RINDGE, N.H.--Another outstanding pitching performance lifted the Keene State College baseball team to a 7-4 win over Rhode Island College in the winners bracket final of the 2025 Little East Conference tournament at Pappas Field on the campus of Franklin Pierce University.
Records
Keene State: 24-15
Rhode Island College: 17-22
How it Happened
After
David Floyd and
Camden Thomas delivered in the first two games, it was
Jake Jachym's turn.  The junior left matched his teammates with an eight inning, four strikeout performance, tossing 114 pitches to improve to 5-1 this season.
Evan McCue,
Tommy Ahlers,
Shea Zina, and
Otis Follet all had multi-hit games for the Owls, led by Follet, who was 3-for-4 at the dish. Zina and
Tommy Ahlers each knocked in a pair of runs.
Keene State jumped on board early, as Chatfield drew a bases loaded walk, Zina knocked in two runs with a single, and Follet delivered an RBI single through the right side. The lead ballooned to 7-0 in the fourth inning with an RBI groundout from
Luke Anderson and a 2-RBI single by Ahlers.
RIC broke up the shutout on a two-run homer from Parker Camelo in the fifth inning.  After Dan Cascio singled in a run to make it 7-3, the game was delayed, then ultimately suspended until 9:30 am on Friday morning.  When the game resumed, the Owls put two runners on but could not cash them in, and though the Anchormen pulled one back in the top of the ninth,
Liam Conley struck out Lucas Pierce to send the Owls to the LEC final for the first time since 2009.
Eastern Connecticut State and UMass Boston were scheduled to play at Pappas Field at 11 am on Friday morning; the game was suspended in the sixth inning with the Warriors holding an 8-3 lead.  That game will resume at 4 pm on Saturday, May 10, back at Pappas Field.  Approximately 50 minutes later, the winner of the ECSU/UMB game will play Rhode Island College.
The LEC Championship has been shifted to Sunday, May 11.  Keene State will play the ECSU/UMB/RIC winner, needing one win for their first LEC title in 17 years and second championship ever.