Box Score
MANSFIELD, Conn. – Sophomore righty Stephen Rickert (Williston, VT) claimed a shutout in his fourth career start as the Eastern Connecticut State University baseball team opened its home and Little East Conference seasons with a 6-0, six-inning win over VTSU Castleton Sunday afternoon at the Holowaty Family Field. The game was called after a 69-minute rain delay prior to Eastern batting in the bottom of the sixth, and the second game of the scheduled doubleheader was postponed.
 
The victory is the eighth straight for Eastern (10-2, 1-0 LEC), the LEC coaches' pre-season favorite.
 
Rickert (3-0) struck out at least one batter in every inning -- seven in all -- and retired 13 straight after Castleton (5-12, 0-1 LEC) put the first two runners on in the second inning of a scoreless game. The righty's only walk came with two out in the top of the sixth with Eastern leading 6-0. No. 2 hitter Justin Strozyk then doubled to put two runners in scoring position before Rickert recorded his first career complete game by getting No. 3 hitter Trey LaVigne to ground to sophomore third baseman Cameron Forte (Easton).
 
Rickert lowered his season ERA to 1.93 – best among starters – and has struck out 21 batters and walked only three in a staff-leading 23 1/3 innings.
 
Rickert and Castleton senior righty Luke Russell (0-4) were locked in a pitcher's dual through three innings before the Warriors pushed across the only run that would need in the fourth on senior transfer centerfielder Danny DiNorcia's (Naples, FL) two-out single to center that chased in senior catcher Hank Penders (Wethersfield) from second. Penders was hit by a pitch with one out and moved up on senior left fielder Lucas Malave's (Toms River, NJ) sacrifice bunt.
 
The Warriors collected four of their game total of seven hits in breaking the game open by scoring five runs after there were two out and none on in the fifth. Five consecutive batters reached base in the inning, with first-year junior transfer shortstop Matthew Carrera (Mount Sinai, NY), Penders and Malave – batting 1-2-3 in the order -- all driving in runs. Carrera singled in the first run, Penders followed with a two-run single to center on the first pitch he saw from Russell and Malave's second home run of the year – a blast to left – plated the final two runs of the inning.
 
First-year DH PJ Ortiz (Manchester) recorded his first hit in his fifth career at-bat when he began the fifth-inning rally (and scored his first run) with a single to left on a 3-2 pitch.
 
Eastern hosts Salve Regina University (10-1) Thursday at 3:30 p.m. The Seahawks are ranked fourth nationally after finishing 36-9 last year and advancing to the NCAA Super Regional.