Baseball Falls to 7th Ranked Eastern Connecticut State, 9-1

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Eastern Connecticut State University baseball team plated eight runs over the final three innings as the visiting Warriors downed Bridgewater State University, 9-1, on Friday afternoon at Alumni Park.

The Warriors, who are ranked seventh in the latest American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Division III poll, improve to 21-3 with the win.  Bridgewater slips to 10-11.

Michael Hepple (Newington, Conn.) picked up the win in relief for the visitors as he hurled 3 2/3 innings of shutout baseball retiring 11 of the 12 batters he faced while striking out three. Hepple (1-1) entered the game with the score tied at 1-1 in the sixth with the potential go ahead run on at third base with just one out.  He induced a pair of infield ground outs to put an end to the threat.

Eastern had taken a 1-0 lead off of BSU starter Tyler Hughes (Middleboro, Mass.) in the third.  Chris Cannata (Southington, Conn.) was hit by a pitch to lead off the frame and moved to second on a walk to Joe Cousineau (Newington, Conn.).  After a wild pitch advanced the runners to second and third, Cannata would trot home on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Jim Schult (Wappingers Falls, N.Y.).

Despite walking four batters and hitting four over the first six innings, Hughes was able to keep it a one-run game.  In the bottom of the sixth David Pierce (East Bridgewater, Mass.) singled to lead things off and moved to second on a Joshua Ferreira (Fall River, Mass.) sacrifice bunt.  Ian Williams (Taunton, Mass.) then tied the game and chased Eastern starter Greg Porter (Mystic, Conn.) with a long triple to right field. 

Porter gave up just the one run on three hits over 5 1/3 innings of work.  He walked three and struck out five.

The Warriors were finally able to crack the scoreboard again in the seventh as they plated three runs.  Schult broke the 1-1 tie with a two-run single which also signaled the end of the afternoon for Hughes.  Steve Cammuso (Rutland, Mass.) added a sacrifice fly later in the frame.  Eastern was aided by a BSU error in the inning which led to two of the runs being unearned.

ECSU made it 5-1 in the eighth.  Danny O'Connell (Braintree, Mass.) doubled with one out and came around to score on Shane Kingsley's (Beacon Falls, Conn.) RBI single. Kingsley then stole second and third and scored on a Cousineau sacrifice fly.

Eastern put the game out reach with three more runs in the ninth as Andrew Dewing (Swampscott, Mass.) doubled in two runs and later scored on an infield throwing error.

O'Connell paced the Warriors' seven-hit attack as he went 2-for-5 with two runs scored.  In addition to their seven hits, the Eastern batsmen also reached on five walks and were hit by a pitch five times.

Hughes (1-1) worked the first 6 1/3 innings giving up four runs, only two of which were earned.  He also struck out six.  Tyler Dennis (Stoughton, Mass.) as the only Bears with multiple hits as he finished 2-for-4 with a pair of singles.