Baseball Opens Northern Schedule With Sweep of Fitchburg State
Leopards defeat Falcons, 8-1, in game one before rallying and holding on for a 4-3 win in the nightcap; Ryan Obin and Aaron Denis remain undefeated on the mound and Tyler Weninger had three hits on the day
PLYMOUTH, Mass. – Sophomore Ryan Obin (Plymouth, Mass.) and senior Aaron Denis (Dover, N.H.) improved to 3-0 and 2-0, respectively, on the mound and junior Tyler Weninger (Chandler, Ariz.) rapped out three hits including a double and a triple as the Wentworth Institute of Technology baseball team swept Fitchburg State in a non-conference doubleheader at Plymouth North High School. The Leopards took game one by an 8-1 score before rallying and holding on for a 4-3 win in the nightcap.
Game One: Wentworth 8, Fitchburg State 1
The top of the second inning saw Wentworth take a 2-0 lead, thanks to a sophomore Matt Smith (Horseheads, N.Y.) fielder's choice and an RBI single from senior Christian Ferri (Bloomfield, N.J.). With one out, sophomore Ross Golebiewski (Lyme, Conn.) reached first on a passed ball on a third strike and went to second on a wild pitch. Junior Tim Elrick (Buzzards Bay, Mass.) walked and junior Bryon Kucharski (East Haven, Conn.) was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Smith hit into a fielder's choice which erased Kucharski, however Golebiewski scored. Ferri followed that with a single, which plated Elrick.
Fitchburg State scored what would be its only run of the game in the home half of the inning. Senior Sam Brown (Nepean, Ont.) had a one-out single and went to third when freshman Brendan O'Flaherty (Wilmington, Mass.) reached on an error. Brown scored on a sacrifice fly from freshman Brandon Lefebvre (Leominster, Mass.).
Wentworth scored three times in the top of the fourth, all coming with two outs. Smith walked, stole second, and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Ferri walked to place runners at the corners before senior Jordan Burst reached on a fielder's choice in which Ferri was safe on an error and Smith scored. Weninger followed with a triple to score Ferri and Burst.
Two-out runs were the theme in the fifth inning as well as Elrick hit a single and went to second on a Kucharski walk. Smith followed with an RBI single, scoring Elrick and moving Kucharski to third. Ferri walked and on the play Kucharski scored on a wild pitch to make it 7-1. An inning later senior Jimmy Temte (Northborough, Mass.) delievered a one-out single, which was followed by a pinch-hit single from freshman Owen Swanson (New Milford, Conn.) which moved Temte to third. On a double steal, Temte came home when Swanson was safe at second.
Obin allowed an unearned run to remain perfect on the year with a 0.00 ERA. In 4.2 innings he allowed three hits, walked one, and struck out three. Sophomore Leo Coehlo (Marlborough, Mass.) pitched the final 2.1 innings, walking three and striking out one. Weninger was 2-for-3 with two RBI while Smith also drove in a pair.
Sophomore Andrew Mooney (Framingham, Mass.) took the loss (0-1) as he allowed five unearned runs on three hits, walked three, and struck out eight in four innings of work.
Game Two: Wentworth 4, Fitchburg State 3
Fitchburg State took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on a home run from junior Sean Maki (Fitchburg, Mass.). Junior Nathan Littman (Abington, Mass.) led off with a single and stole second. He moved to third on a sacrifice bunt from freshman Brendan O'Flaherty (Wilmington, Mass.) before coming home on the home run by Maki.
Wentworth tied the game with two runs in the top of the fifth. Swanson led off with a walk and went to second when Elrick reached on an error. Sophomore Steve Hall (Derry, N.H.) grounded out to score Swanson and classmate Jake Smith scored Elrick with a triple. An inning later the Leopards took a 4-2 lead with a two-run single from Hall being the key. Weninger hit a one-out double and went to third on a Temte groundout. Swanson and Elrick were both hit by pitches to load the bases and Hall delivered a two-run single in the gap.
Fitchburg State closed the gap to 4-3 with a run in the bottom of the sixth. O'Flaherty drew a one-out walk and went to second when sophomore Brendan Cuddahy (Leominster, Mass.) was hit by a pitch with two outs. Junior Andrew Currie (Quincy, Mass.) doubled which scored O'Flaherty, however the Flacons were unable to bring the tying run home as Denis got a fly out to end the inning.
Down to its last at bat, the falcons threatened to tie the game. Senior pinch-hitter Mike St. John (Rehoboth, Mass.) singled to center with one out and freshman Cooper Bigelow (Leominster, Mass.) was brought in to pinch run, however Denis got a strikeout and Bigelow would be erased on a fielder's choice to end the game.
Denis allowed three runs (two earned) on seven hits, walked one, and struck out five. Offensively, four players recorded hits for the Black & Gold while Hall drove in three runs.
Senior Tyler Smith (New Milford, Conn.) took the loss (1-2) as he allowed four runs (three earned) on four hits, walked one, and struck out nine.
Wentworth (9-3) is at Johnson & Wales on Monday.
For the latest on Wentworth Athletics, follow the Leopards via social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Fans can also download the Wentworth Leopards "Front Row" mobile app, powered by PrestoSports, on iTunes and the Android Market.