Box Score
MANSFIELD, Conn. – The Eastern Connecticut State University baseball team (20-6-1) overcame a seven-run deficit against Amherst College (17-8) to win a 9-8 decision Wednesday evening at Holowaty Family Field. The Warriors' 50th run in the past three games was the go-ahead run in the bottom of the fifth, earning their first win against the Mammoths since a 6-2 victory in the 2015 season.
The Warriors scored their opening run in the bottom of the second inning without recording a hit off starting pitcher Liam Lennon.
Ian Moser (Bellingham, MA) led off the inning with an advancement to second base after an infield throwing error. Moser reacted quickly to two wild pitches from Lennon on the mound to give the Warriors a 1-0 advantage.
The Mammoths responded with eight runs in the top of the third off eight hits. The inning started the same way as the bottom half of the second, this time allowing Ben Smith to advance to second base off a throwing error from
Dylan Jackson (Manchester) at third. Amherst recorded ten hits off
Joseph Barlovic (Bergenfield, NJ) before he was replaced by
Justin Hernandez (Corona, NY). Only three of the eight runs scored by the Mammoths were earned runs credited to Barlovic.
In a 6-1 ball game, Hernandez allowed a hit to Ames, driving in two more runs for the Mammoths. Amherst's third inning dominance was ended by Leo Foust, who flied out to centerfield after popping up to first base earlier in the inning. Down 8-1, Eastern quickly started to chip away at the sizeable lead built up by Amherst as
Hank Penders (Wethersfield) hit a two-run home run to cut the lead to five on Eastern's first hit of the day.
Chris Jaillet replaced Christian Pedro in the bottom of the fourth and quickly allowed two doubles to the Warriors.
Teige Kimbler (Albany, NY) and
Danny DiNorcia (Naples, FL) both scored and made it a three-run game. In the bottom of the fifth, the Warriors' offense kept punishing Jaillet, who allowed six hits and six runs in 1.2 innings. Eastern hit three more doubles before Jackson drove in the run that proved to be the winner as
Danny DiNorcia came across the plate.
Having entered in the top of the fifth inning,
Tommy Martorano (Wrentham, MA) was able to give his team a sense of control and slow down the Amherst offense. In three innings, Martorano did not allow a hit, struck out five and was credited with the win.
Noah Fitzgerald (York, ME) and
Stephen Rickert (Williston, VT) sealed the game for the Warriors, allowing just one hit and striking out four batters combined. Rickert earns his first save of the year in Eastern's dramatic comeback win.
The Warriors return to action Thursday as they host Wheaton College in another non-conference game at 6 p.m. on Senior Night at Holowaty Family Field. A winner of five in a row, Eastern faces a team which has lost two of its last three, but hold an impressive 18-8 record on the season. On Sunday, Wheaton suffered a 5-4 defeat at Keene State, a Little East Conference opponent that will take on the Warriors this weekend.
