MANSFIELD, Conn. – Junior catcher Hank Penders' (Wethersfield) two-out, two-run double highlighted a five-run fourth inning and the Eastern Connecticut State University baseball team went on to its 14th consecutive victory, 10-1, over SUNY Maritime College Monday afternoon at the Eastern Baseball Stadium.
Making his seventh career start (51st appearance), graduate righty Nathan Furino (East Haven) scattered three hits through his seven-inning stretch, leaving with a 10-0 lead en route to his second win this year in as many decisions and posting his 14th career win in 18 decisions. Furino struck out nine and walked one, throwing 55 of his 75 pitches for strikes and lowering his season ERA from 2.70 to 1.59.
Eastern broke a scoreless tie with its five-run fourth inning. The Warriors collected three hits in the inning, with all five runs being driven in by the lower half of the batting order. In that inning, Eastern was also aided by a key one-out infield error, a walk and a bases-loaded hit-by-pitch with senior second baseman Preston Irby (Bridgeport) batting that forced in the first run. Sophomore DH Jared Clark (Bristol) followed with a sacrifice fly, Penders with his two-run double to left, and No. 9 hitter Jason Claiborn (Prospect) knocked in the fifth run with an opposite-field single to left – the first of his three RBI in the game (he also plated a pair in a three-run sixth that pushed the lead to 8-0) and second of three singles.
Maritime's Freddy Forgione – his team's second-leading hitter at .410 -- spoiled Eastern's bid for its second shutout this year when he belted a two-out, solo home run in the eighth – his seventh of the season. Eastern and Maritime entered play sharing seventh place nationally with 29 home runs each.
Clark matched Penders with two RBI, the second coming with a single in the seventh that sent home senior first baseman Ryan Parent (Southington), who had walked and moved up on a walk to Irby.
Newcomers Tyler Rice (Berlin) and AJ Rooks (Coventry) each pitched a scoreless inning in relief of Furino. Senior leadoff hitter Zach Donahue (South Windsor) extended his on-base streak to 15 when he singled in a run in the sixth, and junior centerfielder Ray Leonzi (Trumbull) hit safely in his ninth straight game when he opened the five-run fourth inning with a single and also doubled with one out in the fifth.
Eastern hosts Mitchell College Tuesday – a winner of eight straight -- at 1 p.m. in a non-conference game. The Mariners, who have beaten Eastern both times the programs have met (in NCAA play), are coached by former Eastern All-America, national Player-of-the-Year and assistant coach Shawn Gilblair, a 2022 Alumni Hall of Famer.