Leopards Split Season-Opening Twinbill

AUBURNDALE, Florida. – Opening the 2011 season, the Wentworth baseball team split with regional rival WPI.  The Leopards rallied from a 5-1 deficit in the opener to take the first game before the Engineers used a four-run fourth inning to break open a 2-2 game and go on to a 9-2 win.

Wentworth grabbed a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when senior Jake McManus (Hopkinton, N.H.) singled home classmate Doug Papuga (Branford, Conn.).  However, the Leopards would lead the bases loaded to end the inning.  In the bottom of the inning WPI struck for three runs with junior Mitch McLune (Pembroke, Mass.) driving in two with a double and classmate John Flynn (Albion, Maine) driving in a run.

The Engineers added single runs in the second and fourth innings on solo homeruns from sophomore Daniel Thomas (Manchester, N.H.) to extend the lead to 5-1 before the Leopards cut the lead to 5-4 with three runs in the top of the fifth inning, thanks in part to a two-run double from senior Ben Danker (Branford, Conn.) and an RBI from McManus.

WPI took a 6-4 lead in the top of the sixth when junior Nick Bean (Middleboro, Mass.) scored an unearned run, but the Engineers would leave the bases loaded without adding to the lead.  In the top of the sixth inning the Leopards cut the lead to 6-5 when sophomore Ryan Delgado (Wareham, Mass.) scored on a throwing error.  The Leopards took the lead in the top of the seventh with a three-run inning, with the key blow coming off the bat of senior Mike Diodato (Asbury, N.J.), who hit a two-run single up the middle.  Delgado added an RBI double to give the Leopards the 8-6 lead, a lead they would not relinquish.

Freshman Nick Colanto (Beverly, Mass.) earned his first collegiate win, allowing one unearned run over the final three innings to go along with four strikeouts.  Papuga pitched the first four innings, allowing five runs on seven hits and striking out five.  At the plate, Danker and Diodato were each 3-for-3 with two RBI, while McManus was 2-for-3 with two RBI.

Thomas, Flynn, and freshman Matt Blakeman (Bedford, N.H,) each had a pair of hits for the Engineers.  Sophomore Shane Sampson (Worcester, Mass.) took the loss for WPI.

WPI opened the nightcap with a solo home run in the top of the first off the bat of McClune before Wentworth tied the game in the home half of the inning on an RBI double from junior Conner Flisnik (Marcy, N.Y.), which scored senior Matt Jordan (Concord, N.H.).  The two teams traded runs in the second as WPI freshman Sean Kelly (Worcester, Mass.) laced an RBI double to left center in the top of the inning and freshman Paul Dassau (Franklin, Mass.) scored on a throwing error in the home half of the inning.

A two-out error proved to be costly as the Engineers scored four times to take a 6-2 lead, with the big blow coming on a three-run double off the bat of Blakeman.  WPI would score three more times in the top of the seventh inning to account for the final score.

Senior Kyle Boucher (Manchester, N.H.) allowed a pair of runs (one earned) on six hits to record the complete-game win.  WPI was paced by Bateman, who had two hits and four RBI.

Flisnik, Danker, and Delgado each had two hits for Wentworth, while junior Adam Farrar (Newport, Vt.) took the loss, allowing six runs (two earned) on four hits in four innings of work.