'BANGOR, Maine  --  Freshman left-hander Shawn Gilblair (Windham, Conn.) scattered eight hits and two walks while striking out three in a complete game effort to lead the Eastern Connecticut State University Warriors to a 3-1 victory over the Keene State College Owls in Game Ten of the 2006 Little East Conference Baseball Tournament at Mansfield Stadium in Bangor, Maine.

    The EC win forces the six-team, double-elimination tournament into the "if necessary" game (Game 11) with the winner taking the conference title and the automatic berth into the NCAA Division III Tournament.  The third-seeded Warriors, looking for their fifth championship in the 10-year history of the tournament, are 28-17 overall and 4-1 in the tournament.  The second-seeded Owls, bidding for their first LEC title, are 31-13 overall and 3-1 in the tournament.

        Gilblair surrendered a single run in the fifth when KS sophomore Joe Rousseau (Nashua, N.H.) led off with a double and came home on a two-out single by freshman Jeff Perkins (Dunbarton, N.H.).  Gilblair allowed only two harmless singles, and no Keene State runner got past first base, over the final four innings.  The win is the sixth of the season for the rookie southpaw.

        The Warriors' gave Gilblair an early lead to work with, striking for two runs in the top of the first inning.  With one out, senior Marc Garofalo (South Kingstown, R.I.) singled to right and scored when junior Randy Re (Danbury, Conn.) doubled down the right field line.  Re advanced to third on a single by senior Chris DeSantis (Shrewsbury, Mass.) and scored on a sacrifice fly by junior Matt Cooney (Arlington, Mass.).  The Warriors would load the bases with two outs, but KSC junior left-hander Rick Stromgren (Keene, N.H.) got out of further trouble with an infield pop out.

      Stromgren settled down after the shaky first inning, allowing only one hit over the next five innings.  He allowed back-to-back singles with two outs in the seventh, but got Re to ground out to end the threat.

       The Warriors finally got to Stromgren in the ninth for an insurance run.  Gilblair, who also served as the designated hitter, walked.  Senior Zach Mehrbach (Lyme, N.H.) pinch ran for Gilblair, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, and came home on a double down the left field line by sophomore Will Moran (Manchester, Conn).  Junior Mike Cook (Dover, Mass.) relieved Stromgren and struck out the two batters he faced to end the inning.

      Garofalo and junior Eric O'Toole (Waterbury, Conn.) each had a pair of hits for the Warriors.  Re, who had two or more hits in the previous four games, had one hit and is now 12 for 21 for the tournament.

    Rousseau had a double and two singles, and Perkins had two singles, for the Owls.

(Courtesy USM Sports Information)