Box Score
MANSFIELD, Conn. – The Eastern Connecticut State University baseball team (23-12-1, 10-4 LEC) defeated Western Connecticut State University (11-21, 3-11 LEC) on Tuesday afternoon at Holowaty Family Field by a score of 12-2 in an eight-inning game.
 
Jake Shaughnessy (Franklin, MA) was the winning pitcher and moved to 2-2 after pitching seven innings, allowing five hits, two runs (both home runs), walking two and striking out five batters.
 
Starting pitcher Bryan Mansfield was responsible for a good amount of the damage for the Wolves and fell to 3-6 this season, allowing seven hits, four runs, walking five, and striking out four batters in four innings. Ian Moser (Bellingham, MA) retook the lead in the Little East Conference RBI rankings, adding three to his tally in a two for three performance at the plate today, including three walks.
 
EJ Nevills (Westwood, MA) swiftly made his way through the eighth and final inning of the game in just seven pitches. The two Warrior pitchers allowed just two walks throughout the game, while the Wolves allowed thirteen. Ryan Neville came in for the Wolves in the bottom of the eighth, earning just one out before allowing five consecutive walks, with two wild pitches in between. Neville allowed the game-ending RBI single from Hank Penders (Wethersfield) that scored Cameron Forte (Easton) from third.
 
The two standout moments for the Wolves came from Josef Rosa and Anthony Marsala, despite the pair also at fault for the only two errors of the game. Both players hit solo shots, Rosa's coming in the second inning to give Western Connecticut a 1-0 lead and Marsala's in the fifth to bring the score back to 3-2.
 
Entering the game, five Warriors had more stolen bases than Western Connecticut's stolen base leader, Thomas Keough (six for six). In this afternoon's match, the Warriors were successful on all twelve of their stolen base attempts, while the Wolves did not attempt to steal. Having reached base five times, Moser led the Warriors with four steals.
 
Five Warriors had two-hit games, but Western Connecticut's Ryan Vallie led all players with three hits in four at-bats, singling all three times. The Warriors outhit the Wolves 12-6 and posted their second consecutive game without an error in the field.
 
With the win, Eastern drew itself level with UMass Dartmouth at 10-4 in the conference standings, tied for third place. The Corsairs of UMass Dartmouth lost 13-10 to Rhode Island College Tuesday.
 
The Warriors take on the University of Southern Maine Friday for a Little East Conference doubleheader beginning at noon at Ed Flaherty Field in Gorham, ME. These two games will serve as the final two regular season conference games of the year. Last year, the Warriors split their regular season doubleheader against the Huskies at Eastern Baseball Stadium. Southern Maine won game one 3-2 and the Warriors won game two 3-2. The teams met for a final time in the conference tournament, a game the Warriors won 3-1 at Pappas Field in Rindge, NH.
 
Eastern will host New York University Sunday before looking ahead to the LEC playoffs from May 6-9 at the site of the No. 1 seed. Eastern has already clinched entry into the conference tournament as one of the top six finishers in the final standings.