Box Score  

MANSFIELD, Conn. – In final game of the 2026 regular season for the Eastern Connecticut State University baseball team (25-13-1), Dylan Jackson (Manchester) came off the bench to deliver a walk-off sacrifice fly in his only at-bat of the game in the bottom of the ninth as the Warriors defeated the Violets of New York University (13-21) in a non-conference game, 3-2, Sunday afternoon at Holowaty Family Field.

Trailing 2-1, first-time opponent NYU tied the game in the top of the ninth on No. 3 hitter CJ Franchini's bloop RBI single to left, but  Noah Fitzgerald (York, ME) got two inning-ending swinging strikeouts to strand the go-ahead run at second base.

Sophomore infielder Cameron Forte (Easton) opened the bottom of the ninth for Eastern by legging out an infield single on a ground ball into the middle infield, moved to second on a balk and to third on sophomore catcher Sean Fallon's (Bethel) fly ball to deep center. NYU then chose to load the bases by walking No. 9 hitter Chad Byrd (Bridgeport) and late-inning replacement David Braun (Newtown) to set up a force at any base. Jackson, inserted at second base in the top of the ninth in place of Michael Bonfiglio (Branford) -- who had scored a go-ahead run in the bottom of the eighth on a head-first slide at home that just did beat the throw -- – then drove a 1-0 pitch to center that easily scored Forte.

Each team had seven hits in the very tight game, four coming off the bat of CJ Franchini, who was 4-5 with an RBI for NYU. NYU starting pitcher Tyler Tedeschi did not allow a hit through the first three innings, but allowed Danny DiNorcia (Naples, FL) to score on a wild pitch, giving the Warriors an early 1-0 advantage in the bottom of the second.

The Warriors used seven different pitchers, allowing just three hits and no runs with their first four pitchers. The Violets leveled the score at one a piece in the bottom of the eighth off a passed ball with E.J. Nevills (Westwood, MA) at the mound. In the bottom of the eighth, Bonfiglio  led off with a single to left center and advanced to second on a wild pitch. PJ Ortiz (Manchester) doubled to right field and scored Bonfiglio to restore the Eastern lead.

After Eastern went ahead, 2-1, in the bottom of the eighth on pinch hitter PJ Ortiz's (Manchester) double to right that sent in Bonfiglio from second, NYU tied the game for the second time in the top of the ninth. Leadoff man Harrison Blueweiss singled and advanced on a wild pitch, giving the Violets an opportunity to draw themselves level once again. Blueweiss was already heading to third on a ground ball from Kosta Mocklis, before easily scoring on an RBI single from Franchini.

A first-year transfer from Salve Regina University, Fitzgerald was credited with his first collegiate win when the Warriors rallied in the ninth. Against NYU, sophomore righty Brian Goglia (Milford), who was a redshirt freshman at Virginia Commonwealth last year, made his second start of the year and pitched two scoreless innings with two strikeouts and two walks and was lifted in favor of  junior lefty Joseph Barlovic (Bergenfield, NJ) with the Warriors leading, 1-0.

Barlovic protected the 1-0 lead with three scoreless innings (allowing only two hits) and graduate lefty Nicholas Furino (East Haven) got the next five outs that propelled the Warriors into the eighth still nursing that one-run lead.

The Violets finally gained the equalizer in the eighth on a leadoff single, walk and hit-by-pitch and a two-out passed ball, but sophomore righty Justin Hernandez (Corona, NY) came on to get an inning-ending line drive to second baseman Bonfiglio, who smothered the ball and threw out No. 9 hitter Evan Robson at first  to leave the bases loaded and keep the game tied.

Seven different Eastern players managed one hit off three NYU pitchers. Eastern's pitchers did not allow an extra-base hit but walked seven and hit three batters.

The fourth-seeded Warriors face the third-seeded Corsairs of UMass Dartmouth in the first round of the Little East Conference playoffs Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Ed Flaherty Field on the campus of top-seeded University of Southern Maine.

Having lost five consecutive games late in the season, the Warriors closed out the regular season going 5-2 in their last seven and are seeking their third Little East Conference Tournament title in the last five years. In winning their second straight LEC title in 2023, the Warriors faced UMass Dartmouth in the first round, defeating the Corsairs, 10-3, at Rhode Island College.

Earlier in the season, the Corsairs beat the Warriors in both games of the doubleheader at the UMD Baseball Field. In game one, Eastern committed five errors as UMass Dartmouth eased to a 7-3 win. In game two, another four errors hurt the Warriors and the Corsairs completed the sweep, winning 7-1.

In 2025, the second-seeded Warriors were eliminated in the championship round of the conference tournament by top-seeded Keene State College in a 2-1 game at Pappas Field in Rindge, NH.