MANSFIELD, Conn. – Sophomore righty Billy Oldham (Brookfield) struck out nine in 4 1/3 innings in relief for his first win of the year and freshman Jason Claiborn (Prospect) and senior John Mesagno (Tappan, NY) highlighted a five-run fourth inning with back-to-back RBI doubles to carry the Eastern Connecticut State University baseball team to an 8-4 first-game win over Plymouth State University in a non-conference doubleheader Saturday at the Eastern Baseball Stadium.

In the second game, sophomore righty Ryan Hurlbert pitched into the sixth inning and Plymouth (1-3) scored six runs on six hits and two Eastern (6-1) errors in the fourth to lift the Panthers to a 7-3 victory and snap an eight-game losing streak at the hands of Eastern.

In relief of first-year sophomore transfer Tim Pfaffenbichler (Windsor Locks) in the first game, Oldham improved to 3-0 lifetime by striking out nine without a walk and giving up two runs on three hits before departing with one out in the seventh with an 8-3 lead. Senior Ryan Bagdasarian (Glastonbury) gave Pfaffenbichler a 2-0 lead in the top of the second by hitting his first career home run with two outs, but the Panthers tied the game in the bottom of the inning with three hits.

In Plymouth's six-run fourth inning in the nightcap, graduate students James and Andrew Salta combined to drive in three runs and freshman Luke Sokolskidelivered a two-out, two run single that accounted for two unearned runs.

In his first start of the year, Hurlbert scattered five hits in 5 2/3 innings, fanning and walking four and leaving after walking in a run in the sixth inning. Inheriting three baserunners and a  6-2 lead, sophomore righty Braxton Brown got an inning-ending ground ball.

On the day, freshman Chris Malcom (East Lyme), junior Benjamin Ryan (Springfield, MA) and sophomore Thomas Acevedo (Miami, FL) all recorded their first career hits, with Malcom and Acevedo also scoring their first runs.

Claiborn and and Mesagno each had three hits on the afternoon, with Mesagno moving to within nine of the 100^th in his career. Chris Malcom, Ryan and junior Owen Marica (Haddam) two each. Mesagno and Acevedo both scored twice. Junior Noah Plantamuro (Bristol) reached four times with a single and three walks and scored once.

In the second game, junior lefty Aidan Dunn (Westfield, MA) became the first Eastern pitcher to strike out four in one inning. Dunn fanned the first two batters, and after Gavin Cook reached on a throwing error after becoming the third punchout victim of the inning, Dunn struck out Alex Rives swinging for his fourth of the inning and leave Cook stranded at first.

Behind Oldham, ten Eastern pitchers combined to strike out 32 batters. Freshman second-game starter Nolan Lincoln (Londonderry, NH) fanned five in 3 1/3 innings, and Pfaffenbichler, Dunn and senior righty John Parker (Brunswick, ME) fanned four each.

Eastern left 22 runners on base on the day, including 12 in the second-game loss, and its five second-game errors accounted for Plymouth's final three unearned runs.

Senior Joe Routhier, Sokolski and James Salta all drove in two runs for Plymouth on the day, with Sokolski reaching five times with three hits and two walks and both Saltas finishing with two hits, as did Routhier and junior Drew Metzdorf. Andrew Salta scored three times and Sokolski and sophomore Richie Marique twice each.

Eastern hosts Western Connecticut in a non-conference doubleheader Wednesday at 2 p.m. at the Eastern Baseball Stadium.