Baseball Team Splits With Mitchell

AUBURNDALE, Florida – Junior Felix Colarte (North Bergen, N.J.) went 2-for-3 with four runs scored while senior Paul Martinez (New London, Conn.) scattered six hits and struck out eight as the Mitchell baseball team earned a split against Wentworth with a 10-4 win in the nightcap.  The Leopards took the first game by a 12-5 score.

In the opener, the Mariners struck first, scoring a run in the top of the first inning when senior Jeff Perillo (Newington, Conn.) grounded out to score freshman Anthony Santiago (Newark, N.J.), who led off the game with a triple.  The Leopards used a five-run bottom of the first to take the lead for good, thanks in part to RBI singles from seniors Mike Diodato (Asbury, N.J.) and Jake McManus (Hopkinton, N.H.) and a two-run double from junior Justin Bolla (Groveland, Mass.).

The Mariners cut the lead to 5-3 on a two-run home run from junior John Apostolo (Queens, N.Y.) in the top of the third inning, but the Leopards put the game away with a seven-run bottom half of the inning, keyed by a senior Doug Papuga (Branford, Conn.) two-run single.  That hit was the 100^th of his career, making him the 14^th player in program history to eclipse 100 career hits.  Sophomore Alex Wong (Lewiston, Maine) drew a bases-loaded walk and McManus had an RBI single to help pace the offense in the inning.

Papuga picked up the win (1-0) as he allowed four runs on five hits and matched his career high with 11 strikeouts over five innings.  Junior Nick Colanto (Beverly, Mass.) pitched the final two innings, allowing one unearned run on two hits and struck out two.  Diodato and McManus each had three hits, with McManus and Papuga adding two RBI apiece.

Apostolo took the loss (1-1), lasting just 2.2 innings in which he allowed 12 runs (five earned) on eight hits.  Freshman Travis Gembecki (Putnam Valley, N.Y.) pitched the final 3.1 innings without allowing a run.  Seven players had one hit each with Apostolo driving in a pair.

Wentworth took advantage of four Mitchell errors in the top of the first inning of the nightcap, jumping out to a 2-0 lead.  The Mariners cut the lead in half with a single run in the bottom of the second, but would do all their damage in the third inning, sending nine batters to the plate before an out was recorded.  During the Mitchell third, Perillo and sophomore Osmar Collado (New York, N.Y.) each had two-run singles.

The Leopards scored two in the top of the fourth to cut the deficit to 8-4 as Diodato had an RBI single and junior Conner Flisnik (Marcy, N.Y.) scored on a wild pitch, but the Mariners added one in the fourth and rounded out the scoring with one in the sixth.

Junior Adam Farrar (Newport, Vt.) took the loss (0-2) for the Leopards, allowing eight runs (seven earned) on three hits and walking six in two-plus innings.  Freshman Mike Berry (Belfast, Maine) allowed a pair of runs (one earned) on four hits with three strikeouts in 3.1 innings, while freshman Charlie McCubrey (Brookline, N.H.) struck out one batter in two-thirds of an inning.  Offensively, seven different players recorded hits, while Flisnik scored two runs.

Martinez improved to 2-0 with the win, allowing four runs (two earned) on six hits in 4.1 innings of work.  In addition to Colarte, Perillo Collado, senior Carlos Hughes (Trenton, N.J.), and junior Gus Maclao (Miami, Fla.) each drove in two runs.

Wentworth (4-3) closes out its spring trip tomorrow with a doubleheader against Fitchburg State.  Mitchell (3-2) is idle until opening New England Collegiate Conference play against Newbury on March 19.