Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
MANSFIELD, Conn. – The Eastern Connecticut State University baseball team (17-6-1, 6-2 LEC) defeated Rhode Island College (4-17, 1-9 LEC) in a Little East Conference doubleheader at Holowaty Family Field Saturday afternoon, getting strong starting pitching in 6-4, 2-1 victories that pushed the Warriors over the .500 mark at home.

Averaging 2.3 errors per game and having totalled more than twice as  errors as their opponent, the Warriors had two of their better defensive performances of the season, committing just one error in each game and allowing only five runs over the two games.

In game one, the Warriors attacked starting pitcher Casey Williams in the bottom of the second inning. The speedy Danny DiNorcia (Naples, FL) started the inning with a walk for the Warriors, before a stolen base and advancement on a wild pitch allowed him to get to third. A sacrifice fly from Ian Moser (Bellingham, MA) allowed DiNorcia to score the first run of the game, and the Warriors continued to put the pressure on. Williams struggled to find the strike zone for the Anchormen, allowing three walks and striking out none in 2.0 innings of work. Eastern piled on an additional three runs in the second, finishing the inning with just two hits.

On the mound for the Warriors, Stephen Rickert (Williston, VT) was efficient and did not run into any trouble from the Anchormen until the sixth inning and upped his record to 5-1.Parker Camelo led off the inning with a single, his first hit of the day. A single from CJ Almagno put runners in the corners with two away, allowing a double from George Threats to score Camelo and move Almagno to third. Almagno was able to beat out the throw on his infield single to initially give his team a scoring opportunity. The Anchormen added to the damage with a hit down the left field line from Jace Wolfradt, scoring two and making it a 5-3 game. Cameron Forte (Easton) made the throw to second on the hit from Wolfradt, ending the Anchormen's best inning of the day.

In the bottom of the seventh, freshman PJ Ortiz (Manchester) delivered his second RBI of the day, scoring DiNorcia for an insurance run. Rickert ended his outing with nine strikeouts, allowing seven hits in 7.1 innings pitched, earning himself the win. Justin Hernandez (Corona, NY) entered the game for Rickert and was able to finish the job in his 1.2 innings pitched. Hernandez earned his first save of the season.

In a low-scoring second game, the Anchormen scored their only run of the day in the top of the first against first-year senior righty Rob Moynihan (Ledyard), who improved to 3-1 on the season. Aiden Bolwell singled to left center as the second man in the lineup for Rhode Island College. Almagno's double to center field drove him in, but Moynihan was able to get out of a bases loaded jam with only one out and retire the last two batters. Moser delivered the two RBIs that made the difference for the Warriors. Both RBIs drove in Ortiz, who ended the day with three runs for Eastern.

AJ Rooks (Coventry) was effective in relief for the Warriors, pitching 3.0 innings and allowing just one hit and falling just one out of recording his first save of the year. Camelo provided the hit for the Anchormen in the top of the ninth with two outs. He tripled into right field on a 3-2 count, giving Rhode Island College a chance to tie the game down 2-1. Noah Fitzgerald (York, ME) came in to face Bolwell and earned his third save of the season with just three pitches as Bolwell grounded out to first.
With three hits in the second game, Moser moved to within two hits of 100 in an Eastern uniform.

The Warriors take on Johnson & Wales University Sunday at 1 p.m. at Scotts Miracle-Gro Field in Providence, RI. The Wildcats (8-17) dropped a doubleheader to Western New England University Saturday. 

Eastern brings a six-game winning streak against the Wildcats into play, leading the all-time series, 7-1. In 2024, the Warriors won by a score of 14-2, hitting three of their six home runs in the bottom of the second inning to win in dominating fashion.
This weekend's games are the first three on the Warriors' schedule during their busiest stretch of the season, playing nine games over ten days.