(03-31-09) WEST HAVEN, Conn. - The University of New Haven baseball team fell 4-3 to the American International College Yellow Jackets Tuesday afternoon at Frank Vieira Field. With the loss the Chargers fall to 8-9 on the season and 4-5 in the Northeast-10 Conference (NE-10), while the Yellow Jackets improve to 3-16 overall and 1-6 in the NE-10.
After two scoreless innings, AIC opened scoring in the top of the third inning with two runs off two hits. UNH answered with a run in the bottom half of the inning thanks to a Kyle Donnelly RBI-single to left field.
The Yellow Jackets scored another run in the top of the fourth and again in the top of the fifth to take a 4-1 lead after five. The sixth and seventh innings were once again scoreless and the Chargers narrowed the AIC lead to 4-3 with two runs in the bottom of the eighth. Ken Bilodeau hit a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Tom Rombilus and Evan Okon hit a two-out double down the right field line to score Jimmy Rivas. The Chargers, however, left two runners on base, including one of third in the inning.
Mitch Rossi came in a closed the game on the mound for the Chargers and pitched a flawless ninth inning. A walk to lead off the ninth inning put the tying run on first base. With two outs Rivas stepped to the plate as the winning run. He hit a ball to deep left field, all the way to the warning track at Vieira Field, which was caught for the third and final out.
Rivas led the Chargers with two hits and a run scored, while Okon went 1-for-2 with a RBI. Bilodeau and Donnelly drove in the Chargers other two runs. Rombilus and Kyle Bombace each tallied a run.
The Chargers have a rematch with the Yellow Jackets in Springfield, Mass. on Thursday afternoon at 3:30 p.m.
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