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Wednesday, March 26, 0208
BEHIND JAGODZINSKI AND CASTILLO, WARRIORS ROLL TO WIN
In return from California, they hand Manhattanville first home loss of year, 13-3
PURCHASE, N.Y. – Junior righty Jimmy Jagodzinski (Greenwich) pitched seven strong innings and sophomore All-America shortstop Melvin Castillo (Danbury) belted his 17th career home run in 63 games to lift baseball to a convincing 13-3 victory over Manhattanville College Wednesday afternoon.
Jagodzinski (3-1) scattered six hits while fanning two and walking two through the first seven innings and departed with an 8-2 lead en route to his 13th career win in 16 decisions. Castillo drove in four runs with a three-run home run in the eighth and an RBI double in the ninth. He now has 17 career home runs in 63 games and has collected 19 multiple-RBI games (five this season).
Nine players contributed to the 15-hit attacked against four Manhattanville College (10-5) pitchers as the Valiants were beaten at home after three opening wins. Batting second in the order, sophomore leftfielder John Parke (Middlefield) reached four times with three singles and a walk, and also drove in a run with a fourth-inning sacrifice fly. Parke also scored three times.
Batting ninth in the order, freshman second baseman Pat Smith (Milford, PA) reached three times with two RBI singles and a walk and also handled six chances in the field without an error. In his first career start, freshman Andrew Dewing (Swampscott, MA) doubled twice and walked once in three plate appeareances. He knocked in the team’s first run in the third and walked and scored in the fifth.
The game was the first for Eastern since returning from its California spring trip and first of seven in eight days for Eastern, which visits Western New England College Thursday at 3 p.m. The Warriors defeated the Golden Bears, 6-3, in the second round of last year’s NCAA Division III New England Regional Tournament.
Eastern Conn. 13, Manhattanville College 3
Eastern Conn. (8-5) 001 330 141 -- 13 15 3
Manhattanville College (10-5) 000 002 001 -- 3 9 2
Jimmy Jagodzinski (3-1), Wes Dutton (8), Jake Slate (9) and Andrew Magliola. Justin Gray (1-1), Joe Donnelly (6), John Kahn (8), Mark McCaffrey (9) and Alex Braverman (8). 2B-Andrew Dewing 2, Magliola 2, Melvin Castillo, Shawn Gilblair (E), Thomas Verrengia, Chris Betro, Dan Needleman (M); HR-Castillo (3).
