Box Score
MANSFIELD, Conn. – Eleven players contributed a hit, scored a run or drove in a run in a 16-hit attack and graduate righty Nathan Furino (East Haven) moved into the all-time Top 10 in career pitching wins as the Eastern Connecticut State University baseball team rolled by SUNY Maritime College, 16-2 Tuesday evening at the Eastern Baseball Stadium.
 
A winner of six of its last seven, Eastern (13-5) scored six runs on five hits in the first inning– keyed by two-run doubles by senior leftfielder and cleanup hitter Alejandro Soriano (Hartford) and sophomore first baseman Ian Moser (Bellingham, MA) – and five pitchers combined on a five-hitter in the team's second win in two years over Maritime (9-10).
 
Furino (2-0) pitched a three-hitter over the first five innings with seven strikeouts and only one walk to move into a tie for ninth place all-time with his 21st career win in 26 decisions. His 80.8 lifetime winning percentage is the fourth-best among the program's thirteen 20-game winners. Three relievers – senior righty Mike Furgalack (Southington), senior lefty Nicholas Furino (East Haven) and junior righty Daniel Lapham (Middletown) all pitched a hitless inning in relief. The five pitches struck out nine and walked only one
 
All three of Eastern's extra base hits (doubles) came in the six-run first inning, when senior graduate transfer second baseman Michael Hernandez (Bridgeport) contributed an RBI double batting in the No. 9 spot to close out the scoring.
 
Senior centerfielder Ray Leonzi (Trumbull) reached base five times with three hits and two walks, scored three runs and drove in two runs to lead five players with two or more hits.  
 
Senior rightfielder Josh Cofrancesco (Southington) drove in four runs and scored twice with three hits. Cofrancesco drove in a run with a single and scored in the first inning, drove in the team's run in the second and plated two more with a single and scored in the team's six-run sixth.
 
Moser reached four times with two hits and two walks, scored three times and drove in two runs with his first-inning double. Sophomore third baseman Teige Kimbler (Albany, NY) also had three hits and scored two runs.
 
With seven strikeouts, Nathan Furino moved to within nine of 200 in his career.
 
Eastern visits Johnson & Wales University (14-9) Friday in a non-conference game beginning at 4 p.m. before playing six of its next seven in the Little East Conference, where it was named as the LEC pre-season favorite.