MANSFIELD, CONN. 4/10/10 – The Keene State baseball team
split a Little East conference doubleheader against No. 13 ranked
(No. 3 New England) Eastern Conn. State University at Eastern
Baseball Stadium on Saturday.
The Owls (11-10-1, 2-2 LEC) overcame a three-run deficit by
scoring four times in the top of the fifth to take the opener
11-8. The Warriors racked up 14 hits off five Keene State
pitchers to post a 15-4 victory in the second game that was stopped
after seven innings due to the ten-run rule.
In the first game, Junior designated hitter Peter Burgio
(Bolton, Conn.) ignited the Owls' outburst in the
fifth with a leadoff home run. The Owls scored three times in the
inning after there were two out on a two-run single by No. 3 hitter
junior Bobby Doyon (Keene, NH) and a run-scoring
single by senior cleanup hitter Anthony Cipolla
(Glastonbury, Conn.) to snap a five-game losing streak at
the hands of the defending LEC playoff champion Warriors.
Doyon and Cipolla combined for six hits and five RBI as seven of
the Owls' 12 hits off five Eastern pitchers were good for
extra bases. No. 8 hitter Greg Bates (Salem, NH)
drove in three runs with a sacrifice fly and a two-run double when
the visitors tacked on two key insurance runs. In addition to
Burgio, senior leadoff hitter Keith Patnode (Keene,
NH) homered, his fifth of the season, while John Parke,
Jim Schult and Tyler Turgeon all smacked home runs for the
Warriors.
Taking over on the mound for junior starter Dan Nelson
(Glastonbury, Conn.) in the fourth inning, senior
Jeff Raymond (Amston, Conn.) came on to pick-up
the his first win of the season (1-3). He pitched 3.1 innings of
four hit ball with three walks and two strikeouts. Junior
Cory Vogt (Suffield, Conn.) tossed the final two
innings, fanning three batters, and notched the save.
Eastern (15-6, 3-2 LEC) batted around in the second and fifth
innings to back the six-inning effort of senior righty Matt
Fontaine as the Warriors gained a split.
In the nightcap, every hitter in the Eastern lineup had at least
one hit and scored at least one run and eight different players
drove in at least one run to back Fontaine (3-0), who allowed five
hits and four (earned runs) while fanning six and walking six.
The Owls mustered just five hits in the game. Sophomore
Tim Thiesing (South Grafton, Mass.) took the loss
for KSC.
Keene State hosts rival Plymouth State on Tuesday.
