NEW BRITAIN, Conn. (Interstat) — Le Moyne scored three runs in the top of the ninth inning to overcome a two-run deficit and defeat Central Connecticut 3-2 in the first game of a doubleheader Friday afternoon at Balf–Savin Field.

The Dolphins improved to 19-24 overall, while the Blue Devils fell to 17-25.

AJ Petraitis delivered a dominant start for Le Moyne, tossing 7 innings without allowing a hit while striking out 7. He surrendered 2 earned runs, both coming on a third-inning home run by Louis Jordan. Petraitis walked 2 and hit a batter but kept the Blue Devils off the scoreboard for the other six frames.

Central Connecticut’s Kyle Salvati matched Petraitis for much of the game, allowing only 5 hits over 8 innings with 8 strikeouts. He permitted 1 earned run, a solo homer by Adam Sullivan that sparked the Dolphins’ decisive rally in the ninth.

Le Moyne’s offense was quiet for eight innings. The Dolphins managed just 2 hits through the first eight frames, both singles by Jack Cannon and Derek Diaz. Salvati retired 13 consecutive batters at one point.

The Blue Devils broke the scoreless tie in the bottom of the third. Gabe Tanous singled to right field to start the inning. Jordan followed by driving a 1-0 pitch over the left-field wall for a two-run homer, giving Central Connecticut a 2-0 lead.

Petraitis settled in after that, retiring 12 of the next 14 hitters he faced. He finished his outing by striking out the side in the fifth and working a clean seventh.

Luke Connors relieved Petraitis in the eighth and struck out three in two perfect innings to earn the win.

The game turned in the top of the ninth. With one out, Sullivan crushed a solo home run to right field off Salvati, cutting the deficit to 2-1. Cooper Romich walked, and Salvati was replaced by Niko Christon. Robert Wegrzyn reached on a throwing error by third baseman Jordan, putting runners at first and second. A wild pitch moved both runners into scoring position, and Chaz Anthony popped up for the second out. Derek Diaz then reached on a fielding error by shortstop Michael Quiros, allowing Romich and Wegrzyn to score, giving Le Moyne a 3-2 lead.

Connors retired the Blue Devils in order in the bottom of the ninth, striking out Gabe Pitts, getting a flyout from Quiros and a groundout from Tanous to seal the victory.

Sullivan finished 2-for-4 with a home run and an RBI. Diaz was 1-for-4 with an RBI. Cannon went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases.

For Central Connecticut, Jordan was 1-for-3 with a home run and two RBIs. Matt Graziose went 2-for-4. Frankie Ferrentino added a double.

The win marked Le Moyne’s second consecutive victory over Central Connecticut after a 7-0 shutout Thursday. The Dolphins entered Friday having lost 3 of their previous 4 games, including a 20-3 defeat at Albany on Tuesday.

Central Connecticut had lost 5 of its previous 6 games coming into the doubleheader.

Interstat’s game simulator projected a final score of Le Moyne 8, Central Connecticut 4. Interstat’s ELO system gave the Blue Devils a 60.10 percent probability to win.