MANSFIELD, Conn. – Sophomore reliever Patrick O'Neill (Thomaston) diffused a bases loaded, none out situation in the seventh inning of a tie game and senior Nik Ververis (Plainfield) drove in senior shortstop Brendan Lynch (Wethersfield) with the go-ahead run in the bottom of inning with a two-out double as the Eastern Connecticut State University baseball team posted a 4-2, come-from-behind win over Western New England University Wednesday night at the Eastern Baseball Stadium.

At right: First-year Eastern head coach Matt LaBranche (right), who spent 14 years as head coach at Western New England University, visits with current WNE head coach Dan Gomez prior to Wednesday's game at the Eastern Baseball Stadium. Gomez worked under LaBranche for four season at WNEU before the latter was appointed the Warriors' skipper last spring. (Photo by Haley Heslin)

Ranked second in New England and 26th nationally, Eastern (21-6) ended a six-game losing streak at the hands of Western New England (13-17-1) with its 14th win in its last 16 games this year. First-year Eastern head coach Matt LaBranche had spent the previous 14 seasons as head coach at Western New England, leading the Golden Bears to 11 NCAA tournaments and compiling 429 wins and a 69.6 winning percentage.

Wednesday, O'Neill (4-0) took over for junior starter Brent Pelella (Southbury) with the game tied 2-2 and the bases loaded and none out in the seventh. O'Neill got a 5-2-3 double play for the first two outs and Lynch got the final out at shortstop by grabbing a ground ball going to his left and throwing out WNE leading hitter Steve Ambrosino after O'Neill had gotten two quick strikes on the No.3 hitter.

With one out in the seventh, Lynch walked on a 3-2 pitch and Ververis drove the ball into the gap to easily plate Lynch with the go-ahead run. Eastern added an insurance run in the eighth when senior third baseman Mike Vaccarelli (Wolcott) reached on a fielder's choice and stole second. While attempting to throw out Vaccarelli stealing third, WNE threw the ball into left field, allowing the runner to score.

O'Neill allowed only one baserunner over the final three innings, fanning three. O'Neill retired the first two batters of the seventh, and after giving up a single to No. 9 hitter Scott Hubener, got a game-ending ground ball to Vaccarelli at third.

Pelella surrendered only five hits over the first six innings in the non-decision. His first walk and his own throwing error got him in trouble in the third, when the Golden Bears scored their only run and took the early lead. With two runners aboard, Pelella struck out cleanup hitter Doug Milne, but No. 5 hitter Steve Buckley, lashed a two-run double through the right-center field gap.

Junior Kyle Hart (Guilford) got the Warriors on the board in the fourth when he doubled off starter Brendan Nugent (1-5) and came home on Vaccarelli's single, and Eastern knotted the game at 2-all in the fifth when Ververis reached on a fielder's choice, raced to third on senior Gavin Lavallee's (New Milford)  two-out single, and scored on a wild pitch.

 Eastern visits Westfield State University Thursday at 4 p.m. in a non-conference game.