FORT MYERS, Fla. – For Eastern Connecticut State University Baseball, it was the same team different venue as the Warriors (8-0) squared off against the University of Wisconsin-Stout on Friday morning at Terry Park Sports Complex. Similar to Monday's game, Eastern's offense came alive early and often, taking control of the game and defeating the Blue Devils (4-5), 24-9 in seven innings.
Between the two games against UW-Stout, the Warriors outscored the Blue Devils, 44-12, across 14 total innings of play.
Senior catcher Matt Malcom (East Lyme) put Eastern in front early with a three-run home run over the double fence in left field and junior utilityman Zach Donahue (South Windsor) reached base on a fielding error by junior second baseman Levi Wilson to give the Warriors a 4-0 lead in the second inning.
The Blue Devils would get a run back in the bottom half of the inning on an RBI single by sophomore designated hitter Justin Sedin, cutting Eastern's lead to 4-1. After loading the bases with two outs, senior right-hander Tim Pfaffenbichler (Windsor Locks) was lifted for senior right-hander Bryan Albee (Killingly) who escaped the inning with a strikeout of sophomore outfielder Colin Hageman, keeping the Warrior lead at three.
Sophomore first baseman Ryan Parent (Southington) got his first collegiate start in the game, in the third inning Parent roped a two-RBI single to right field in the third inning to extend Eastern's lead to seven, 8-1, after a wild pitch scored graduate outfielder John Mesagno (Tappan, NY) earlier in the inning.
The Warriors would blow the game open in the fourth inning, scoring 11 runs in the frame to take an 18-1 lead over UW-Stout. The inning was highlighted with RBI singles by senior shortstop Noah Plantamuro (Bristol) and senior outfielder Jack Rich (Meriden), who also added a sacrifice fly in the inning, a two-RBI single by Parent, a two-RBI double by Mesagno, and a two-run home run by senior third baseman Luke Broadhurst (Stafford), his first of the season.
Capping off a three-inning stretch in which Eastern scored 20 unanswered runs, the Warriors plated six more runs in the fifth inning starting with a two-RBI double by sophomore first baseman Alejandro Soriano (Hartford). Soriano would score after sophomore outfielder Josh Confrancesco (Southington) reached on an error and Confrancesco would eventually come around to score on an RBI groundout by junior catcher Colby Linnell (Prospect). Sophomore catcher Matthew Bradbury's (Newtown) RBI single and Parent's 5th RBI of the game capped off the scoring for Eastern who led at that point, 24-1.
UW-Stout would mount a response in the bottom of the fifth as senior shortstop Charlie Szykowny led off with a home run, his fifth consecutive game with a round-tripper. A Sedin single, pinch-hit walk for junior catcher TJ Carlson, and wild pitch gave the Blue Devils four quick runs against the Warrior bullpen.
Later in the frame, Hageman would double home Wilson and Carlson before Szykowny came up to the plate to bring him home with an RBI triple. Senior third baseman Joel Thimsen capped off the eight-run inning for the Blue Devils with an RBI single, bringing about the final score of the contest in seven innings of 24-9.
Ryan Parent finished the day going 3-for-5 with three singles and five RBIs. Coming into the game, Parent had just four plate appearances and three at-bats this season, going 1-for-3 with two RBIs.
Earning the win for the second consecutive game and third game of the year, Bryan Albee continues his stellar start to the 2022 season. In 2 2/3 innings, Albee allowed no runs on two hits while striking out three and walking one. During the Florida trip, the right-hander has pitched five innings of shutout ball while punching out eight batters, walking two, and giving up two hits.
In late-inning relief, senior left-hander Aidan Dunn (Westfield, MA) went 2 1/3 innings giving up no runs on six hits while striking out four. The left-hander has thrown four innings in Florida, after going 2 2/3 innings against Merchant Marine on Wednesday.
Senior outfielder Ryan Bagdasarian (Glastonbury) extended his hitting streak to seven games to start the season. Dating back to last year, Bagdasarian is currently riding an 11-game hitting streak which began on May 20th, 2021, against the University of Southern Maine.
John Mesagno has started to swing a hot bat as the week goes on, the right-hander went 2-for-3 on Friday with a single, a two-RBI double, a walk, and scoring three times. Mesagno's batting average has risen to .267 on the season and the graduate student has driven in nine runs this year, all during the Florida trip.
The Warriors finish up their trip to Fort Myers, Florida for spring break tomorrow morning against Bethel University. First pitch is scheduled for 9:00 AM at Terry Park Sports Complex. This will be the first matchup between the two teams in program history with the Royals coming into the game on a five-game winning streak. Bethel has gone 6-1 during their trip to Florida, scoring 10-plus runs in five of their seven contests.