RINDGE, N.H. – Junior
Alex Rives (Gilford, N.H.) had a pair of two-hit games, but #3 Eastern Connecticut State University took both ends of a Little East Conference (LEC) baseball doubleheader over Plymouth State University at Pappas Field on the campus of Franklin Pierce University on Saturday.
Rives went 2-for-4 and reached with a walk in the opener, but the Warriors scored seven runs in the eighth inning to earn an 11-5 win.
Rives added another two hits in the nightcap, bringing his season average to .315, but Eastern Connecticut's offense was too strong again as the Warriors earned a 14-1 win in eight innings.
Plymouth State drops to 7-13 (0-2 LEC), while Eastern Connecticut, ranked third in this week's D3baseball.com/NCBWA Top 25 poll, improved to 15-2 and 4-0 in the LEC.
The Basics:
- Game One: Plymouth State 5, #3 Eastern Connecticut 11
- Game Two: Plymouth State 1, #3 Eastern Connecticut 14 (8 Inn.)
- Plymouth State (7-13, 0-2 LEC)
- #3 Eastern Connecticut (15-2, 4-0 LEC)
How it Happened (Game One):
- Eastern Connecticut got out to a 2-0 lead with a two-run homer in the top of the first and a solo shot in the top of the second made it 3-0.
- Plymouth State answered in the bottom of the inning as sophomore Joshua Welsh (East Lyme, Conn.) launched a blast to deep right center to make it 3-1.
- The Warriors added a run in the fifth before putting the game away with a seven-run outburst in the eighth.
- Plymouth State attempted to rally late as sophomore Luke Sokolski (Waterford, Conn.) had an RBI single in the eighth and Rives, sophomore Jackson Curtis (Jefferson, N.H.) and Sokolski all drove in runs in the ninth, but the deficit was too large to overcome.
By the Numbers (Game One):
- Rives went 2-for-4 with a walk atop the order.
- Sokolski finished 1-for-4 with a pair of runs batted in.
- Welsh reached base three times with his homer and two walks.
- Junior Eoin Hamell-Kelleher (Attleboro, Mass.) worked the first 5.2 innings to drop to 1-2.
How it Happened (Game Two):
- The Warriors scored twice in the top of the third, but PSU used a two-out rally to get one back in the bottom of the inning. Rives singled and Curtis walked to set up Sokolski's RBI single.
- Eastern Connecticut answered right back with a four spot in the top of the fourth to make it 6-1.
- The visitors tacked on four in the sixth and added another four runs in the eighth to account for the final score.
By the Numbers (Game Two):
- Rives finished with a pair of singles in four at bats and scored the Panthers' lone run.
- Sokolski also reached base twice with a single and walk.
- Senior Bryan McGrath (Franklin, Mass.) had PSU's other base hit, while Curtis worked a walk.
- Senior Noah Wachter (Concord, N.H.) struck out five over his 4.2 innings of work but took the loss to dip to 0-3.
Up Next:
- The Panthers visit Bates College on Tuesday (Apr. 5) for a non-conference clash with the Bobcats at 3:30 p.m.
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