Box Score YAPHANK, N.Y. -- Freshman DH Alex Parkos (Meriden) hit his first collegiate home run and drove in an insurance run with a double in the eighth inning and five Eastern Connecticut State University pitchers combined on an eight-hitter as the Warriors completed a perfect season-opening weekend with a 6-3 baseball victory over SUNY Old Westbury Sunday afternoon at Baseball Heaven.
Coming off a Saturday sweep of Farmingdale State College, Eastern (3-0) never trailed against Old Westbury (9-4) -- coming off an NCAA Division III regional tournament appearance a year ago -- en route to its 16th victory over the Panthers in as many games in this series.
The Warriors snapped a 1-1 tie to take the lead for good with two runs in the third on two hits, two walks and two stolen bases. Leading 4-3 in the eighth, five consecutive batters reached base, with Parkos doubling in senior third baseman Chad Adams (Ware, MA) to make it 5-3, and junior shortstop Christian Budzik (Cromwell) walking with the bases loaded to make it 6-3.
In the two-run third, freshman leftfielder Alexander White (West Hartford) and sophomore first baseman D.J. Scavone (Auburn, MA) plated sophomore second baseman Mike Funaro (Northford) and first-year junior centerfielder Alex Zachary (Enfield), who had walked to open the inning.
Adams was 3-for-4 with a double, run and RBI to raise his season average to .500 (6-for-12), with Parkos going 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run. Budzik and Funaro handled 13 chances in the field without an error and teamed on one of the team's two double plays.
Three Old Westbury pitchers combined to walk six batters, with four of those walks eventually coming around to score.
Junior lefty Ron Buchetto (Clinton) allowed one earned run on five hits with four strikeouts and no walks to gain the win in a starting role, with junior righty Sam Kosterich (Stamford) earning his second save in as many days with a 1-2-3 ninth. Following Old Westbury's leadoff double in the seventh, freshmen lefty Noah Gulino (Farmington), freshman righty John Parker (Brunswick, ME) and Kosterich set down the final nine batters. Freshman righty Jordan Muchin (West Hartford), Gulino and Parker each pitched one inning in their collegiate debut.
In three games this weekend, the defense was charged with only two errors which led to one unearned run. The pitchers staff had a 2.67 ERA with 19 strikeouts and nine walks in 27 innings and gave up only four extra base hits, three of them doubles.
Eastern plays the first of nine games in Florida Thursday against the College of New Jersey at 4 p.m. at Winter Haven.
