Cougars Claw Past Warriors, 5-3
MANSFIELD, Conn. (3/27/07) - Junior Dan
Mattonelli (Hamilton, NJ) drove in the tie-breaking run
with a single in the fifth inning and right-handed pitcher Colin
Feneis (Spotswood, NJ/Spotswood HS) struck out the side in the
ninth to lift the Kean University baseball team to a 5-3 win over
Eastern Connecticut State University Tuesday afternoon at Eastern
Baseball Stadium.
In the first meeting between the programs in 15 years, Kean (8-2)
wiped out a 2-0 first-inning deficit by scoring single runs in the
second, fourth and fifth, and tacked on two insurance runs in the
eighth inning. The game was the first home one of the season for
Eastern (4-6), last year's NCAA Division III New York Regional
champion. The Cougars are ranked seventh in this week's
ABCA/Collegiate Baseball Division III national poll and first in
the Mid-Atlantic Region. Eastern is rated sixth in New England.
Eastern staked sophomore All-America lefty Shawn Gilblair (Windham,
CT) to a quick two-run lead in the first before the Cougars tied it
in the fourth, and went ahead for good in the fifth. During the
tying rally, Maikel De La Rosa (Newark, NJ) led
off the inning with a single, stole second, and scored on
Mattonelli's single. Nick Nolan (Linden, NJ), who
had driven in Kean's first run in the second, chased Eastern
reliever Sam Iverson (New Milford, CT) with a
two-run double with two out in the eighth.
Trailing 2-1, Kean tied the game against Gilblair with an unearned
run in the fourth. Perry Schatzow (Ocean Township,
NJ) reached on an error, stole second and rode home with
the tying run on a double by Mike Shymanski (Edison,
NJ).
The loss is the first after ten straight wins for Gilblair (2-1),
whose only other setback had come in his first collegiate decision
last March 23 at the University of La Verne.
Eastern scored twice in the first inning on a hit and two errors.
Winning pitcher Joe Bartlinski (South Amboy, NJ)
was credited with his first collegiate win limiting Eastern to one
run on five hits until giving way to Feneis with two out and two on
in the eighth. Feneis hit a batter before getting a comebacker to
end the threat. He fanned the side in the ninth to gain his first
save.
Kean will open conference play this Thursday, March 29th as they
take on the Red Hawks of Montclair State in Little Falls, N.J. at 3
p.m.
