Baseball Edged Twice at Endicott

BEVERLY, Mass. – A pair of runs in the top of the seventh inning lifted the Endicott College baseball team to a 4-2 win over Wentworth Institute of Technology in the opening game of a Commonwealth Coast Conference doubleheader and, in the nightcap, the Gulls held off a late Leopard rally which included having the game-tying run on third base in the seventh inning, in a 7-6 win.

Game One:  Endicott 4, Wentworth 2
Batting as the visiting team, Endicott took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning when graduate student Anthony Serina (Portsmouth, R.I.) singled with one out and stole second. He came around to score on a double from Mike Kochiss (Fairfield, Conn.). A single from junior Michael Casciano (Somers, Conn.) put runners on the corner, however sophomore Ryan Obin (Plymouth, Mass.) held the Gulls to a single run when he got a double play to end the inning.

Wentworth got the run back in the bottom of the first as senior Christian Ferri (Bloomfield, N.J.) led off by reaching on an error and went to second when classmate Jordan Burst (Jackson, N.J.) hit a single. With two outs in the inning, freshman Owen Swanson (New Milford, Conn.) singled in Ferri.

The teams each got a run in the third inning as Endicott took a 2-1 lead. With one out and runners on first and second, Kochiss hit into what appeared to be a double play, however an error put runners on the corners with two out and Kochiss stole second and on the throw, junior Nick Berno (St. Albans, Vt.) took off for home. In the bottom of the inning, Burst evened the score at 2-all when he hit a towering home run to left field. The home run was the first of Burst's four-year career.

Endicott got a pair of runs in the top of the seventh to take a 4-2 lead. Morganelli led off with a single and was sacrificed over to second. Berno followed with a run-scoring single to make it 3-2 and Kochiss added an insurance run when his double scored Berno.

Sophomore Kevin Gould (Rollinsford, Conn.) improved to 5-0 on the season as he allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits and struck out seven. He set down the final 10 Leopard batters. Berno was 3-for-4 while Kochiss was 2-for-4 with a pair of RBI and Casciano delivered a pair of hits.

Obin took the loss, falling to 4-2 on the season as he allowed four runs (three earned) on nine hits. Burst had two of Wentworth's three hits with Swanson accounting for the third.

Game Two:  Endicott 7, Wentworth 6
In the home half of the first inning, the Black & Gold struck for three runs to take the early lead. Ferri led off by being hit by a pitch and went to second when Burst grounded out. Junior Tyler Weninger (Chandler, Ariz.) walked and senior Jimmy Temte singled in Ferri. On the play, Temte took second on the throw and advanced to third on an error which allowed Weninger to score. Temter trotted home on a wild pitch to account for the third run of the inning.

The top of the third saw Endicott close the gap to 3-1. With two outs Berno doubled which was followed by a double from Sernia, however a flyout ended the inning and limited the damage to one run.

A four-run fifth inning put the Gulls on top 5-3. Morganelli led off with a double and went to third on a sacrifice bunt. An infield single from Berno plated Morganelli and Berno went to second when Sernia walked. Both players came around to score when Kochiss hit a three-run home run. The Gulls added two more runs in the top of the sixth on RBI singles from sophomore Chris Seidl (Dracut, Mass.) and freshman Joseph Deutsch (Fairfield, Conn.).

Wentworth scored three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to pull within a run. Weninger led off with a single up the middle and went to second when Temte was hit by a pitch. Swanson walked to load the bases and junior Tim Elrick was hit by a pitch to drive in a run. A passed ball allowed Temte to score and Swanson and Elrick to move up a base each. Sophomore Steve Hall (Derry, N.H.) drove in Swanson with a sacrifice fly, however back-to-back strikeouts ended the inning.

Endicott threatened to add to its lead in the top of the seventh as the Gulls had runners on first and second with one out, however sophomore reliever Leo Coehlo (Marlborough, Mass.) stranded them there by getting a fly out and strikeout to end the inning.

Down to its last at bat, Wentworth threatened to send the game into extra innings. Ferri led off with a double and went to third on a bunt single from Burst. Burst was thrown out on a steal attempt for the first out and the leopards had a pair of ground outs to end the game.

Graduate student Nick Quattro (Canton, Conn.) picked up the win, allowing five runs (four earned) on four hits and seven strikeouts in five-plus innings. Sophomore Will Bryant (Cumberland, Maine) notched his first save of the season as he pitched the seventh inning. Berno and Kochiss had two hits apiece with the latter driving in three runs.

Senior Aaron Denis (Dover, N.H.) fell to 3-2 as he allowed five runs on six hits and struck out five in five innings. Coehlo allowed a pair of runs on four hits with two strikeouts in two innings. Six different players tallied hits for the Leopards, including Burst.

Wentworth (13-8, 3-5 CCC) is at Johnson & Wales on Thursday.

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