Box Score

MOREHEAD CITY, N.C. – Freshman Brian Ernst allowed one run in 7.1 innings in his first collegiate start and sophomore Ryan Beck got the final five outs for the first save of his career as East Stroudsburg University beat Southern Connecticut State, 2-1, to finish the first weekend of the 2010 baseball season on Monday morning.

Ernst turned in the fourth straight strong outing by the Warriors' starting pitchers and allowed just four hits while striking out six before handing the ball to Beck with runners on first and third and one out in the eighth.

Beck walked the first batter he faced to load the bases before getting clean-up hitter Ryan Geffert to ground into an inning-ending double play to preserve ESU's 2-1 lead. He struck out the side in the ninth and pitched around a one-out single to seal the Warriors' first win of the season.

Ernst was 2-for-4 at the plate and finished the weekend hitting .333 (5-for-15) with a pair of two-hit games to go with his strong performance on the mound. Freshman 1B Tom Spilatore and sophomore 2B Ryan Guarino also went 2-for-4 as the Warriors collected nine hits, all singles.

Spilatore drove in ESU's first run with a base hit in the fourth after senior DH John Pisker walked, stole second and advanced to third on a single by Ernst. The Warriors went ahead 2-0 in the seventh as sophomore SS Evan Gallagher singled with the bases loaded after junior C Bryce Muth and Guarino singled and sophomore CF Carey Zimmerman drew a walk.

Southern Connecticut, the preseason No. 2 pick in the Northeast-10 Conference, scored its only run of the game off Ernst in the seventh before Beck entered and closed the door. Ed Bethke got the start and pitched the first five innings and Ryan Yerina, a NE-10 All-Rookie selection last year, threw the final four frames.

ESU went 1-3 in its first action of the season, picking up its first win on Monday after falling to UMass-Lowell, 3-2 (13 inn.) on Saturday night and 11-5 on Sunday morning and SCSU 4-0 later in the day on Sunday.

Senior Christian Saveri took a no-hitter into the seventh inning of his start vs. UMass-Lowell Saturday night, preseason All-American Jeremy Gigliotti threw three scoreless innings on Sunday morning and freshman Colin Kelly made his first career start in the third game of the trip. The Warriors committed just three errors in the field, none in their last two games.

ESU will continue its preparations for the PSAC East schedule with a trip to Palm Beach, Fla. for seven games over spring break. The Warriors will open with a doubleheader against Northwood (Fla.) on Friday beginning at 11:30 a.m.