While playing in the RussMatt Invitational on Saturday, March 19, at Lake Myrtle Park in Auburndale, Florida, the Central Connecticut State University baseball team put up an impressive 19 runs during a doubleheader against Dartmouth University and Bradley University.

The Blue Devils scored nine runs in the first game to give them the 9-2 victory over Dartmouth, then put up another ten in the second game to defeat Bradley, 10-6.

With the Blue Devils trailing 1-0 in the second inning of the opening game, junior Noah Martinez led off with a solo home run to tie the game. CCSU took the lead in the third inning when sophomore Hunter Pasqualini singled and scored on the double from junior Dan Covino. Martinez followed that with a single that scored Covino to give the Blue Devils a 3-1 lead over Dartmouth.

In the sixth inning, Central’s hot bats continued when a bases-loaded single from sophomore Elliot Good scored two runs to extend the Blue Devils’ lead to 5-2. Solo homers in the ninth from sophomores Michael Torniero and Joe Rios capped off an impressive offensive display that helped the Blue Devils defeat Dartmouth.

Blue Devils’ sophomore pitcher Dominic Niman threw five innings against Dartmouth in the first game, striking out five and only allowing two hits and one earned run.

CCSU picked things up in the second game right where they left off in the first. Three runs in the first two innings, including a two-run double from Covino, helped the Blue Devils jump out to an early 3-0 lead over Bradley.

In the fourth inning, the Blue Devils’ offense exploded by pouring on seven more runs to give them the 10-1 lead. A grand slam from Martinez accounted for four of those runs while the rest came off RBI singles from Good, Pasqualini, and freshman Kyle Gordon.

CCSU’s sophomore pitcher Anthony Mozzicato pitched six innings in the second game of the doubleheader and struck out five while giving up four hits and one earned run. The bullpen took over from there and would give up three runs before sophomore Luke Garofalo could work around early trouble in the ninth and retire three straight batters to end the game.

Martinez went 4-for-9 with two home runs and six runs batted throughout the two games. The first four batters in the Blue Devils’ lineup combined to get 15 hits in 35 plate appearances and added 12 runs and 11 RBIs. As a team, the Blue Devils had ten extra-base hits in the doubleheader.

Up next for the Blue Devils is a trip to Rhode Island on Tuesday, March 22, to take on the University of Rhode Island in their last game before opening conference play against Wagner University on Friday, March 25.