MADISON, N.J.– Eastern University Baseball scored two runs in the second inning and tacked on four more in the third and held on for a 6-5 win in the second game of a doubleheader at FDU-Florham to claim the season series. The host Devils pulled away in the middle innings to a 14-7 win in the opener.
Colyn Hoffer picked up his first collegiate win.
The Eagles manufactured the first two runs in the nightcap. Brttton Lawrence reached on an error and stole second. He advanced on a ground out and scored on a single by
Brad Clemens. Clemens then stole a pair of bases and scored on a ground out.
The Devils tied the game with two in the bottom of the inning, but Hoffer struck out two of the final three hitters in the inning to strand two FDU hitters on base and bring the Eastern bats to the plate.
Timmy Gorton worked a seven-pitch walk to lead off the third. The Eagles loaded the bases with one out ona single from
Kyle Daddario and a walk from
Jordan Laboy. Lawrence drove in a run with a ground ball fielder's choice to keep the bases loaded, and
Freddy Yahn unloaded them with a double to deep right center to drive in three. Yahn is now second on the team with 21 RBI's.
The Devils scored three runs off Hoffer in the bottom of the fifth to close the gap, but
Matt Bunjo came on to earn the third out of the inning with a strikeout. Bunjo retired all seven hitters he faced to earn the save.
"Hoffer and Bunjo gave us a lot of life int eh second game," Head Coach
Jed Morris said after the conclusion of a long weekend. The Eagles (13-19, 5-13 MAC Freedom) have won two league series this spring. Hoffer is one of four freshmen to start a league game. Eastern has sent rookies to the mound to start 13 times.
Kyle Daddario drove in runs in the first and the third in in the opener, but the Devils scored five runs on six hits to grab the lead in the bottom of the third. The FDU lead grew to 12-2 before the he Eagles responded with two in the top of the sixth and three in the seventh, but there would be no miracle comeback.
Eastern will play at Manhattanville on Friday before hosting the Valiants for a doubleheader on Saturday to wrap up the year.
