PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Defending Little East Conference and NCAA Division III national champion Eastern Connecticut State University is the only remaining unbeaten team after the second-seeded Warriors defeated third-seeded University of Southern Maine, 4-2, in the third of three games Friday at the 2023 Little East Conference Baseball Tournament at Pontarelli Field on the campus of Rhode Island College.
Eastern looks for its third straight tournament win Friday at 2 p.m. when it plays the winner of a 9 a.m. elimination game between top-seeded Rhode Island College (29-12) and Southern Maine (18-20).
In a game featuring the most successful programs in LEC tournament history, Eastern (32-10) and Southern Maine were scoreless heading into the sixth inning as both starters worked out of some early jams. The Warriors quickly loaded the bases in the top of the frame for senior second baseman Noah Plantamuro (Bristol), who cleared the bases with his triple to the gap in right. He then scored on junior shortstop Zach Donahue's (South Windsor) triple to left, and Donahue went home on a single to left off the bat of junior rightfielder Jason Claiborn (Prospect).
Both teams were coming off lopsided first-round wins Wednesday, Southern Maine blasting fourth-seeded University of Massachusetts Boston, 14-4 in seven innings and Eastern whipping fifth-seeded University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, 10-3.
Trailing 4-0, the Huskies rallied in the bottom of the ninth, but were unable to come all the way back. Chris Quigley and Tom Vesosky both doubled and scored with two outs in the frame, which saw Kyle Douin standing on third following his triple to left and Jason Komulainen standing at the dish as the potential game-tying run. Junior righty Nolan Lincoln (Londonderry, NH) ended the threat by striking out Komulainen to secure the Eastern victory. Lincoln started the eighth inning in place of Driscoll and allowed four hits and both USM runs while fanning two. Neither Eastern pitcher walked a batter.
Southern Maine threatened with baserunners each inning but stranded runners each inning for a total of 12, including three in the bottom of the third. In that inning, sophomore lefty Dan Driscoll (Waterford) allowed two singles and hit a batter to load the bases with two out but got a ground ball by cleanup hitter Cam Seymour to end the threat.
Driscoll improved to 8-3 after seven scoreless innings as he scattered nine hits with five strikeouts to give him 16 scoreless innings this year against Southern Maine. Driscoll had shut out USM on three hits in a complete-game 2-0 win over the Huskies when Eastern posted a sweep in the regular season April 15.
Claiborn reached four times with three hits and a walk to go along with his RBI, while senior third baseman Brent Cosculluela (Miami) added two of the team's ten hits.
Eastern had 14 assists in the game with only one error, with double play combination of Donahue and Plantamuro each collecting three assists and junior first baseman Ryan Parent (Southington) three.
Clay Robbins took the loss for USM, allowing four runs on eight hits and six walks over 5.2 innings as his record dropped to 5-3.