Box Score
WINTER HAVEN, Fla. – The Eastern Connecticut State University baseball team got solid relief pitching from senior righties Mike Furgalack (Southington) and Matthew Wootton (Milford) in bouncing back from its first and only loss on its five-game Florida trip earlier in the day with an 8-3 victory over the University of Chicago Wednesday evening at Chain of Lakes Park.

Three Chicago (10-4) pitchers struck out 14 batters, but the Warriors got extra-base hits from four players, including senior catcher Hank Penders' (Wethersfield) second roundtripper on the day and and one from senior centerfielder Ray Leonzi (Trumbull).  Penders socked a two-run home run in a three-run third inning that wiped out Chicago's early 1-0 lead and Leonzi hit a solo shot that made it 5-1 in the fifth inning.

Furgalack (1-0) pitched 3 1/3 innings in relief of junior righty Connor Willett (Rockfall) for the win and Wootton shut the door over the final three innings – allowing only one hit with two strikeouts and no walks – for his first save of the year. Furgalack lowered his ERA to 1.23 in 7 1/3 innings this year.

Chicago  was coming off a 15-2 win over Hope College in its first game in Florida earlier in the day and was credited with a 6-3 win over nationally-ranked University of LaVerne in mid-February. In the first meeting between the programs in 16 years, Eastern improved to 3-0 all-time against the Maroons.

Leonzi had three hits – improving his season average to .385 -- scored three runs and drove in three while junior first baseman J.T. Clark (Bristol) had two hits.

Coming off its 4-1 trip to Florida, Eastern opens its home and Little East Conference schedule Saturday, hosting Plymouth State University in a noon doubleheader at the Eastern Baseball Stadium. Last year's LEC regular-season co-champion, Eastern was ranked first in the LEC pre-season coaches' poll and holds an 86-13 record all-time against Plymouth. The Warriors are 53-6 all-time at home against the Panthers and have won the last seven games in the series.