Costello masters Xavier

MIDDLETOWN » Pitching wins.

So it was Tuesday afternoon when Cheshire starter Gary Costello took a no-hitter into the sixth inning before settling for an 8-3 Southern Connecticut Conference win over Xavier at Palmer Field.

“Gary was great,” said Cheshire coach Bill Mrowka. “It was his first start of the season and we’ve been working with him on hitting his spots. Today he did that. He allowed his defense to work for him. He maybe got a little tired in the sixth inning, but he did a great job.”

Costello took a 4-0 lead into the sixth having faced just one batter over the minimum. But he ran into trouble when he hit Drew Michaud to open the inning. Dylan Albert followed with the Falcons’ first hit of the game and Tim Dickson smacked an RBI double to get Xavier on the board.

Mrowka stayed with Costello for two more batters as he was bailed out by some zany Xavier baserunning that resulted in a runner being tagged out of the plate after a rundown.

With a run in and runners on first and third, Mrowka called on Matt Downey who gave up RBI singles to Matt Kyle and Joey Vail before restoring order by striking out Kevin Canney stranding runners on second and third.

“We might have tied the game or gone ahead had we not made baserunning mistakes,” said Xavier coach Nick Cerreta, who saw his club drop to 1-3. “If we had been able to get out that inning tied or with a lead, then things might have been different in the seventh.”

Going to the seventh at 4-3 it was anybody’s game, but not for long.

Reliever Ray Seward was betrayed by his defense — including a throwing error of his own — which set up Cheshire’s fourrun rally that blew the game open in the seventh. Three of the runs were unearned.

Ben Schena opened the inning by reaching on an error by shortstop Michaud. After Ryan Strollo bounced into a force play, Strollo went to third when Seward’s pickoff sailed down the right field line.

Back-to-back walks loaded the bases and a single by Dan Shumilla got one run home. Collin Hajjar (3for-4) knocked in two more and an RBI double by Evan Sokolik brought home the fourth run of the inning.

“Costello is good,” said Cerreta. “But we needed to make adjustments that we didn’t make. He was pitching people from the middle out and we didn’t adjust to that. When we learn to do that, we’ll be OK. We got back in the game, but the seventh inning was deflating.”

Mike Hickey worked the seventh inning for the Rams and after allowing a leadoff single, got a strikeout and ended the game with a flourish by inducing Albert to bounce into a double play.

Nick Borkowski started for Xavier, allowing four runs over five and a third innings on seven hits.

Cheshire got a run in the first on a sacrifice fly by De-Laubell, another in the second on a sac fly by Matt Costello, a run in the fifth on a double by Schena and an RBI single by Strollo, and a fourth run in the sixth on a double by Hajjar.

Xavier is home today with defending Class LL champion Amity at 4 p.m. at Palmer Field.