Box Score MANSFIELD, Conn. – Senior Alexander White (West Hartford) cleared the bases with a double and junior John Mesagno (Tappan, NY) followed with a two-run home run to highlight a seven-run fourth inning and the Eastern Connecticut State University baseball team went on to a 12-3 Little East Conference win over Western Connecticut State University Tuesday afternoon at the Eastern Baseball Stadium.
Trailing 3-0 after Western (3-14, 1-4 LEC) scored all of its runs in the top of the first, Eastern (10-8, 4-2 LEC) sent ten batters to the plate and scored seven runs in the fourth on five hits, two walks and a sacrifice fly to defeat Western for the 83rd time in the 92-game series history.
The Warriors hit for the cyle in the fourth, with freshman Matt Malcom (East Lyme) and sophomore Jack Rich (Meriden) singling, White delivering his three-run double, sophomore transfer Luke Broadhurst (Stafford) tripling, and Mesagno belting his second career home run. All five came around to score in the inning.
Sophomore transfer righty Zach Player (East Hampton) pitched five scoreless innings to gain his second win in two decisions, fanning seven and walking two, with senior righty Cole Ogorzalek (Portland) earning his first career save with the final 3 1/3 shutout innings. He scattered two hits and struck out three.
White, Broadhurst, Rich and Malcom all had two hits in a 12-hit attack which featured five doubles (two by White), Broadhurst's third triple in four games, and
Mesagno's second homer in four games. Batting 1-through-4, White, Mesagno, Broadhurst and Malcom combined to drive in nine runs
Western managed only five hits after pushing across three runs in the first on junior Matt Mancini's two-out, two-run double, and senior George Bielizna's run-scoring single.
Senior righty Mike Esposito retired the first eight batters and led 3-0, but was lifted after the first three Eastern batters reached in the fourth. Broadhurst opened the inning with a triple, Malcom singled in the first run, and senior William Coleman (Northford) walked to end Esposito's afternoon.
Eastern hosts Trinity College Wednesday at 4 p.m. in a non-conference game. The Bantams are ranked third in New England.
