Box Score AUBURNDALE, Fla. – Junior All-Region third baseman Alex Parkos (Meriden) had three extra-base hits and drove in three runs and senior first baseman D.J. Scavone (Auburn, MA) hit a game-ending one-out single in the bottom of the ninth as the Eastern Connecticut State University baseball team ended its spring trip with an 11-10 win over Knox College Sunday morning at Lake Myrtle Park.
Knox (2-7) tied the game in the top of the ninth on Tristan Hannah's RBI single, but Eastern (4-4) walked off with the win in the bottom of the ninth inning to snap a two-game losing streak.
In the bottom of the ninth, Eastern loaded the bases on junior shortstop Dale Keller's (Oxford) leadoff walk (his third of the game), a pinch sacrifice bunt by senior infielder Collin Russell (Sandwich, MA), single by sophomore DH Jake LeFevre (Mansfield Center), and an intentional walk to Parkos. With one out, Scavone then singled in Keller from third with the game-winning run.
Making his staff-high fifth appearance out of the bullpen, sophomore righty Drew Alexopoulos (Hanson, MA) was credited with his first career win when he stranded two runners in getting the final out of the top of the ninth.
Batting 2-3-4 in the order, LeFevre, Parkos and Scavone combined to go 8-for-16 with four RBI and four runs score. Parkos reached five times. He doubled in the first, hit a three-run home run in a five-run third – his first of the year and 12th of his career – walked and stole a base in the fourth, doubled and scored and flew out in the five-run seventh, and was intentionally walked in the ninth.
The Warriors had a combined total of 11 of their 17 hits when they scored five runs in the third to take a 5-3 lead and five in the seventh to regain a 10-7 lead. Freshman catcher Kevin Murphy (Springfield, MA) highlighted the five-run seventh with a two-run single.
In addition to Parkos, LeFevre had three hits and scored a run and Scavone had two hits, drove in the winning run and scored a run. Murphy finished with two hits, three RBI and a run scored.
Parkos had his fourth multi-hit game of the trip and third multi-RBI performance and Keller reached safely for the seventh straight game.
Matt McCaffrey and Kobe Shutter led Knox's 15-hit attack against four Eastern pitchers with three hits each.
Making his second start, freshman righty Matt Curtis (Tolland) worked the first five innings, allowing only two earned runs on eight hits with three strikeouts and a walk.
Eastern opens up north Tuesday at Trinity College at 4 p.m.
