Box Score MANSFIELD, Conn. – Sophomore righty Jack Risley (Willimantic) pitched a two-hitter over six innings and the Eastern Connecticut State University baseball team broke open a tight game by sending 12 batters to the plate and scoring seven runs in the fifth inning as the Warriors closed out their home season with a 10-4 non-conference victory over Manhattanville College Wednesday night at the Eastern Baseball Stadium.
In his third start, Risley (2-1) carried a no-hitter and 3-0 lead into the fifth inning before allowing a two-out infield single that deflected off his glove to senior second baseman Mike Funaro (Northford), whose hurried late throw pulled senior first baseman D.J.Scavone (Auburn, MA) off the bag.
Trailing 10-0, Manhattanville (16-18-1) broke through for an unearned run off Risley in the sixth on a one-out sinking single to left by senior rightfielder Nick Campana that was short-hopped by junior leftfielder Ryan Hood (Arlington, MA) and a sacrifice fly by junior cleanup hitter Luke Scoggins. After a one-out walk, Campana moved to third on a failed pickoff attempt.
In pitching a career-high number of innings, Risley fanned three and walked three before freshmen Nicholas Kraszewski (East Haven) and John Ferrara (Northampton, MA) and sophomore Jared Buckley (Oxford, MA) closed out the team's 11th home win in 16 outings by pitching one inning apiece. For Eastern (20-14), the victory gives Eastern at least 20 wins in 47 consecutive seasons.
Eastern followed an unearned run in the third with two more runs in the fourth on senior DH Collin Russell's (Sandwich,MA) two-run double which scored Scavone and freshman rightfielder Anthony Stigler (Mansfield) to take a 3-0 lead before tacking on seven runs in the fifth on five hits, three walks and an infield error. Scavone, who reached safely in his 20th straight game, doubled home two, with senior catcher Merlyn Herrera (La Yaquiza, DR), Russell, and Hood also plating runs in the frame. Junior centerfielder Alexander White (West Hartford) walked twice in the inning, leading off with a walk and scoring the first run on Scavone's double.
Russell was the only player with as many as two hits in the Warriors' ten-hit attack, with White reaching four times on a hit and three walks and Scavone reaching three times on his double and two walks. With his second-highest total of the year (15), Scavone tied Jeff Johnson's (1985-88) career record of 1,257 putouts, which was the eighth-highest mark all-time in Division III (second in New England) entering the season. Catcher Jody Curcuru of the University of Southern Maine holds the New England record of 1,292.
Eastern closes out the regular season Friday with a Little East Conference noon doubleheader at the University of Southern Maine, and opens play in the six-team, double-elimination Little East next Wednesday. The tournament site will be determined Friday.
