ST. DAVIDS, Pa. - On a gorgeous Saturday afternoon, Eastern Baseball wrapped up its season series with Widener with a doubleheader split at The Yard. John Beck pitched a complete game gem in a 4-1 triumph in game one, before a late rally came up just short in an 8-6 loss in game two.

Beck (2-2) was brilliant in the opener, giving up just one hit and one unearned run in his second complete game of the year. The senior from Butler, N.J. recorded five strikeouts, six flyouts, and 10 groundouts on just 87 pitches in helping Eastern clinch its first conference series win of the spring.

After a scoreless two frames to begin the contest, the Eagles struck first in the bottom of the third. Connor Schilling reached first on a Widener throwing error and then quickly stole second, before sophomore Thomas Kozlusky ripped a double off the left center field to score Schilling and put the Eagles ahead 1-0. In the fourth, first-year shortstop Matthew Gonglik, who had a strong day both in the field and at the dish, singled up the middle to score Garrett Friend and increase Eastern's lead to 2-0.

Widener got one run on an RBI groundout from Alex Savkov in the top of the fifth, but the Eagles answered back with another tally in the bottom of the frame. Robert Del Buono reached first on a Widener miscue and moved to second on an Evan Barks sacrifice bunt. He later advanced to third on a wild pitch, and would go on to score on yet another Widener error to push the Eastern advantage to 3-1. The Eagles scored their final run in the bottom of the sixth on Widener's fourth error of the afternoon, and Beck shut the door in the seventh to secure the victory.

Five different Eagles recorded hits in game one. Kozlusky and Gonglik each finished with a hit and an RBI, while Friend, Justin DiCesare, and Luke Meehan also recorded one knock apiece.

"We had a really good series against a solid Widener team," Eastern Head Coach Scott Renauro said. "We executed our pitching plan all weekend with our starters and relievers. In the first game, Beck was able to move the ball around and keep them off balance, and timely hitting really helped us to the win."

Widener took an early lead in game two with a pair of first inning runs and another single run in the fourth, but Eastern came roaring back with five runs in the bottom of the fourth frame. Kozlusky led off the frame with a double to left center and Del Buono followed with an infield single. After Del Buono swiped second, Barks ripped a two-run double to left field to cut the Widener lead to 3-2. With two runners on and two outs, Gonglik crushed a three-run shot to center field, his third home run of the season, to put the Eagles ahead 5-3. Gonglik, who hails from Langhorne, has blossomed offensively in the last few weeks. He currently leads the team in home runs with three, and has hit long balls in two of Eastern's last three games.

Widener, however, answered back with three runs in the top of the sixth. Eastern tied it up with a bases-loaded walk to DiCesare in the seventh, but the Eagles left the bases loaded. The Pride took back the lead in the ninth on a two-run single from Jack Balser, and despite having the bases loaded again with one out, the Eagles could not find the game-tying or winnings runs. Eastern also had issues defensively in game two with six fielding errors. 

"In game two, our pitchers did very well, but we just did not make enough plays in the field," Renauro said. "It felt like a game we should have won, but we were happy with the series win going into the York series next week."

Barks went 2-for-4 from the dish with a pair of RBIs, and six other Eagles finished with a hit in the contest. 

Eastern (8-6, 2-1) will be in Maryland on Wednesday with a non-conference showdown against Washington College. First pitch is scheduled for 3:00 pm.