FRANKLIN, Mass. – Sophomore DH Jack Rich (Meriden) drove in four runs with three run-scoring singles and junior righty Jared Buckley (Oxford, MA) pitched a five-hitter over the first five innings as the Eastern Connecticut State University baseball team downed Dean College, 13-5, Wednesday afternoon at Longley Field.

Rich had a bases-clearing single in the second inning when Eastern (12-11) wiped out a two-run deficit on five hits and with the help of three Dean (8-14) errors to score five runs, four of them unearned.

Appearing in his first game since opening the season as the starting rightfielder, junior Drew Alexopoulos (Hansen, MA) drove in his first two runs of the season with his first extra-base hit – a pinch double in a three-run eighth inning. Alexopoulos also made his first pitching appearance of the season, fanning the final three batters of the game after the first two reached on an error  and a hit.

In a game featuring 11 errors, Eastern pounded out 14 hits, four of them doubles.

Junior centerfielder Jake LeFevre (Mansfield Center) came off the bench to drove in two runs with a single and sacrifice fly, and freshman catcher and cleanup hitter Matt Malcom (East Lyme) reached four times with two singles, a walk and error, and scored three times. Senior first baseman Alex Parkos (Meriden) also reached four times with a second-inning RBI single, two walks and a hit-by-pitch, and scored three times.

Buckley pitched four scoreless innings after the Bulldogs took a 2-0 lead in the first before departing with a five-run lead. He fanned five and walked three. Six pitchers combined to strike out 13 and walk seven.

Eastern visits defending Little East Conference regular-season and tournament champion Massachusetts Boston Saturday at noon.