Box Score 1 |
Box Score 2 KEENE, N.H. – An Eastern Connecticut State University baseball team which was struggling to qualify for the six-team Little East Conference tournament ten short days ago enters the tournament as one of the hottest teams after the Warriors ended the regular season on a six-game winning streak following 10-2, 6-2 (12 innings) victories over Keene State College Friday afternoon at the Owl Athletic Complex.
Now 15-3 against Keene (10-24, 2-12 Little East) in its last 18 meetings with the Owls, Eastern (19-15, 8-6 Little East) enters the tournament as the defending champion riding a season-high six-game winning streak. The Warriors are seeded fifth in the six-team, double-elimination tournament which runs from Wednesday through Saturday at top-seeded University of Southern Maine in Gorham, ME.
Junior right Patrick O'Neill (Thomaston) pitched his second career complete game in the opener against Keene and was supported by a 17-hit attack, allowing only five hits and issuing one walk with four strikeouts. The Warriors completed the sweep when relievers Matt D'Orsi (West Hartford) and Adam Merritt (Seymour) combined on a three-hitter over nine innings and Eastern batted around to score four runs in the top of the 12th on three hits, three walks, a wild and a sacrifice fly. Junior third baseman Chad Adams (Ware, MA) doubled in the inning. Batting in the lower third of the order, senior leftfielder Joe Perez (North Branford) and freshman shortstop Mike Funaro (Northford) contributed RBI singles and junior catcher Tim Budd (Cheshire) had a sacrifice fly to highlight the four-run 12th.
D'Orsi took over for sophomore lefty Ron Buchetto (Clinton) with two runners on and none out and Eastern trailing 1-0 in the fourth inning. He escaped the jam and surrendering only two hits until Merritt went the final 4 2/3 innings for his fourth win without a loss, giving up only one hit. Merritt was charged with one unearned run when Keene tied the game in the 11th by scoring on an infield error and triple after there were two out and none on.
Eastern had taken a 2-1 lead in the top of the 11th without the aid of a hit, pushing across the go-ahead run on two hit batters, a walk, passed ball and Budd's sacrifice fly.
In the doubleheader, Adams was 5-for-12 with two doubles and four runs scored, Budd 5-for-9 with three RBI.
On Eastern's current six-game winning streak, junior DH Andrew Scully (Stratford) is batting .370, Budd .348 and sophomore shortstop Christian Budzik (Cromwell) .333. Budzik and Adams have both driven in six runs and Budd and sophomore centerfielder Pat Sirois (Cromwell) five each.The pitching staff has lowered its ERA to 5.65 with a 2.21 ERA in those six games.
