KEENE, N.H. – Sophomore lefty Jake Jachym tossed 5.2 innings of solid ball, allowing two earned runs and striking out six, but the Keene State College baseball team left 11 on base including the tying run in both the eighth and ninth and the go-ahead run in the eighth as they lost to 18th-ranked Eastern Connecticut State University 5-4 in a Little East Conference game Tuesday afternoon at the Owl Athletic Complex.

Records

• Keene State:  15-18, 5-6 LEC
• No. 18 Eastern Connecticut:  23-8, 10-1 LEC

Postgame Interview (Coach Blood)

How It Happened
The reason for the result of this one was not obscure, as the Owls had plenty of traffic on the basepaths but seldom came up with a big hit in a key spot, going 2-for-13 in RBI opportunities and 4-for-24 with runners on base.  As a result, they were not able to string together three consecutive victories for the second time this season and fell to 1-8 in one-run games.

KSC is also 3-12 when they make two or more errors – and a miscue today helped Eastern Connecticut take a 2-1 lead in the top of the fourth with two unearned runs after they had just fallen behind.  After that, the visitors did not trail again, slowly gaining distance by scoring a single run in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings.  Their run in the seventh off a one-out home run from Ryan Parent that made it 5-1 seemed to be cosmetic in nature at the time, but ended up being the swing that provided the distance as KSC clawed back with a late rally to have a chance.

Keene State's uprising consisted of substantial threats, including multiple runners on base in the seventh and eighth innings.  In the seventh, Joseph Lucas led off the frame with a walk and moved up when Tommy Ahlers smacked a single into left.  Lucas moved up another base on a wild pitch to put runners at the corners with one out and the Owls down four, but Jonathan Chatfield and Otis Follet each hit infield grounders to end the threat, one of which did plate a run to make it 5-2.

After David Floyd stranded an ECSU runner at third in the top of the eighth by striking out Mason Balmer and getting Jason Claiborn to sky to right, the Owls were gifted three baserunners in the span of the first four batters as Mike Furgalack and Nolan Lincoln struggled to find the zone.  Shea Zina began with a walk, and after Lincoln came in, he hit Brendan Eaton and Ethan Rainha within a three-batter stretch as KSC loaded the bases with one out.  It seemed it might be another squander when Lucas waved at a pitch well out of the strike zone for the second out, but Evan Cali bounced a two-run single up the middle to draw the Owls within 5-4.  Ahlers bounced into a fielder's choice to end the inning, but KSC had the No. 3, No. 4, and No. 5 hitters now scheduled to bat in the ninth.  Floyd tossed his second scoreless frame in the top half to keep it a one-run game.  KSC put the tying run on and brought the winning run to the plate when Follet got a base hit that snuck into left with one out, but Nathan Furino struck out Zina and Eaton flew to left to end the game as the Owls continue to search for critical hits that would help them move the needle significantly in conference play.

The loss spoiled a strong outing for Jachym (2-4), who allowed four runs (two earned) in 5.2 innings, walking one and striking out six.  He threw 77 pitches, 57 for strikes.  One of his four runs scored when Daniel Cantafi allowed an RBI single to Claiborn, the first batter he faced, that made it 4-1 in the sixth.

Dylan Scudder started for Eastern and allowed four hits and walked two over four innings while throwing 68 pitches, but allowed only one run.  Finn Doherty was credited with the win, allowing a hit and striking out two in a scoreless sixth after the Warriors had tacked on another to their lead.

The first six Owls in the batting order all recorded hits, including multi-hit efforts from Cali (2-4, 2 RBI) and Ahlers (2-5, RBI).  However, the two through four spots in the lineup combined to strand six runners.

Keene State has lost nine straight in the series, and has not won a true home game against the Warriors since 2017.

The Owls host non-conference opponent New England College (6-23, 4-8 GNAC) tomorrow (Wednesday, April 24) for a 3:00 p.m. first pitch before welcoming LEC opponent University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth on Saturday for a doubleheader.