Danbury, Conn. – The Albertus Magnus College baseball team split a non-conference doubleheader against in-state rival Western Connecticut on Wednesday evening at Westside Field. The host Colonials took the opener, 8-7, in 11 innings and the Falcons rallied for a 10-9 triumph in the nightcap.

With the split, Albertus Magnus enters the final weekend of the regular season with a 12-19 overall record and Western Connecticut moves to 15-16 on the spring.

Game One
Sophomore catcher Zach Sagar (Trumbull, Conn.) paced the Colonials going 4-for-5 with a pair of runs scored, while classmate shortstop Bill Buscetto (Old Lyme, Conn.) went 3-for-4 with a run. Senior third baseman Justin Poirier (Meriden, Conn.) led the Falcons going 2-for-4 with a pair of homeruns, three RBI's and three runs scored. Poirier now leads the team with three dingers on the season.

Rookie Taylor Donofrio (Terryville, Conn.) pitched 4.1 solid innings of relief work while scattering just two hits to earn the win and improve to 3-1, while AMC freshman Josh Uhrstadt (Anaheim, Calif.) took the loss and fell to 0-1.

The Colonials held a 5-3 lead heading into the fifth. Albertus Magnus tallied four runs to grab a 7-5 advantage. During the rally, senior catcher Mike Saia (Bridgeport, Conn.) hit a sac fly to left, classmate Steven Lockman (Wallingford, Conn.) laced an RBI double to left and fellow senior Ted Gravel (Morris, Conn.) lined a run-scoring single to right. The visitors capped their scoring in the frame as Gravel stole second and Lockman trotted home on an errant throw by the Colonial catcher.

Western answered back in the sixth with a pair to knot the count at 7-7. After four scoreless innings, the Colonials notched the game-winning run in the bottom of the 11th when senior outfielder Chris Callahan (Southington, Conn.) hit a towering sacrifice fly to left to drive in Buscetto who reached on a single, stole second, and advanced to third on a throwing error by the catcher.

Game Two
Western jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the nightcap. The Falcons rallied with five unearned runs in the top of the fifth to tie the score at 7-7. In the stanza, Saia, Lockman and freshman Robert Perazzella (Wolcott, Conn.) all had RBI singles. The big hit in the frame was a two-run triple to right center by Gravel.

The hosts quickly countered in the sixth with a pair to regain the advantage. Junior outfielder Tre' Gause (Brookfield, Conn.) smacked an RBI single to center and rookie Rob Pezzulo (Plainville, Conn.) came home on a wild pitch.

The lead was short lived, however, as Gravel bashed a three-run homer over the left field wall in the seventh, giving the visitors a 10-9 lead. The Colonials would strand the equalizer on third base to end the contest.

On the bump, junior lefty Adam Olszyk (Hamden, Conn.) registered his first win of the year courtesy of tossing one and a third scoreless innings. Gravel paced the offensive attack for the guests, going 4-for-4 with five RBIs and two runs scored.

Albertus Magnus closes out the 2016 regular season with a home Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) doubleheader versus Suffolk at Rochford Field that is slated to begin at 1:00 pm. The Falcons will honor the eight members of the senior class on the baseball team for their contributions to the program prior to game against the Rams.

For the latest information on the baseball team and Albertus Magnus athletics, follow AMCAthletics on Twitter and visit AlbertusFalcons.com.