FREDRICKSBURG, Va. – The University of Mary Washington baseball team tied the game with four runs in the fifth and won it with three in the eighth to end 2022 national champion Eastern Connecticut State University's 28-game winning streak over two seasons with a 7-4 victory at V. Earl Dickinson Stadium Monday.
The win is the seventh straight this year for Mary Washington (13-5) and is the first loss this year for Eastern (5-1), ranked third nationally in Division III.
In the first meeting ever between the programs, UMW batted around in the fifth -- when the first eight batters reached safely -- and had six hits in tying the game, wiping out what appeared to be Eastern's relatively safe four-run lead.
UMW broke the 4-4 tie with three runs in the bottom of the eighth, pinch hitter Tim Blankens hitting a leadoff home run. The Eagles had four hits in the inning and were aided by two wild pitches.
In his second start, junior righty
Nolan Lincoln (Londonderry, NH) opened by pitching four scoreless innings but was lifted with one out in the fifth when UMW tied the game. The first eight batters reached on a combination of two doubles, four singles, a walk and hit-by-pitch.
Senior DH
Colby Linnell's (Prospect) leadoff single and sophomore transfer
Ray Leonzi's (Trumbull) one-out RBI single gave Eastern a lead in the second inning. In the fourth, first-year first baseman
Jared Clark (Bristol) doubled to open the inning, moved to third on Leonzi's infield single and scored on a ground ball that made it 2-0. Eastern made it 4-0 with two runs (one unearned) in the fifth. Senior second baseman
Noah Plantamuro (Bristol), batting ninth, opened with a bunt single (the 98th hit of his career), senior catcher
Matt Malcom (East Lyme) reached on an infield single, and Linnell plated them both with a two-out, two-run single – his sixth and seventh RBI in six games.
Jackson Myer and Ty Lowe struck out four and hit two batters but walked only one Linnell and Leonzi each had two of Eastern's nine hits.
Eastern plays Mount Aloysius College in a Thursday doubleheader at 12:30 at Myrtle Beach, SC
