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AUBURNDALE, Fla.--Fourteen-year coach Matt LaBranche picked up win No. 400 and
Mike Rubino tied Western New England's all-time record for base hits with 217 as the Golden Bears defeated William Paterson, 4-1, on Sunday to begin the third day of the 2013 RussMatt Baseball Invitational.
A senior, Rubino went 2-for-3 with a pair of walks and drove in two runs against the Pioneers.
Starter
Jeff Richardson worked six scoreless innings to earn the victory on the mound, striking out seven while giving up only two hits.
Brian Mazella pitched the final three innings to pick up his first career save, allowing an unearned run and no hits.
LaBranche has compiled a school and career record of 400-176.
"I was really looking for more efficient pitching today and got just that from Richardson and Mazella," LaBranche said. "I thought (Kevin) Marciano also gave us a nice lift at shortstop coming off the bench. Overall, I continue to be pleased with contributions we are getting from unproven guys."
In the second game of the day, Steve Keane singled to center field in the top of the 15th inning to give Rutgers-Camden (6-3) a thrilling 7-6 victory. The teams left a combined 34 runners on base in a contest that lasted 5 hours and 2 minutes.
Sophomore
Steve Buckley led the WNE offense by going 3-for-6 with four RBI and senior co-captain
Tim Clark also had three hits. Buckley hit a bases-clearing triple off the center field fence to cap a four-run rally that tied the score 6-all in the bottom of the eighth.
Dave Prager had four of the Camden's 17 hits, finishing with two RBI.
"All the credit goes to Rutgers-Camden. They took the game to us early," stated LaBranche. "I was proud of the way we battled back (down 3-0 and 6-2) but we had plenty of opportunities to win; (however) their pitchers executed their pitches each and every time."