Box Score 1 | Box Score 2
MANSFIELD, Conn. -- The Eastern Connecticut State University baseball team (20-9-1, 7-4 LEC) dropped a conference doubleheader against Keene State College (17-12, 9-2 LEC) on Saturday at Holowaty Family Field. The Warriors drop their second conference doubleheader of the season and are now on a three-game losing streak, their largest of the season.
 
The Warriors were quickly down 8-0 in game one and the Owls carried their early momentum through the rest of the day. Entering the day with one of the best ERAs in the Little East Conference, Stephen Rickert (Williston, VT) struggled to find rhythm on the mound for the Warriors. A home run from Jonathan Chatfield gave the Owls an early lead, but the second inning is where Keene did most of the damage.
 
The first four runs of the second inning were driven in from infield singles by Domminic Tagliaferro and Trevor Snow. Beginning in the second and continuing throughout the game, there were multiple close calls at the plate and on the basepath. Eastern felt that one or two calls should have gone their way but could not prevent their opponents from scoring a total of six runs in the second inning. Rickert was pulled after 1.1 innings and Rob Moynihan (Ledyard) got out of the jam with five pitches.  
 
For Keene, starting pitcher David Floyd played a huge part in the success of the Owls. Floyd pitched seven scoreless innings and allowed four hits, striking out five. Eastern brought back a run in both the eighth and ninth innings off Evan LeVasseur, who took over for Floyd. Ian Moser (Bellingham, MA) added another RBI to his tally and Chad Byrd (Bridgeport) delivered an RBI in the ninth as the Warriors lost 9-2.
 
In game two, Keene took an early lead off starting pitcher Jake Shaughnessy (Franklin, MA), but the Warriors stayed close until the final inning. After the first three innings, Keene led 2-1 but scored another three runs in the top of the fourth. Shaughnessy was replaced by Tommy Martorano (Wrentham, MA) in the fourth inning, leaving the bases loaded for Derek Finlay. With Martorano's first pitch, Finlay hit a three-run double down the right field line and broke open the game.
 
Hank Penders (Wethersfield) gave his squad some life in the bottom of the fifth, allowing Matthew Carrera (Mount Sinai, NY) to score with a two-run home run off Jake Jachym. In the next inning, Cameron Forte (Easton) had an RBI single that brought the Warriors back within a run at 5-4. The Owls brought home their sixth run after deliberately causing confusion on Ethan Rainha's attempt to steal. Tagging Rainha out on the play, Tagliaferro added insurance for Keene, scoring from third.
 
The Owls eliminated any hopes of a comeback in the final inning of the doubleheader, scoring another four runs and cruising to a 10-4 win, completing the regular season sweep of the Warriors. Eastern will return to non-conference action on Monday at 6 p.m. for a game against Mitchell College on Military Appreciation Day at Holowaty Family Field. Mitchell is 23-9 this season, sweeping Rivier University in a doubleheader Saturday.