Box Score MANSFIELD, Conn. – In his fourth career start, freshman lefty Tom Conroy didn't allow an earned run through eight innings and Suffolk University capitalized on five hit batters and four walks to stop Eastern Connecticut State University's ten-game winning streak, 5-1, Thursday afternoon at the Eastern Baseball Stadium.
At right: As the last of four pitchers, senior Ben Richards threw a scoreless ninth in Thursday's 5-1 loss to Suffolk University at the Eastern Baseball Stadium.
Suffolk (17-9-1) entered the game as a winner in 13 of its previous 15 and Eastern (17-5) had won ten straight and 14 of 15. The Warriors are ranked third in New England and 26th in Division III.
Conroy (3-2) scattered six singles while fanning three and walking four. Trailing 3-0, the Warriors scored their only run in the sixth. Senior Brendan Lynch (Wethersfield) legged out an infield single and proceeded to second on an infield throwing error. He then stole third on an attempted pick off play and came around to score on a botched throw to third.
Eastern managed only one hit through the first four innings but threatened in each inning with the help of four walks, an error and two balks. Suffolk turned a 5-4-3 double play to end the third and the Warriors lined into an inning-ending double play in the fourth. Sophomore Kyle Hart's (Guilford) one-out single and a balk moved the tying run into scoring position in the fifth, but Conroy got a fly ball to center and infield ground ball to escape the jam.
Eastern junior righty Tyler Cyr (Bristol) hit three batters and threw a wild pitch when Suffolk scored its first run in the fourth, and the Rams made it 3-0 when they chased Cyr in the sixth on a leadoff double by freshman Matthew Brenner, two more hit batsmen, a two-out RBI single by sophomore Jon Lapolla and a bases-loaded walk. Cyr's five hit batsmen ties the Eastern game record, set ten years ago.
Lynch reached safely three times for Eastern with two walks and a single but Conroy and freshman righty Mark Fusco did not allow any Eastern batters more than one hit.
Brenner reached safely three times on a walk, hit-by-pitch and his sixth-inning opposite-field leadoff double down the right field line and also executed a sacrifice bunt in the seventh which set up the team's fourth run.
Eastern visits Western Connecticut State University Friday at 3 p.m. in a Little East Conference game.
