Box Score LEC Tournament Central
MANSFIELD, Conn. -- Sophomore lefty Shane Bierfeldt pitched a no-hitter for 6 2/3 innings and junior Bryan Harper's bloop, opposite-field single to right in the fifth inning drove in the only run of the game as the Western Connecticut State University baseball team ended a nine-game losing streak at the hands of Eastern Connecticut State University with a Little East Conference victory Saturday afternoon at the Eastern Baseball Stadium.
On the final day of the regular season, Western (19-18, 7-7 LEC) sent Eastern (19-17, 7-7 LEC) to its sixth straight loss and leaves the Warriors with their least number of conference regular-season wins in 20 years of conference play.
Entering the weekend with a chance at the LEC regular-season title and No. 1 tournament seed, Eastern slips to the No. 5 seed, while Western is the sixth and final seed. The double-elimination tournament gets underway Wednesday at Monan Field and will be hosted by top seed University of Massachusetts Boston.
The Warriors will meet No. 2 seed and defending champion University of Southern Maine in an opening-round game at 3:30 p.m., while Western faces top seed UMass Boston in the first game at noon.
Saturday, Bierfeldt retired the first 12 batters in order before walking the first two batters of the fifth. With two outs in the seventh and Western leading, 1-0, junior Alex Zachary (Enfield) broke up the no-hitter with a triple high off the left-center field fence, but Bierfeldt – facing his final batter -- got a called strike to leave the runner stranded. It was the ninth strikeout for Bierfeldt, who walked two and faced only two batters over the minimum in seven innings.
The Warriors threatened again in the eighth against relief pitcher Edgard Santiago, but the senior lefty got a ground ball and line drive out to left after putting runners on the corners with a single by senior catcher Tim Budd (Cheshire) – the team's second and last hit – a wild pitch, and walk.
Santiago retired the first two batters of the ninth on ground balls, but gave way to freshman righty Taylor Donofrio after an error and walk move the tying run into scoring position. Donofrio recorded his fourth save when sophomore third baseman Joe Daigle gloved a hard-hit ball to his left and threw to junior second baseman Joe Costa for the game-ending forceout.
Eastern freshman John Parker (Brunswick, ME) pitched an eight-inning, complete game – the first of his career. The 6-foot-4 inch righty allowed only four hits (all singles) while striking out six and walking one. Parker retired the first eight batters in order and gave up only one hit through four innings before the Colonials broke through in the fifth and went on to become the first team to shut out Eastern this year.
With one out in the fifth, junior Frank Vartuli reached on swinging bunt, advanced to second on an infield out, and scored standing up when No. 8 hitter Harper – batting .210 -- dropped a flair down the right field line.
Western concludes the regular season having split six conference doubleheaders and splitting two single games with Eastern, both games being played at the Eastern Baseball Stadium. Parker and freshman lefty Nick Rascati (Wallingford) combined on a six-hitter in Eastern's 6-1 win over Western April 19.
