great amount of respect for those guys.”
The next run of the game was scored by CCSU two innings later off sophomore submarine pitcher Jeff Paglione. After Fitzsimons got on the base path with a single, Coach Ehehalt called on Paglione to relieve Hunt. A throwing error by Paglione to check Fitzsimons at first cost the Hawks as he was able to advance to third on the misplay. One out later, Fitzsimons crossed home on a sacrifice fly scoring CCSU’s final run of the game.
With the board showing 3-0 in CCSU’s favor, the Hawks were able to settle the score in the sixth. Gronsky, Perret, and Sweeney all hit singles to load the bases for Stewart. Stewart grounded to second getting Sweeney out on a fielder’s choice, but also earning MU’s first RBI of the game as Gronsky crossed home plate. Sophomore pinch hitter Dave Moreno saw three pitches before flying out to center giving the Hawks their second out of the inning.
With runners on first and third, junior shortstop Jon Guida hit a grounder for what should have been an easy 6-3 out, but instead turned into an error which brought Perret home. Shea came up to bat and hit an RBI single scoring Stewart from second. Perry then flied out to left ending the Hawks offensive’ run.
Between the mixed seventh inning efforts of Paglione and junior southpaw Stephen Frey, MU was able to hold the Blue Devils to a 3-3 game.
The bottom of the seventh began with Wilgus hitting a double followed by Gronsky being intentionally walked. Both base runners then advanced a base on a wild pitch. Although CCSU pulled their outfielders in to face Perret, the tactic was not enough as he hit a long drive to center scoring Wilgus from third and ending the game in a walk-off style, 4-3.
With a short break after the first game, the two teams took the field for the second game of the doubleheader. Getting the nod from Coach Ehehalt was the sophomore righty Adam Yunginger.
CCSU figured out Yunginger’s methods early on as they scored their first run in the first inning of play. It wasn’t until the fourth when MU retaliated with one run by Perret.
Seeing Yunginger needed relief, Coach Ehehalt pulled him after four innings of work, four strikeouts, and one earned run. Replacing him was freshman left hander Frank Trimarco. Prior to this game, Trimarco appeared in three games and pitched a mere three innings. After the seventh inning ended, the game was still tied at 1-1 landing Trimarco back on the mound for his longest appearance yet.
Carrying the pressure for the team, Trimarco got CCSU’s lead off batter to pop-up to Gronsky at second. The next batter reached first on a single to center, but Trimarco was able to get both succeeding batters to fly out.
Heading into the bottom of the eighth, MU’s offense was put in an all-or-nothing situation. Gronsky batted first and hit a single through the left side hole. Perret came to the plate and hit a sacrifice bunt moving Gronsky to second. Sweeney then hit a walk-off single bringing Gronsky home and ending the game with a score of 2-1.
When asked what it took to beat opponents such as CCSU, Sweeney summed it up best as he said, “You just need one big hit in games like this. Just one big hit.”
While MU found those big hits in their first three games against the Blue Devils, they lost the final game of the series snapping a four game winning streak. Senior right-hander Dan Smith started for the Hawks and had a solid first three innings allowing only three hits and two runs, but it was the fourth that epitomized his downfall.
Smith began the fourth by walking CCSU shortstop Anthony Turgeon. Blue Devil second baseman Josh Ingham advanced Turgeon to second on a single to center putting two runners on the bags. Smith then struck out the successive batter bringing DelaCruz to the plate. The CCSU outfielder became the catalyst of the inning as he knocked one to right center plating Turgeon and sending Ingham to third. Smith could not stop the Blue Devils offense who scored four runs on the next three hits.
Right-handed sophomore Chris McKenna relieved Smith after 3.1 innings and eight runs, seven of which were earned.
Even with the switch of pitchers, CCSU’s fourth inning offensive rally proved too great as MU lost the game, 8-4. Stewart lead the Hawks with three hits, one run, and one RBI. Wilgus had two hits in the game and scored one run. Other runs were scored by Moreno and Shea. Smith was given the loss making his personal record 0-5.
With this weekend, the Hawks are one above .500 with a record of 12-11 (5-3 NEC). They will next travel to Emmitsburg, Maryland to play NEC rival Mount Saint Mary’s in a four game series this weekend.
PHOTO COURTESY of MU Photography
