BRISTOL, R.I. – Graduate righthander Tommy Benincaso (Norwalk) pitched seven shutout innings and senior righty Bryan Albee (Killingly) retired the potential tying run by getting a game-ending ground ball as No. 2 nationally-ranked Eastern Connecticut State University survived a ninth-inning Roger Williams University rally for a 7-4 non-conference victory Wednesday afternoon at Paolino Field.
The win is the 12th this season without a loss on its opponent's home field for Eastern (30-3), which recorded its 32nd season of at least 30 wins. The Warriors are ranked first in New England, Roger Williams (25-5-1) third.
Benincaso (4-0, 2.27), a first-year transfer from the University of Connecticut, limited Roger Williams (25-5-1) to three singles in equaling his longest career stint and departed with a 4-0 lead after seven innings.
The Warriors scored four runs in their final three at-bats to advance the lead to 7-0 before the Hawks rallied for four runs in the ninth on a leadoff error, four hits and a walk. Brandon Jenkins hit his seventh home run following the inning-opening error for RWU's first runs in the ninth, and the Hawks rallied for two unearned run after there were two out and none on before Albee was summoned and got a game-ending ground ball to graduate first baseman Josh Tower (Auburn, MA) to give Eastern its 11th win in 13 games in the series against the Hawks.
Albee, who leads the staff with a 9-0 record and 1.38 ERA in 45 2/3 innings, recorded his second save.
Five Eastern players had more than one hit and combined for 12 of the team's 14 hits. No. 9 hitter Jason Claiborn (Prospect) reached four times in the game with three singles and a walk and scored two runs, and junior second baseman Brent Cosculluela (Miami, FL) had a double and two singles and reached on an infield error and scored a run.
Eastern broke a scoreless pitchers' duel between Albee and RWU junior righty Dan Massaro (6 runs, nine hits, three strikeout) in the fifth by scoring in the final five consecutive innings. Cosculluela's two-out RBI double scored Claiborn with the first run in the fifth and Eastern made it 3-0 with two runs in the sixth on three hits and an outfield error and Claiborn's RBI single. Eastern added single runs in the seventh and eighth and made it 7-0 with two runs in the ninth. Facing new pitcher Brett Lauterbach, senior cleanup hitter Matt Malcom (East Lyme) opened the ninth with a double and came home on an infield error, and Tower's single drove in the final run.
Eastern hosts Roger Williams Saturday at noon in a Senior Day doubleheader. The Hawks feature two of the region's top pitchers in graduate lefty Justin Garcia and graduate righty Chris Flynn. Garcia is 5-0 with a 0.81 ERA and 76 strikeouts. Flynn is 6-1 with a 2.20 ERA and 70 strikeouts against only seven walks.
Eastern could counter with Albee, senior lefty Aidan Dunn (Westfield, MA)
and/or junior righty Billy Oldham (Brookfield). Dunn is 4-0 with a 1.45 ERA and 42 strikeouts against eight walks, Oldham 6-2 with a 2.52 ERA and 65 strikeouts against 13 walks.