FORT MYERS, Fla. – After rattling off eight consecutive wins to start the 2022 season and get off to their best start since 2012, Eastern Connecticut State University Baseball suffered their first defeat on Saturday morning against Bethel University at Terry Part Sports Complex in the finale of their trip to Fort Myers, Florida.

Stifled by Royals' (10-2) first-year starter Max Sutter, the Warriors' (8-1) offense was unable to score against the right-hander who spun eight innings giving up no runs on six hits while striking out eight and walking two en route to his third win of the season as Eastern fell by a final score of 8-1.

Eastern sent junior right-handed ace Billy Oldham (Brookfield) to the mound against Sutter who was challenged immediately by the Bethel lineup as leadoff hitting sophomore outfielder Matthew Carlsen knocked a single up the middle. Three batters later, the bases would be loaded for the Royals with junior catcher Noah Wenberg at the plate.

Wenberg hit a chopper back to Oldham on the mound who fired home to senior catcher Matt Malcom (East Lyme), getting the lead runner in senior outfielder Tommy Friesen out at the plate. Malcom turned and fired to first, but graduate first baseman Josh Tower (Auburn, MA) was unable to pick the ball cleanly, allowing the inning to extend.

Bethel would take advantage of the extra opportunity, plating two runs on a hit batter and balk by Oldham to take an early 2-0 lead. The Warriors would go quietly against Sutter for the next two innings before the Royals continued their offensive blitz, providing additional run support to the first-year pitcher.

Scoring four more runs in the third, Bethel used an RBI single by senior infielder Keenan Hodgkin and a bases-loaded two-RBI single by first-year third baseman Nolan Jurgenson in which all three runs scored after a fielding error to go ahead by a 6-0 margin. The Royals would tack on two more runs in the later innings to extend their lead on a wild pitch and sacrifice fly.

After the departure of Sutter, Eastern would plate a run in the ninth inning as sophomore outfielder Josh Cofrancesco (Southington) earned his first collegiate hit and second RBI of the season on a bouncing ball that got by senior shortstop Marcus Krupke, scoring the lone run of the game for the Warriors.

Sophomore right-hander Nolan Lincoln (Londonderry, NH) continued his impressive start to the season pitching in relief. The right-hander went two innings, giving up one run on no hits while walking two and striking out one. Lincoln has not allowed a hit in 6 1/3 innings this season.

First-year right-hander Griffin Pontbriant (Bozrah) also continued his dominant start to the 2022 campaign out of the bullpen. Pontbriant pitched a scoreless inning of relief against Bethel on Saturday, giving him three appearances in which the right-hander has not allowed a run. The first-year pitcher has gone 9 1/3 innings this season, allowing only three runs while striking out seven batters and walking one.

Junior utilityman Zach Donahue (South Windsor) extended his on-base streak to nine consecutive games after singling to lead off the game for Eastern. Donahue has started eight of the nine games he has played for the Warriors, hitting safely in six of them, including six of the last seven.

Eastern will head back home to begin their schedule up north with the first game being the home opener at Eastern Baseball Stadium this Tuesday at 3:30 PM against Nichols College. Nichols is led by former Eastern pitching coach Tim Mayo, now in his fourth season with the Bison. The Warriors defeated Nichols in their last matchup back on March 3^rd, 2020 by a final score of 10-1. Six of the next seven games for Eastern will be played at home.