MANSFIELD, Conn. – Three Eastern Connecticut State University pitchers combined on a five-hitter and struck out 13 as the No. 23-ranked Warriors extended their winning streak to 15 with a 6-3 non-conference victory over Mitchell College Friday evening at the Eastern Baseball Stadium.
Eastern (16-5) erased an early two-run deficit by scoring three times with two out in the third and never trailed thereafter, with first-year lefty Chris Torres (West Springfield, MA) shutting the door by striking out six over the final two innings to save the victory for 6-foot-7 inch sophomore righty Dylan Scudder (Simsbury), making his first home start of the year. Scudder (3-1) has won three straight since a 5-1 loss to then-No.1-ranked Shenandoah University on the second day of the regular season.
In the first regular-season game between the programs, Mitchell (16-7) scored two unearned runs in the first without a hit but managed only two singles through seven innings before breaking through again in the eighth when it collected three of its five hits to open the inning and chased senior righty Nolan Lincoln (Londonderry, NH) in favor of Torres. Facing the tying run, Torres got a strikeout, and after walking the bases loaded on a 3-2 pitch, got No. 9 hitter Savier Paige looking and leadoff hitter Adam Vartanian on three pitches to extinguish the threat.
In the game, Torres threw 22 of his 33 pitches for strikes to gain his third save and lower his ERA to 0.79, with 21 strikeouts and only five walks in 22 2/3 innings.
Mitchell, which had beaten Eastern twice in NCAA tournament play by a run each time in the previous two meeting between the programs, had an eight-game winning streak snapped.
Eastern senior leadoff hitter Zach Donahue (South Windsor) reached in his 16th straight game by singling (and scoring) in a two-run seventh inning. Junior centerfielder Ray Leonzi (Trumbull) extended his hitting streak to ten. Batting cleanup for the first time this year, Leonzi singled (and scored) leading off the sixth. Senior rightfielder Jason Claiborn (Prospect) reached for the tenth straight game by singling in each of his first two at-bats.
Scudder gave up two hits and two unearned runs with four strikeouts over the first five innings.
Eastern hosts Rhode Island College (9-7, 1-3 LEC) in a 1 p.m. Little East Conference doubleheader Saturday at the Eastern Baseball Stadium. The Anchormen won two one-run decisions in last year's regular season over the Warriors before Eastern knocked off the top-seeded Anchormen, 8-5, en route to last year's LEC tournament championship.