AMHERST, Mass. -- The Eastern Connecticut State University baseball team scored 18 unanswered runs over the first four innings and went on to demolish Amherst College, 18-5, Monday afternoon for its tenth straight win.

At right: With a three-run second-inning home run Monday, Gavin Lavallee had an opportunity to perfect his home run trot.

Having moved up three spots to No. 3 in New England in Monday's New England Coaches' Poll, Eastern (17-4) has won 14 of its last 15 after downing No. 5 Amherst (17-5) for the fourth straight time. Eastern is 10-1-1 against the Lord Jeffs in the last 12 meetings between the programs.
Eight of Eastern's 20 hits off five Amherst pitchers went for extra bases as the Warriors totaled the most runs be either team in this 39-game series. The 13-run margin equals the second-highest margin by either team, trailing only the Warriors' 14-0 victory 11 years ago at the Eastern Baseball Stadium. The Warriors also won by 13 runs (16-3) in 1989 at the old Alumni Field.
Seniors Brendan Lynch (Wethersfield), Gavin Lavallee (New Milford) and Nik Ververis (Plainfield) each homered and combined for eight hits, ten RBI and seven runs scored. Lynch had two hits, drove in four and scored three; Lavallee collected four hits, drove in three runs and scored three, and Ververis added two hits and three RBI and scored once. Junior Corey Keane (Tolland) picked up four hits, drove in two runs and scored twice and senior No. 9 hitter Joe Perez (North Branford) had three hits, scored twice and drove in a run. In addition to his first homer of the year, Ververis had a triple and Keane lashed two doubles.

Senior righty Pat Barnett (Windsor) was credited with his fourth win in as many decisions in ten days. Barnett (4-0) fanned five and allowed eight hits through the first five innings and junior lefty Matt D'Orsi (West Hartford) and senior righty Ben Richards (Northbridge, MA) combined to pitch the final three scoreless innings, giving up only one hit apiece.

Senior lefty Fred Shepard (3-2) lasted just two batters into the third inning for Amherst, but only three of the nine runs he allowed were earned. He left on the short end of a 7-0 score and junior righty reliever Keenan Szulik was raked for eight hits and seven earned run during Eastern's nine-run third inning.

Eastern visits Western Connecticut State University in a Little East Conference game Tuesday at 4 p.m.