After dropping two of three in their first Northeast Conference series last weekend, the Central Connecticut baseball team won two of three against Wagner, including an extra-inning thriller Friday and an offensive explosion on Sunday.

The Blue Devils trailed 3-1 in the fifth inning on Friday but tied the game on a two-run home run by junior outfielder Dave Matthews, his first as a Blue Devil.

The Seahawks took the lead with two runs of their own in the top of the eighth inning, but Central was able to retaliate thanks to a two-run double by sophomore designated hitter Jake Siracusa.

But that lead was squandered quickly thanks to a Seahawk sacrifice-fly in the top of the ninth. The Blue Devils would once again match it thanks to a sac-fly of their own by freshman pinch hitter Dan Covino.

After closer Jared Gallagher struck out two to blank the Seahawks in the top of the 10^th,  sophomore infielder Jay Devito came through with the bases loaded, delivering a game-winning single.

“Any time you can come from behind in a conference game, it’s big. We were a couple outs away from losing this game, but we were able to fight and scratch and win it at the end,” head coach Charlie Hickey said of the performance.

But Saturday’s contest did not possess the firepower, as the Blue Devil bats went quiet en route to a 4-2 loss in a pitcher’s duel.

Central was silenced by Seahawk senior starting pitcher Neil Abbatiello, who had a similar performance against them last year. Abbatiello tossed eight innings of one-run ball.

But junior Brandon Fox held his own for Central on the bump. After giving up a leadoff home run, Fox lasted eight innings, yielding just four hits and three runs, though just one was earned.

“It’s a long game. You can’t base your start off one pitch, especially when it starts off like that. You want to bounce back right away and just keep attacking the zone, getting ahead and just going from there,” Fox said of how he bounced back following the leadoff home run.

But at the end of the day, the Blue Devils were unable to string together hits or create a lot of opportunities.

“You would think with the conditions today being warmer and the way the wind was blowing, you would have expected a few more opportunities,” Hickey said.

But the bats came alive on Sunday when they scored 11 runs on 10 hits, leading to a decisive 10-3 victory.

The Blue Devils were able to string together hits and runs in both the second and fourth inning, leading to a 4-1 lead at that point. But as Hickey pointed out after the game, every time the Seahawks cut into their lead, the Blue Devils responded, giving them breathing room.

“We were able to get into their bullpen again earlier which, for the most part, usually means you’re getting to the bottom half of their staff. We were able to get out and get a couple,” Hickey said.

Hickey said a pivotal point in the game was a three-run home run from Matthews in the eighth inning to extend their lead to 10-3.

But Matthews was not the only Blue Devil to go yard on the day as junior second baseman Chandler Debrosse sent a solo shot over the wall, the first of his career.

“That felt really good. I know I had been struggling a little bit. So, it was good to finally really connect with the barrel. I’m excited I could help the team out,” Debrosse said.

Despite the strong game, Hickey said his team is “still a long way from being a good offensive team” and said they will use their next three non-conference games as an opportunity to “continue to play and continue to get older.”