MANSFIELD, Conn. – Senior captain John Mesagno (Tappan, NY) hit a leadoff home run in the bottom of the ninth inning to give the Eastern Connecticut State University baseball team a 4-3 come-from-behind walk-off victory over New England College for the second time in two games against the Pilgrims in a non-conference season-opener Thursday afternoon at the Eastern Baseball Stadium.
 
Eastern tied the score with two two-out runs in the eighth on junior Owen Marica's (Haddam) sacrifice fly and junior Noah Plantamuro's (Bristol) two-out RBI single, and after freshman righty Nolan Lincoln (Londonderry, NH) came on to strand the go-ahead runs aboard with a swinging strikeout and line drive to Plantamuro at second, Mesagno hammered a 1-2 pitch from sophomore Tim Krol over the left field fence for his fourth career home run.
 
In the first meeting between the program at the Eastern Baseball Stadium in 2019, Eastern came from three runs back after seven-and-a half innings, winning it on William Coleman's game-ending two-out, two-run double in the ninth.  A freshman that year, junior Matt Malcom (East Lyme) had driven in the first two runs with a home run in the bottom of the eighth. Mesagno was aboard ahead of Malcom when he opened the inning by being hit by a pitch. The Pilgrims went on to the NCAA Super Regional that year.
 
In his first career start, sophomore righty starter Billy Oldham (Brookfield) pitched into the sixth but was charged with the go-ahead run after being lifted in favor of sophomore righty Nathan Furino (East Haven). New England (0-3) tacked on a second insurance run in the seventh on freshman No. 8 hitter Logan Gadbois' first career high – a double to right.
 
Senior Holden White (Wallingford), a late-inning replacement at first base, reached on an infield single with one out and one on in the eighth to move senior Drew Alexopoulos (Hanson, MA) to third. Marica's sacrifice fly plated Alexopoulos, and White came home. No. 8 hitter Kevin Murphy (Springfield, MA) kept the inning alive with an infield single for Plantamuro, whose single to center chased home White with the tying run.
 
With two on and one out and the score tied in the top of the ninth, Lincoln came on to gain his first win in his first appearance. With the tying run in scoring position and the go-ahead run aboard, Lincoln fanned No. 9 hitter Luca Giallongo on a 1-2 pitch before leadoff hitter Rob Pagliuca slammed the first pitch he saw at Plantamuro at second base to end the threat.
 
Batting 1-2 in the order, senior Ryan Bagdasarian (Glastonbury) and Mesagno each had two hits and scored two runs, with senior Luke Broadhurst (Stafford) reaching three times with a single and two walks.
 
Eastern hosts Anna Maria College Saturday in a non-conference noon doubleheader.