Wentworth Sweeps Curry, 8-6 and 3-1

MILTON, Mass. – Junior Adam Farrar (Newport, Vt.) picked up his first win of the season with a complete-game six-hitter, helping the Wentworth baseball team to a sweep of Curry with a 3-1 win over the Colonels in a The Commonwealth Coast Conference twinbill played at D. Forbes Will Field.  The Leopards had taken the first game, 8-6.

After a scoreless first two innings, Wentworth broke the ice in the top of the third when senior Matt Jordan (Concord, N.H.) led off with a single and was doubled home a batter later by junior Conner Flisnik (Marcy, N.Y.).

The Leopards took a 6-0 lead in the top of the fifth inning, thanks to Flisnik's second RBI double of the game, an RBI double from senior Doug Papuga (Branford, Conn.), a sacrifice fly by senior Jake McManus (Hopkinton, N.H.), and a two-run double off the bat of junior Justin Bolla (Groveland, Mass.).  Curry picked up a pair of runs in the bottom of the inning, thanks to a two-run single Matt Drew (Waltham, Mass.), which scored junior Carlos Cornejo (Lake Forest, Calif.) and senior Sean Jackman (Stoughton, Mass.).

With two outs in the top of the sixth, Flisnik reached on an error to keep the inning alive and, a batter later, Papuga belted Wentworth's first home run of the season with a two-run shot to right that put the Leopards ahead, 8-2.  In the home half of the inning the Colonels plated four runs to cut the deficit to 8-6.  Sophomore Shayne McDonald (Cambridge, Mass.) scored as a result of an error, Cornejo drew a bases loaded walk, freshman Matt O'Neill (Milton, Mass.) scored on a wild pitch, and Jackman scored as a result of a senior Brad Hawn (Chino Hills, Calif.) groundout.

In the seventh inning the hosts had the tying runs on first and second with one out, but Jordan, who had come on to pitch the seventh, got a lineout and a strikeout to shut the door on Curry's comeback attempt.

Papuga improved to 3-0 on the season after pitching 5.1 innings, allowing six runs (four earned) on four hits, while walking seven and striking out seven.  Sophomore Ryan DeCotis (Nashua, N.H.) walked one batter in two-thirds of an inning before Jordan earned his second save of the season by pitching a scoreless seventh, walking two and striking out two.  At the plate Papuga helped his cause by going 2-for-4 with two runs scored and three RBI, including his sixth inning home run.  Flisnik was 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles, two runs scored, and two RBI, while senior Mike Diodato (Asbury, N.J.) was also 2-for-4.

Drew took the loss (2-1) for the Colonels, allowing six runs on eight hits with three walks and four strikeouts in five innings of work.  Senior Chris Costa (Lynnfield, Mass.) allowed a pair of unearned runs on one hit in an inning of work, while classmate Brian Pipines (Cresskill, N.J.) struck out one batter in an inning of relief work.  Hawn had two hits, while Drew drove in two runs.

The Leopards took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning of the nightcap when Jordan led off with a single, went to second when Flisnik reached on an error, and would go to third when Papuga reached on a fielder's choice before senior Ben Danker (Branford, Conn.) delivered a sacrifice fly, which scored Jordan.

Holding a 1-0 lead, Wentworth got a single run in the fifth when Flisnik delivered an RBI single to center, scoring sophomore Alex Wong (Lewiston, Maine), who had led off the inning by reaching on a wild pitch on a third strike, went to second on a Jordan sacrifice, and moved to third on a passed ball.  In the home half of the inning, Curry cut the deficit to 2-1 when Drew led off with a single and went to second on a McDonald bunt single before scoring on an infield single from freshman Kyle Connors (Stoughton, Mass.).  The Colonels had runners on second and third with two outs, but Farrar induced a groundout to end the threat.

Wentworth added an insurance run in the top of the seventh, thanks in part to a pair of Curry errors.  Sophomore Ryan Delgado (Wareham, Mass.) opened the inning by reaching on an error before moving to second on a sacrifice bunt by Wong.  Jordan reached on the second miscue of the inning, moving Delgado to third, and Flisnik would hit a sacrifice fly to left which scored Delgado.

The hosts opened the bottom of the seventh inning on a Connors walk – the first free pass Farrar gave up – but he was erased from the basepath on a double play.  Farrar gave up a walk to freshman Brandon Lewis (Barrington, R.I.), but got the next batter to hit into a fielder's choice to end the game.

Farrar (1-2) scattered six hits, walked just two, and struck out four for the complete-game win.  Jordan had two of Wentworth's four hits, with Flisnik and Delgado also hitting safely.  Flisnik also added two more RBI, giving him four in the two games.

O'Neill took the loss (0-3), allowing three unearned runs on four hits, while walking two and striking out seven.  Hawn paced the offense with two hits.

With the two wins, Wentworth runs its win streak to three and improves to 10-6 overall and 3-1 in TCCC play.  The Leopards are at Eastern Nazarene on Tuesday afternoon for a pair of games.  Curry (9-12, 5-7) steps out of league play Tuesday when it hosts Johnson & Wales.