NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The Caldwell College baseball team opened the 2006 season with a pair of losses to Southern Connecticut State, 3-1 and 16-1 Sunday afternoon at Owls Ballpark. The Cougars are now 0-2, while the Owls, who are the defending Northeast Region champions, improve to 3-4.

Southern Connecticut scored single runs in the first, second and fourth innings to take a 3-0 lead. Senior designated hitter Landon Viessy (Oakland Gardens, NY/Cardozo) doubled in the top of the fourth for the Cougars' first hit of the season, but he was stranded at third. The Cougars got on the scoreboard in the top of the ninth, when junior Billy Ryan (Toms River, NJ/Manchester) and freshman Nick Longo (Nutley, NJ/Nutley) led off the inning with back-to-back singles. After advancing to third on a fielder's choice, Longo scored on a line out by senior Nick Mauro (Nutley, NJ/Nutley). But the Cougars' rally ended when sophomore Eric Theiss (Deer Park, NY/Deer Park) hit into a fielder's choice, forcing Viessy at second to end the game.

Sophomore right-hander Eric Hines (Milltown, NJ/Spotswood), the 2005 Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Rookie of the Year, allowed three runs, one earned, and nine hits while striking out six in 6.0 innings of work. Jeff Farrell pitched 8.0 innings, giving up four hits and one run to earn the victory.

Shaky fielding haunted the Cougars in the second game. Caldwell jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when Mauro's two-out double plated Viessy for Mauro's second RBI of the day. Starting pitcher Tommy Murphy (Monroe, NY, Washingtonville) held the Owls scoreless through three innings. But in the fourth, Southern Connecticut scored twice on a single by Jim McLaughlin and a double from Sean Morgan. Then in the fifth, the Owls tallied nine runs, six of them unearned, on seven hits, with the Cougars committing two errors and two passed balls in the inning. Caldwell miscues would lead to five more unearned runs for the Owls, who cruised to a 16-1 victory. Freshman outfielder Jorge Torres (Coral Springs, FL/Taravella) led the Cougars with two hits in the nightcap. Nick Czekaj finished the day 7 for 10 with four runs scored for Southern.

The Cougars return to action on Tuesday, Mar. 14, with a non-conference game at C.W. Post.