Box Score AUBURNDALE, Fla. – Senior lefty Ron Buchetto (Clinton) and two relievers combined on a four-hitter and struck out eight without a walk and senior All-America centerfielder Alex Zachary (Enfield) and sophomore All-New England DH Alex Parkos (Meriden) each had two extra-base hits in pacing the Eastern Connecticut State University baseball team to a 3-2 win over Ripon College Tuesday morning at Lake Myrtle Park.
Batting third in the order, Zachary hit a solo home run – the team's first of the season and the 11th of his two-year career -- with two out in the bottom of the first, then tripled with two out to spark a two-run sixth that snapped a 1-1 tie. Parkos followed Zachary's triple with one of his own for the go-ahead run in the sixth, and sophomore fielder Alexander White (West Hartford) made it 3-1 with a single that plated Parkos.
Leading 3-1, Buchetto was charged with an unearned run in the seventh before sophomore lefty Nick Rascati (Wallingford) came in to get the final out with a swinging strikeout and strand the tying run on second. Junior righty Sam Kosterich (Stamford) faced four batters in the ninth, getting consecutive swinging strikeouts to strand the tying run on second to gain his first save of the season, ninth of his career.
With Eastern leading 3-2, Parkos also doubled in the eighth but two runners were left in scoring position on an inning-ending ground ball.
Buchetto (1-0) gave up four hits and one earned run with five strikeouts. In his first career appearance, Ripon (0-6) freshman lefty Brian Brown worked the first seven innings, giving up seven hits with five strikeouts and a walk.
Eastern faces Rutgers-Camden Wednesday at Auburndale at 3:15 p.m.
