PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Senior righty Matthew Wootton (Milford) and two relievers combined on a nine-hitter and Eastern Connecticut State University broke a seventh inning tie with the help of Rhode Island College's only error on the day as the Warriors completed a Little East Conference baseball sweep with a 3-1 victory in the second game of a doubleheader Friday afternoon at Pontarelli Field.
In the first game, Eastern (15-5, 5-1 LEC) collected 18 of its game total of 20 hits and scored all of its runs over the final three innings and senior righty Francis Ferguson (Holden, MA) allowed only four hits over the first seven innings in the Warriors' 17-1 victory over the Anchormen (7-14, 1-5 LEC).
Game 1
Eastern Conn. 17, Rhode Island College 1
Eastern wiped out a 1-0 deficit after six innings by scoring all of its runs in its final three at-bats on 18 hits (seven of them for extra bases) – capped by an eight-run ninth inning – in its 17-2 victory.
In the game, eight players had two or more hits, four drove in multiple runs and six scored at least twice.
Sophomore DH Ian Moser (Bellingham, MA) drove in five runs and scored twice with a three-run home run in the seventh, an RBI infield single in the eighth and a run-scoring double in the ninth, while senior rightfielder Josh Cofrancesco (Southington) drove in four runs with three hits – including an RBI single in the seventh and bases-clearing double in the ninth.
Senior leadoff hitter Ray Leonzi (Trumbull) homered twice in the game – his fifth and sixth of the year -- with a solo shot in the eighth and a two-run drive in the ninth and junior first baseman J.T. Clark (Bristol) drove in three runs with a sacrifice fly and a two-run double in the ninth.
Making his third start at Eastern, senior All-America Ferguson gave up only one run four hits without a walk while fanning ten over the first seven innings to gain his second win in three decisions and lowering his ERA from 2.61 to 2.08. He struck out two batters three times in an inning.
In addition to collecting singles in each of the last three innings, scoring twice and driving in a run, senior shortstop Preston Cosme-Cruz (Bridgeport) remained perfect on the basepaths this year, swiping his tenth and 11th of the season.
A leadoff home run by No. 3 hitter Lucas Pierce had staked Rhode Island to a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning before the Warriors went ahead for good with five runs in the seventh in driving senior righty Terry Murray (1-2) from the mound. In the seventh, Cofrancesco's one-out single tied the game, Clark's sacrifice fly put the Warriors up for good, 2-1, and Moser's fifth home run of the year –a three-run blast out of the No. 8 spot in the order -- made it 5-1.
Senior lefty Nicholas Furino (East Haven) and junior righty Brendan Kelly (Farmington) kept their ERAs at 0.00 by each pitching a scoreless inning in closing out the game.
Game 2
Eastern Conn. 3, Rhode Island College 1
Hooked up in a pitcher's dual with 6-foot-6 inch, 200 pound RIC sophomore righty Jason Potvin, Wootton carried a 1-0 lead into the sixth before the Anchormen tied it on a leadoff walk, two singles and a ground ball.
With the score tied 1-all, Potvin (two hits allowed in six innings) was replaced to start the seventh in favor of sophomore righty Stephen Sullivan. With two outs and two runners on, the Anchormen committed an infield error that allowed senior second baseman Nick Montagna (Carmel, NY) and Clark to score with what proved to be the winning runs.
Senior lefty Dan Driscoll (Waterford) and senior righty Tyler Rice (Berlin) closed out the game for Wootton, fanning three and walking one and giving up only two hits. Rice allowed a leadoff single in the ninth but got a pair of strikeouts and a game-ending ground ball to Cosme-Cruz to secure his third save of the season.
Clark scored Eastern's first two runs and matched his first game total with two hits and also walked to raise his batting average to .300 while Leonzi drove in Clark to give Eastern a 1-0 lead in the third. Clark opened with a walk, advanced to second on a ground ball and scored ahead of the lefty-hitting Leonzi's single to right.
A winner of eight of its last nine and now 6-2 on its opponent's home field and 11-4 away from the Eastern Baseball Stadium, Eastern visits Stevens Tech (14-9) in a non-conference single game Monday evening at 7 p.m. at Dobbelaar Field. The Ducks had won eight straight heading into a three-game Middle Atlantic Conference weekend set against Arcadia University.
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