Owls Blank Concordia, 4-0, Behind Rossomando's Gem

By, courtesy of SCSU Athletic Communications
LANTANA, Fla. – The Southern Connecticut State University baseball team defeated Concordia (N.Y.), 4-0, in a non-conference matchup at Santaluces Athletic Complex in Lantana, Fla. The win moves the Owls at 4-6 overall while Concordia drops to 4-8.

Ronnie Rossomando (Stratford, Conn.) pitched a gem, spinning nine shutout innings while scattering six hits and striking out eight. Senior captain Jim Palmer (Milford, Conn.) continued his hot hitting with a 2-for-5 day with three RBI while Nick Lamberti (East Haven, Conn.), Mac Finnegan (Old Saybrook, Conn.) and Nolan Cloutier (Wallingford, Conn.) collected two hits each.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• In the second, Cameron O'Toole (Grafton, Mass.) poked a one-out single before he was retired on a groundball to third by Cloutier that allowed the Owls' right fielder to reach on the fielder's choice. Trevor Whalen (Rocky Hill, Conn.) then followed with a single to move Cloutier to third before Palmer's swinging bunt for a single scored Cloutier and gave the Owls' a 1-0 lead.
• Rossomando was on-point as he pitched out a jam in the second, before retiring five of the next six batters he faced through the fourth. In the fifth, he worked out of another jam with two runners in scoring position.
• In the fourth, O'Toole was hit by a pitch to lead-off the inning before Cloutier's double moved him to third. With the infield drawn in, Palmer lined a bullet past Concordia's second baseman to plate two more runs and give Southern a 3-0 lead.
• After Anthony Zambito (Ridgewood, N.J.) bunted him over, Lamberti hit a high chopper to third that scored Palmer to give the Owls' the four-run lead.
• Rossomando gave up a pair of one-out single in the seventh, before retiring the next seven batters he faced – four by strikeout – before putting two runners on in the ninth with two outs. He then induced a game-ending fly ball to center to end the game.

NOTES

• Rossomando's complete game shutout is the first for the Owls since Griffin Bremer did it against Bridgeport at home on Mar. 4, 2018. It is also the Owls first complete game shutout on the road since Cole Bryant did it against Molloy on Feb. 25, 2017 in Myrtle Beach, S.C.
• A transfer from NCAA Division I UConn where he pitched for three seasons, it is Rossomando's first career complete game and shutout while his eight strikeouts are also a career best.
• Cloutier has been on an impressive run as of late, hitting 4-for-7 for the weekend with a team-best three runs scored.
• The third-year Owl currently leads Southern with six doubles for the year and also has six multiple-hit games in his last seven games.
• Palmer is currently riding an eight-game hit streak. In the two-game series against the Clippers, Palmer was 6-for-10 with four RBI.
• Connor Redahan (Greenwich, Conn.) is currently riding a team-leading nine game hitting streak.

UP NEXT
Southern resumes play at Santaluces Athletic Complex on Sunday, Mar. 10 against Queens College at 10:30 a.m.