'MANSFIELD, CONN. 5/12/04  - The sixth seed Keene State College baseball team lost to top seed Eastern Conn. State University, 19-2, in the opening game of the Little East Conference baseball tournament at Eastern on Wednesday. 

KSC scored its only runs in the top of the first on an RBI single from Justin Hickman (Mont Vernon, N.H.), who later scored on an error by the Eastern shortstop.  Peter Hall (Danielson, Conn.), Jeremy Schilling (Centerville, Mass.), and John Grainger (Keene, N.H.) each had hits in the game.   

Dwight Wildman (Seymour, Conn.), who went three-for-three with three RBI, led the Warriors.  Eugene Julien (Brockton, Mass.) and Marc Garofalo (South Kingstown, R.I.) had three hits each for Eastern. 

Ryan Kohler (3-3) took the loss for the Owls.  He scattered seven hits, struck out one, and walked four in 3.1 innings on the mound.  Joey Serfass (Newington, Conn.) fanned four and walked but one in seven innings for Eastern.  He improved to 8-0.

Keene State (13-22-1) will face the loser of the Southern Maine/Rhode Island game on Thursday (Noon).