WEST HAVEN, Conn. (Apr. 17, 2015) - On Friday, the LIU Post baseball team got yet another stellar outing from sophomore Jake DeCarli (Higganum, Conn.) as the Pioneers defeated East Coast Conference rival Bridgeport, 4-1, in the opener of a four-game set.

The Pioneers (14-10, 11-6 ECC) gave DeCarli some early support as graduate outfielder Vinny Iacono (Nesconset, N.Y.) drove in a run in the third inning with a sacrifice fly and from there, it was a classic pitchers' duel. 

Bridgeport's PJ Martino and DeCarli would match zeros until the seventh, when the green and gold would break through. With junior second baseman Matt Bowers (Staten Island, N.Y.) on second with one out, red-shirt senior Tom Tolan (Malverne, N.Y.) singled to center, giving the Pioneers a 2-0 cushion. The Purple Knights would put two runners on in the bottom of the frame, but DeCarli would bounce back to keep them off the board.

In the eighth, LIU Post would add some insurance. With Iacono on second and one out, sophomore Thomas Asbaty (Randolph, N.J.) reached on a fielding error that allowed Iacono to score and Asbaty to move to second. After junior David Groeneveld (Centereach, N.Y.) was hit by a pitch, sophomore Kyle Fagan (Wantagh, N.Y.) singled, scoring Asbaty to make it 4-0.

Junior Dillon Burke (Plainview, N.Y.) pitched a scoreless eighth, but would get into a jam in the ninth. After a walk loaded the bases with one out, freshman Vinny Ruggiero (Plainview, N.Y.) was called upon to close it out. The righty allowed a sacrifice fly before enducing a pop-out to end it.

DeCarli tossed seven scoreless innings, bringing his ECC-leading ERA to 0.90. The sophomore scattered six hits and struck out three.

At the plate, Groeneveld was 2-for-3 with a double, while Tolan, Iacono and Fagan all drove in a run each.

Head Coach Mike Gaffney and the Pioneers resume their four-game set with Bridgeport on Saturday (Apr. 18) with a doubleheader at the LIU Post Baseball Field in Brookville. The first pitch of the opener is set for 12 p.m.