Box Score
FARMINGDALE, N.Y. – The early offense that allowed the Eastern Connecticut State University baseball team to build an early six-run lead reappeared in the late innings to help protect a slim advantage as the Warriors returned from a six-day layoff to post an 11-6 non-conference victory over Farmingdale State College Sunday afternoon at Rams Field.

With its fourth straight win over Farmingdale, Eastern (3-2) improves to 6-1 all-time against the Rams, last year's Skyline Conference tournament champions playing their season-opener.

Eastern scored seven runs on seven hits to take a 7-1 lead after three innings, and after Farmingdale inched back to within 7-6 with the help of a three-run seventh inning, the Warriors bats re-emerged after going scoreless in the middle four innings to tack on two runs in the eighth and two runs in the ninth to secure the win.

While the offense was productive early --  and then again late -- the same could be said of the pitching behind starter Stephen Rickert (Williston, VT) and closer Rob Moynihan (Ledyard). In his 15^th career appearance over two seasons – second as a starter – Rickert was credited with his first win while Moynihan gained his first save in his first relief appearance to go along with a win as a starter in his first start.

Both Rickert and Moynihan threw 78 percent of their pitches for strikes and combined for eight strikeouts and no walks over a combined  7 1/3 innings. Rickert (1-0) spun a four-hitter over the first five innings, fanning five and allowing two earned runs and departed with the Warriors in front, 7-3.

Moynihan, who had struck out ten with one walk in his first start at Eastern eight days ago, was summoned with two out and the tying run on third in the bottom of the seventh with Eastern clinging to a 7-6 lead. Moynihan threw three strikes to No. 7 hitter Aiden Mehmel, the batter grounding out to shortstop Matthew Carrera (Mount Sinai, NY) on an 0-2 count that stranded the tying run at third.

With Moynihan in command (2 1/3 hitless innings, three strikeouts), Eastern padded its lead by scoring four runs over the final two innings.  Carrera drove in his first two runs at Eastern with a sacrifice fly in the eighth and a bases-loaded walk in the ninth, while pre-season All-America catcher Hank Penders (Wethersfield) homered in the eighth to give him his 12^th roundtripper of his career and his first career multi-homer game (he also socked a two-run HR in a four-run third inning that made it 5-1). Eastern's runs in the ninth came after there were two out and none on thanks to back-to-back doubles by Ian Moser (Bellingham, MA) and Cameron Forte (Easton) and the bases-loaded walk to Carrera.

Several Eastern batters – including cleanup hitter J.T. Clark (Bristol) – collected five at-bats against five different Farmingdale pitchers as the Rams employed seven pitchers in their season-opener. Starter Derek Watts, the Rams' winningest pitcher last year with a 7-1 record, struck out four in two innings but was reached for three runs on three hits and a walk in the first. Clark and  Devin Kulas (Southington) drove in those runs with doubles, Clark's plating the first two runs of the game.                 
 
Eastern's 13 hits and dominant pitching early, and then again late, offset the team's four infield errors through the first three innings, the first wo of which came when the Rams pushed across a run in their first at-bat without the aid of a hit.

Batting third in the order, Penders reached safely four times with three hits and a walk, drove in three runs and scored three; batting ahead of Penders, Carrera reached three times with an infield hit and two walks (he also reached on an infield error),  scored twice and drove in two runs with the walk and sacrifice fly; Moser matched Penders with three hits and also scored twice; and Forte  reached three times with his RBI double in the ninth and two walks, and scored once.

While three Eastern pitchers surrendered only two walks (and six hits), Farmingdale pitchers walked seven, with three of those runners scoring.

Eastern visits the University of Hartford (20-22 in 2025) Tuesday at 3 p.m. at Fiondella Field in a non-conference game before playing six games in five days in Florida beginning next Sunday. The Hawks (1-2) are coming off Sunday's 12-1 win against  University of Mount Saint Vincent at Fordham College in the Bronx. The Hawks had dropped an opening pair at Trinity College Feb. 28, 8-2 and 12-0.

The Warriors are scheduled to host VTSU Castleton in a 1 p.m. doubleheader March 22 at Holowaty Family Field in their home and Little East Conference openers.