Westfield second baseman Kyle Colesanti turns a 6-4-3 double play to end the second inning. (Photo by Cody Goldman)
WESTFIELD – Senior Brendan Lynch was 3 for 4 with a triple, double and four RBI to power nationally ranked Eastern Connecticut State University to a 9-2 non-conference baseball victory over Westfield State University Thursday.
After breaking Eastern’s 10-game winning streak in this series by capturing the second game of a doubleheader at the Eastern Baseball Stadium last year, Westfield (13-17-1) lost its fourth straight to a member of the Little East Conference and fell to 1-6-1 in its last eight contests. Ranked second in New England and No. 6 nationally, Eastern (22-6) won its fourth straight and is 15-2 in its last 17.
With two out and the bases empty, five consecutive batters reached base in the top of the first for Eastern, which was also aided by an infield error, balk and passed ball. Kyle drove in the first run after Lynch doubled and senior Gavin Lavallee walked. Lavallee raced home on a passed ball for the second run and an error on a ground ball by junior Brendan Germano made it 3-0.
Making his first start and second appearance of the season, Westfield sophomore righty John Silva (0-1) did not make it through the second inning, but only one of the three runs charged to him was earned.
Eastern junior righty starter Tyler Cyr surrendered hits to three of the first four batters he faced – two of them for extra bases – as Westfield answered with two in the bottom of the first powered by a two-run triple by Danny DiMatteo. Cyr and three relief pitchers shut down the hosts the rest of the way. Cyr pitched into the fifth – giving up seven hits but walking only one and striking out three – but was lifted one out shy of qualifying for the win.
Making his staff-leading 12th appearance, Matt D’Orsi (1-0) was credited with his first win since 2012 by shutting out the Owls over 2 1/3 innings. He gave up three hits without a walk and struck out two. While Westfield was unable to solve the deliveries of Eastern’s pitchers, the Warriors added a single run in the third inning and opened up a 6-2 lead with a pair in the sixth.
Sophomore Derek Allen contributed his first hit in nearly a month with a two-out double down the left field line to score Germano and make it 4-2 in the third. Eastern again struck with two outs in the sixth when Lynch lashed a two-run triple to make it 6-2. Hart drove in his second run of the game with a single in the eighth to make it 7-2, and Lynch chalked up two more RBI with a two-out single in the ninth.
Five Westfield pitches allowed 15 hits and walked six, hit five batters, committed a balk and threw a wild pitch and were additionally victimized by three errors and a passed ball.
Lynch and Perez both reached safely four times with three hits and a hit-by-pitch and Hart added three hits.
Dan McCormack led Westfield’s 11-hit attack with a double and two singles in five at bats. Kyle Colesanti was 2 for 3.
Westfield State returns to action on Saturday, April 26, when it hosts Fitchburg State in a key doubleheader to close out the MASCAC regular season.
Eastern visits the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Saturday in a Little East Conference noon doubleheader. The Warriors are in second place in the conference with four regular-season games remaining. They are a game behind the University of Southern Maine and two up on UMass Dartmouth.
