DANBURY, Conn. - After dropping a heartbreaker to the University of Saint Joseph yesterday, the Western Connecticut State University baseball team rebounded to split a doubleheader with visiting Little East Conference foe Rhode Island College on Tuesday. The Wolves won the opener, 4-1, before being edged in Game Two, 7-3. 

Sophomore starting pitcher Braden Barron (Southington, Conn.) nearly went the distance for the hosts in the opener. He finished with six strikeouts while allowing just one run before classmate reliever Brandon Payne (Milford, Conn.) entered to notch the final out courtesy of a foul pop up with the bases loaded. 

WestConn jumped out to an early first inning lead when sophomore Mitch Landau (Northport, N.Y.) came around to score on a throwing error after leading off the frame with a double. They widened the gap to 2-0 thanks to yet another RIC error. The Wolves put up another pair of runs in the fifth. After knocking a pair of singles, the hosts scored on yet another error before pushing another runner across the plate due to a balk to make it 4-0. The visitors tallied a trio of singles with two outs in the seventh to slice the gap to 4-1. Barron got the first two outs in the ninth before the Anchormen put together another threat. But Payne came on to earn the pop up to seal the win. 

Game Two was a different story as RIC took command and moved ahead 3-0 in the fifth. However, WestConn battled back with two runs in the sixth and one more in the seventh, deadlocking the count at 3-3. Sophomore Nick Lobuono (Trumbull, Conn.) got it started with a double that pushed two runners home before junior Thomas Keough (Plainville, Conn.) singled home a runner to finish off the spurt. But RIC was able to string together a barrage of singles and put up a four-spot on the board in the top of the ninth en route to the victory. 

With the split, WestConn moved to 6-16 overall while RIC went to 2-15. The Wolves return to the diamond when they host yet another league twin bill on Saturday. First pitch against Plymouth State is slated for Noon.