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| MacLean (WCSU athletics) |
Western Connecticut State University junior Kyle MacLean hadn’t hit a collegiate home run going into Tuesday’s game against Eastern Connecticut State.
The former St. Paul third baseman got his first one with one big bang in the bottom of the third inning of a 7-5 loss. MacLean launched a grand slam to left field to put the Colonials ahead 4-0. The home run sailed well over the fence, just inside the fair pole.
MacLean doubled his career home run total in the next game he played, a 20-12 victory over Lehman on Thursday. This time, MacLean blasted a two-run homer the other way over the right centerfield fence. His homer scored fellow Southington native Joe Daigle and gave WCSU an early 3-0 lead.
MacLean has played in 16 of WCSU’s 28 games. He is hitting .322 with two home runs, four doubles, 12 RBI and 12 runs scored.
MacLean wasn’t the only former Bristol baseball player to contribute to that win over Lehman.
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| Marquis (WCSU athletics) |
Zach Marquis, Western Connecticut State University baseball
The freshman from Bristol Eastern was called on to pitch during the high-scoring Lehman game, and he provided a whole bunch of relief.
Marquis threw 4 1/3 innings, gave up a single run and struck out five. He also earned praise from his head coach John Susi.
“Marquis was huge for the win,” Susi said. “It was a bulldog effort from the freshman.”
Marquis entered the game in the fourth inning, and he allowed Lehman a single run. That allowed WCSU to get its offense in high gear and take over the game.
Marquis has pitched in three games for the Colonials. He is 1-0 with a 3.52 ERA. He has given up three runs on 10 hits over 7 2/3 innings, struck out nine and walked just one.
Charline Plasczynski, Western Connecticut State University softball
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| Plasczynski (WCSU athletics) |
The sophomore utility player and former Bristol Eastern standout has had a knack for getting extra-base hits.
That was never more evident than in a 10-0 win over New England College on April 20. Plasczynski was 3-for-3 that game with three doubles and a RBI. She leads the team with eight doubles and is second with four home runs. She is also hitting .333 overall.
Plasczynski has continued to hit since the second game of that New England College doubleheader. In the last six games, she has had two hits four different times. Plasczynski is in the middle of a seven-game hit streak and has driven in five runs.
WCSU plays a doubleheader today at Plymouth State. The Colonials are fourth in the Little East Conference standings and looking to improve upon their playoff positioning.
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| DeFoe (Albertus Magnus athletics) |
Aubrey DeFoe, Albertus Magnus College softball
This Falcon freshman and former Holy Cross standout is also clubbing doubles at a high rate.
In fact, seven of DeFoe’s 19 hits this season have gone for two bases. That’s tied for third on the team and just two off of the top number of nine.
Two of those doubles came in a 6-3 win over the University of Saint Joseph on April 24 in West Hartford. It was the second time this month that DeFoe had two doubles in a game, with the other coming against Regis on April 8.
DeFoe, Watertown native, is hitting .339 for the season, and she has one of the 11 homers hit by the Falcons. Albertus Magnus hosts Emmanuel College today in a doubleheader. The Falcons are looking to maintain their grip on third place in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference.
Chris Flynn, Roger Williams University baseball
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| Flynn (RWU athletics) |
Speaking of former Crusaders having an impact as freshmen, put this right-handed pitcher in that category.
Flynn threw a perfect top of the eighth inning on Thursday with RWU trailing Johnson & Wales 2-1. The Hawks rallied for three runs in the bottom of the inning, and Flynn wound up taking the win in a 4-2 victory.
Flynn, a Naugatuck native, ran his record to 3-0. He has appeared in nine games for RWU, including two starts, and has racked up two saves. In 16 1/3 innings, Flynn has held opponents to a .200 batting average and given up six runs on 12 hits. He has struck out 15 and walked eight.
RWU is looking to keep its grip on the top spot in the Commonwealth Coast Conference standings. The Hawks are 10-2, just ahead of 9-3 Salve Regina. RWU has five games left in the regular season, starting with today’s doubleheader at Endicott. On Sunday, the Hawks host Salve Regina in a doubleheader that could determine the conference regular season champion.
Statistics and information compiled from the team website of each athlete.
