Coming off a thrilling win against Quinnipiac in New Britain, the Central Connecticut baseball team hit the road to upstate New York, where it split a pair of games against non-conference opponents.

The team first took on Niagara on Saturday, where it once again saw a strong outing from senior starting pitcher Tom Curtin, who yielded just two runs in six innings despite only striking out one Purple Eagle. He was able to keep his team in the game, exiting with the score tied at two.

Thanks to a cancellation the day prior, the Blue Devils needed just two starting pitchers on the weekend, allowing them to turn to senior Patrick Mitchell. But Mitchell let up two runs on two hits in the seventh, giving the Purple Eagles the lead.

The Blue Devils got a run back in the bottom of the inning on a wild pitch, bringing them to within one, a score that would hold until the bottom of the ninth.

In the bottom of the last inning, junior outfielder Buddy Dewaine led things off with a single, followed by a Sam Loda walk, putting the winning run on base.

The Blue Devils would tie the game on a single by freshman first baseman Tim Buchek, who hit his first career collegiate home run earlier in the game. Buchek has acted as Central’s fourth starting pitcher but showed he can contribute on both sides of the ball with three runs batted in on Saturday.

After a walk loaded the bases, freshman Dan Covino delivered a pinch-hit sacrifice fly, giving the Blue Devils the win. It was the second time on the season Covino had a clutch sac-fly, with the first coming against Wagner last weekend that tied the game in the bottom of the ninth.

Coming off two nail-biting wins, the Blue Devils were unable to capture that same magic against Binghamton on Sunday, falling by a score of 3-2. Central did not muster much offense against Bearcat starter Ben Anderson, who fanned eight Blue Devils en route to giving up just one (unearned) run in six innings.

Though managing a run in the eighth, Central was unable to overcome the one-run deficit.

Despite the loss, the Blue Devils saw another strong performance from their veteran pitching staff, as three seniors kept them in the contest.

Starter Brandon Fox went six strong innings, managing to only surrender two runs despite nine Bearcat hits, all while walking no batters after giving up at least three free bases in previous two starts. Fox’s earned run average sits at a strong 3.05 on the season.

Classmate Mike Appel, who appears to have settled into a bullpen role, gave up one run in one inning. Closer Jared Gallagher, despite the non-save situation, threw a clean eighth inning, striking out one.

The Blue Devils still sit at .500 in Northeast Conference play, leaving them a game and a half out of a top-four spot in the standings, which would warrant a postseason berth. The team will have an opportunity to stay in the thick of things when it takes on Sacred Heart for a three-game series at home over the weekend.