WINTER HAVEN – Reliable middle-of-the-order hitters Alex Parkos (Meriden) and Alex Zachary (Enfield) picked a good day to have an off day Saturday.

With the All-New England pair managing only one hit between them, their Eastern Connecticut State University teammates picked them up as the Warriors erased an early four-run deficit to score 17 consecutive runs – 11 coming in the eighth inning – en route to a 17-5 rout of the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in a game stopped after eight innings.

Eastern (5-2) sent 16 batters to the plate in the 11-run eighth inning, with senior third baseman Christian Budzik (Cromwell), freshman catcher Jake LeFevre (Mansfield) and first-semester sophomore transfer shortstop Cory Baldwin (Cromwell) – batting consecutively in the order – each collecting two hits and scoring two runs and combing for five RBI. Baldwin had two doubles and LeFevre recorded the first two hits of his career with a single and triple.

Six batters drove in at least two runs in the game and five scored at least two runs. Baldwin led the 14-hit attack with four hits, five RBI and two runs scored, LeFevre two hits, two RBI and three runs; Budzik three hits, three runs and two RBI; senior rightfielder Pat Sirois (Cromwell) scored three runs and drove in two; and junior first baseman D.J. Scavone (Auburn, MA) knocked in two runs and scored two.

Eastern sophomore righty John Parker (Brunswick, ME) was knocked out in the fourth when Oshkosh (2-3) scored three times to move out to a 4-0 lead, but the Warriors got shutdown pitching from sophomore righty Cole Ogorzalek (Portland) in the middle innings and rallied with three in the fifth and three in the sixth to take a 6-4 lead. Ogorzalek got all three outs of the fourth after spelling Parker with two aboard and the Warriors down by four. Ogozalek induced an infield popup and two ground outs to prevent further damage in that inning.

Baldwin plated the last two runs of the fifth with a single to make it 4-3. Sirois drew one of his two walks to open the three-run sixth, and Scavone tied the game with an RBI double. Budzik's sacrifice fly put the Warriors ahead for good, and Baldwin's double upped the lead to 6-4.

Ogorzalek (2-0) was nicked for just one hit in 3 1/3 innings. He fanned three without a walk. Sophomore lefty Nick Rascati (Wallingford) produced in a big spot when he was summoned in the seventh to replace Ogorzalek with one out. Facing the tying run, Rascati got pinch hitter Taylor Grimm and DH Jonathan Selchow each on called third strikes to end the threat.

Seven Oshkosh pitchers combined to walk nine and the Titans commited three errors in the field, while three Eastern pitchers fanned seven and walked three.

The game featured programs which have combined for six NCAA Division III national championships (Eastern four, Oshkosh two).

Eastern closes out its spring trip Sunday against Benedictine University at 2 p.m. at Winter Haven.