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Thursday, March 27, 2008
WILD FINISH COSTLY FOR BASEBALL IN 3-2 LOSS TO WNEC
Four wild pitches in last two innings hand Golden Bears comeback victory
SPIRNGFIELD, Mass. – Western New England College scored the tying and go-ahead runs in the last two innings with the help of four wild pitches as the Golden Bears downed baseball, 3-2, Thursday afternoon at Trelease Park.
In a re-match of an NCAA regional tournament game won by Eastern, 6-3, Western New England (4-5) rallied from a 2-1 deficit after seven innings by scoring the tying run in the eighth on a leadoff walk and three wild pitches and won the game in the bottom of the ninth on a leadoff single, passed ball, sacrifice bunt.
The WNEC win snaps a three-game losing streak at the hands of Eastern (8-6) and is its third in the 39-game series which dates back to 1973.
In his third career start, Eastern sophomore righty Matt Fontaine (Cranston, RI) allowed only six singles without a walk and had three strikeouts over the first five innings and left with the game tied 1-1. Eastern took a 2-1 lead in the seventh when freshman third baseman Pat Smith (Milford, PA) singled with one out, stole second and scored on a two-out single by sophomore All-America shortstop Melvin Castillo (Danbury).
Four newcomers (three freshmen) were in the starting lineup for Eastern, which managed only seven singles off three Western New England pitchers. Senior lefty Chris Anderson of Western New England, who pitched into the eighth inning of his team’s 6-3 loss to Eastern in last year’s regional tournament, didn’t allow an earned run through five innings this time around and departed with the score tied at 1-1. Against reliever Sean Lopata, the Warriors got a leadoff single from junior first baseman Tristan Hobbes (Utica, NY) and a walk but an infield double play and ground ball ended the threat and kept the score tied.
Eastern was able to take the lead in the top of the seventh on Castillo’s 17th RBI of the season before the hosts capitalized on Eastern miscues in the last two innings.
Castillo was the only player in the game with as many as two hits, while senior second baseman Zack Thomas (East Haddam) walked twice and helped build the first run of the game with a sacrifice bunt that set up an RBI single by senior centerfielder Ismael Bolorin (Manchester) in the third.
Eastern opens defense of last year’s Little East Conference unbeaten regular-season championship by hosting No. 20 nationally-ranked Keene State College in a 2 p.m. doubleheader Saturday. The Warriors defeated the Owls to win both the conference and regional championship tournaments.
Western New England College 3, Eastern Conn. 2
Eastern Conn. (8-6) 010 000 100 -- 2 7 1
Western NE (4-5) 001 000 011 -- 3 7 2
One out when winning run scored.
Matt Fontaine, Wes Dutton (6), Ronnie Newkirk (6), Shawn Gilblair (8), James Kukucka (9) and Chris Wojick. Chris Anderson, Sean Lopata (6), Bryan Calzone (7) and Nick Martino, Tyler Montrone (8). WP-Calzone (2-1); LP-Kukucka (2-1).
