Sandini Matches School Record With 15 K's in 5-0 Win Over Husson

BROOKLINE, Mass. – Senior Chris Sandini (Upton, Mass.) hurled a complete game, two-hit shutout and fanned a school record-tying 15 batters as the Wentworth Institute of Technology baseball team won its first ECAC Baseball Tournament game since the 1995 season with a 5-0 win over Husson in a game played at Northeastern University's Friedman Diamond.

The visiting Eagles had a chance to draw first blood in the top of the second inning when sophomore Jason Smith (Milford, Maine) delivered a one-out single to center and went to second on a wild pitch after a strikeout.  However, he would be stranded there after a flyout ended the inning.  In the home half of the inning the host Leopards had a chance to go ahead as junior Ben Danker (Branford, Conn.) drew a leadoff walk and advanced to second a batter later when junior Jake McManus (Hopkinton, N.H.) singled to right center.  Junior Mike Diodato (Asbury, N.J.) hit a deep fly to center, allowing Danker to tag up and advance to third before a groundout moved McManus to second.  However, junior southpaw Ryan Arsenault (Portland, Maine) got a groundout to end the threat.

Wentworth would take a 1-0 lead in the fourth inning when senior Pete Oggeri (Sandy Hook, Conn.) doubled to right center and McManus drew a one-out walk.  Diodato delivered a single to center, which plated Oggeri and moved McManus to third.  A single run would be all the Leopards would get as Arsenault induced an inning-ending double play.

After Sandini struck out the side in the top of the fifth, the Leopards added two more runs in the fifth.  Freshman Ryan Delgado (Wareham, Mass.) drew a leadoff walk and went to second when junior Matt Jordan (Concord, N.H.) was hit by a pitch.  Delgado went to third on an errant pickoff attempt at first and scored when Oggeri hit a single to center.  Jordan would also come home to score on the play, as the throw to third to get him out went wide of the bag.

With one out in the sixth inning, sophomore Kyle Vanidestine (Bangor, Maine) reached on an error and was bunted to second by sophomore Ethan Guerette (Wales, Maine).  However, he would be stranded in scoring position when Sandini got a groundout to end the inning.  The next two innings would see the Eagles strand the leadoff batter in scoring position, as in the seventh inning, a leadoff double by junior Chris Maguire (Orland, Maine) couldn't be converted, thanks to a pair of strikeouts, sandwiched around a flyout), and in the eighth inning, sophomore Cody Haverly-Johndro (Newport, Maine) drew a leadoff walk and went to third on back-to-back groundouts, but Sandini got his 13^th strikeout of the day to end the inning.

The home half of the eighth saw the Leopards tally two more runs – both coming with two outs.  Diodato drew a four-pitch walk and stole second before going to third on a single from sophomore Justin Bolla (Groveland, Mass.).  He would come around to score on an RBI single from senior Anthony Carbone (Goshen, Conn.) before Delgado would drive in Bolla.  Down to its last at bat, Husson would go down in order, including the final two outs coming by way of the strikeout.

Oggeri paced the Leopard offense with a pair of hits and an RBI, while Diodato, Carbone, and Delgado each drove in a run.  Sandini improved to 5-4 on the season and won the 19^th game of his career as he faced five batters over the minimum.  He walked just one and six of his strikeouts ended innings, while tying a record set by Bryan Hermanny '01 on April 15, 2000, in a win over Anna Maria.  Arsenault fell to 7-3, allowing five runs (four earned) on eight hits and striking out five in 7.2 innings.  Junior Kyle Leeman (Bangor, Maine) came on with two outs and runners on first and second in the eighth.  He threw one pitch and got a groundout to end the inning.

Winners of eight of their last 11 games, the Leopards improve to 28-14 on the year and snap a three-game ECAC Tournament losing streak.  Wentworth's last win came in a 3-1 upset of top-seeded Amherst in the 1995 ECAC Tournament.  The Leopards will play either second-seeded Endicott or seventh-seeded Anna Maria in the semifinal round on Saturday.  Those two teams were rained out today and will meet tomorrow afternoon.  Husson sees its season end with a 23-21 record.