Seahawk offense supports six-pitcher effort in non-league win

NEW BRITAIN, Conn. - The Salve Regina University baseball team scored runs in every inning but the ninth, collecting eight extra-base hits and rolling to a 17-4 non-conference victory over Eastern Connecticut State University Thursday afternoon at Central Connecticut State University.

Coming off a doubleheader loss to regionally-ranked Endicott College, Salve Regina (6-7) picked up 15 hits off seven Eastern (6-7) pitchers, who combined to walk seven batters and hit seven and allow two home runs, five doubles and a triple.

Making his first start (third appearance), freshman righty Ben Ruddock (Deerfield, Mass.) was lifted with none out in the second and was charged with four earned runs on two hits while walking two and fanning one.

Batting 1-2 in the Seahawk lineup, Ryan Kelly (Waldwick, N.J.) and John Militano (Miller Place, N.Y.) combined for seven hits and seven RBI and each scored four times. Kelly was 4-for-6 with five RBI and Militano 3-for-5 with two RBI. Kelly had a home run and two doubles and reached six times.

Batting eighth, Christian Vargas (Melbourne, Fla.) doubled and homered and reached five times.

Senior rightfielder Kyle Hart (Guilford) and freshman DH Kyle Pileski (Bristol) each had two of Eastern's seven hits.

Eastern hosts the University of Southern Maine in a Little East Conference noon doubleheader Saturday at Central Connecticut. Salve Regina gets back in action with its first games at Reynolds Field in 2015, hosting Curry College, with the Colonels as the home team, on Friday at 1:30 p.m.