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 opened conference play Thursday, March 29th as they took on the Red Hawks of Montclair State in Little Falls, N.J. at 3 p.m.
