UNION, N.J. – Five Eastern Connecticut State University pitchers limited Kean University of seven singles, but the No. 5 nationally-ranked Cougars scored three unearned runs and limited the Warriors to four hits in spoiling the head coaching debut of Matt LaBranche in a 4-1 victory in Eastern's season-opener at Jim Hynes Stadium.

At right: Chuck Vogt

Kean (6-1), which has won six regional championships and one national title in the last eight years, scored an unearned run to snap a 1-1 tie in the bottom of the third and added two insurance runs in the seventh on three singles, a passed ball and intentional walk to defeat the Warriors for the fifth straight time.

Making his first career start after 14 relief appearances a year ago, junior righty ChuckVogt (Windsor Locks) was touched for Kean's first two runs on two hits, but neither was earned. He walked two without a strikeout in losing his second game in two decisions at Eastern.

Trailing 1-0, the Warriors tied the game in the third when junior second baseman Corey Keane (Tolland) stroked  a two-out triple to right-center – his first extra-base hit at Eastern and the only extra-base hit of the game – and raced home on an infield throwing error.

Eastern could not muster more than a hit in any innings and junior lefty Dan Hansen (1-0) and two relievers. After Keane's third-inning triple, senior leftfielder Adam Roderick (West Hartford) singled with one out in the sixth,  senior first baseman Gavin Lavallee (New Milford) singled to open the eighth, and senior third baseman Mike Vaccarelli (Wolcott) legged out an infield single with one out in the ninth.

In his first appearance of the year, Hansen pitched a two-hitter with six strikeouts and didn't give up an earned run.

Four of Eastern's pitchers held the hosts without an earned run. Senior righty Greg Porter (Mystic) gave up two hits in one inning, sophomore righty Patrick O'Neill (Thomaston) no hits and two strikeouts in two innings, and senior righty Pat Barnett (Windsor) three hits and a strikeout in one inning. Sophomore righty Adam Merritt (Seymour)  pitched a scoreless eighth, fanning one.

Sophomore catcher Tim Budd (Cheshire), who threw out nearly 40 percent of attempted base-stealers as a freshman Western New England University last year, tossed out both Kean runners attempting to steal. Budd erased Ryan Kelley trying to swipe third base to close out the first inning, and extinguished Andy Lopez trying to take second to close out the third.

Eastern visits Farmingdale State College Saturday at 4 p.m.