Baseball Topped by Mass. Maritime

BUZZARDS BAY, Mass. – A trio of players recorded a pair of hits, including junior Robert Dembitzki (North Dartmouth, Mass.) who also drove in a pair of runs as the Massachusetts Maritime Academy baseball team defeated Wentworth Institute of Technology, 4-1, in non-conference action Thursday afternoon at Hendy Field.

With the win the Buccaneers improve to 8-6 on the season while the leopards slip to 5-7.

Both teams had a chance to score in the opening inning as Wentworth got a one-out single from freshman Aidan French (Chicago, Ill.) and a walk from senior Tyler Weninger (Chandler, Ariz.). Both moved up 90 feet on a junior Andrew Elliott (Rockland, Mass.) groundout, however, a strikeout ended the inning. In the home half of the inning, freshman Ethan O'Hare (Marshfield, Mass.) led off with a single and went to second on a sacrifice bunt. However, he was stranded there when freshman Brendan Winch (Bow, N.H.) got a fly out and a strikeout to end the inning.

Mass. Maritime took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning as sophomore Angus MacNeil (Middleton, Mass.) led off with a single and was sacrificed to second by sophomore Matt Langan (North Easton, Mass.). Dembitzki drove him in with a double. Two innings later the Buccaneers increased their lead to 2-0 when Dembitzki drove in senior Logan Sullo (Acushnet, Mass.). Sullo was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and went wo single on a one-out single by MacNeill. A ground out moved both runners up and Dembitzki delivered his second RBI of the contest.

Wentworth made it a 2-1 game in the top of the fifth as sophomore Dan Mitchell (Avon, Mass.) belted his first home run of the season. However, the hosts made it a 4-1 game in the home half of the inning as sophomore Nick Haley (Hanson, Mass.) had a two-run double which scored senior Casey Fumas (Boca Raton, Fla.) and Sullo.

The Leopards had chances to cut into the lead, as the Black & Gold had runners on in the sixth, seventh, and eighth innings and threatened in the top of the ninth as sophomore Owen Swanson (New Milford, Conn.) delivered a two-out single and went to third when French singled and took second on a throwing error. However, both runners were stranded as a fly out ended the game.

Dembitzki was 2-for-3 with two RBI, Furnas was 2-for-3, and MacNeil was 2-for-4. Sophomore Matt Smith (Lowell, Mass.) picked up the win (2-3) as he allowed one run on eight hits and struck out 11 in seven innings of work. Freshman Colin Thoener (Foxborough, Mass.) notched his first save of the season, allowing two hits and striking out two in two innings of work.

Swanson finished the game 4-for-5, marking the second time in the last four contests he has had four hits. French and senior Bryon Kucharski (East Haven, Conn.) each has two hits for Wentworth. Winch fell to 1-1 on the season as he allowed one run on three hits and struck out one in three innings of work. Sophomore Caleb Eaton (East Hampstead, N.H.) allowed three runs on six hits and struck out three in 2.2 inning of work while freshman Nate McDonald (Durham, Conn.) pitched 2.1 innings of scoreless baseball, allowing two hits and striking out one.

Wentworth is at Endicott on Saturday for a Commonwealth Coast Conference doubleheader.

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