Box Score
KEENE, N.H. --  The top five hitters in the Eastern Connecticut State University lineup combined for 13 hits and ten runs scored and drove in 12 runs off six Keene State College pitchers as the Warriors took over sole possession of first place in the Little East Conference with a 13-7 win Tuesday afternoon at the Owls Athletic Complex.
 
A winner of ten of its last 13, Eastern (22-8, 9-2 LEC) stands alone atop the Little East. Keene (15-14, 8-3 LEC) had entered the game riding a seven-game winning streak and sharing first place with Eastern, the two teams percentage points ahead of the University of Massachusetts Boston. The Beacons (9-4 LEC) fell a game back of Eastern after a 6-1 home loss to defending LEC tournament champion University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Tuesday in a rematch of last year's LEC tournament title game.
 
Eastern extended its winning streak against Keene to 13 in improving to 11-4 this year on its opponent's home field, collecting 18 hits (five for extra bases) – its third-highest total this year. The win completes the regular-season sweep of the Owls, with Eastern winning, 12-7, two weeks ago at the Eastern Baseball Stadium.
 
Batting third in the order for the first time this year, senior rightfielder Josh Cofranceso (Southington) had four hits, scored two runs and drove in a run, while senior leadoff hitter Ray Leonzi (Trumbull) hit his team-leading ninth home run – a three-run shot in the fifth inning -- that extended Eastern's lead to 12-7. Senior shortstop Preston [Irby] Cosme-Cruz (Bridgeport) had three hits and drove in four runs with an RBI double in a three-run first and a three-run home run – his third of the season – in a four-run fourth that gave Eastern a 9-5 lead. Leonzi leads Eastern with 18 multiple-hit and 14 multiple-RBI games.
 
Senior cleanup hitter Alejandro Soriano (Hartford)  reached safely in his 30^th straight game  (i.e. every game) with two singles while senior catcher Hank Penders (Wethersfield) reached safely four times with three hits and a walk, drove in a run and scored three runs.
 
The second of four Eastern pitchers, senior lefty Nicholas Furino (East Haven) was credited with his first career win and got help from graduate righty Nathan Furino (East Haven), who closed it out with two scoreless innings. Nicholas Furino started the second inning with the Warriors trailing 5-2 and pitched into the fourth, leaving while Keene was scoring two runs to trim Eastern's lead to 9-7. Nicholas Furino allowed four hits and two runs in 2 2/3 inning.
 
Senior lefty Dan Driscoll (Waterford), coming off a six-hitter over the first seven innings five days ago in a win at Wheaton College, combined with Nathan Furino on 5 1/3 scoreless innings, both allowing three hits. Driscoll struck out three without a walk to improve his strikeout-to-walk ratio to nearly 4-to-1.
 
Eastern hosts WPI in a non-conference game Thursday at 6 p.m. in its first home appearance in 11 days before visiting UMass Boston Saturday for a Little East noon doubleheader.