Baseball Defeated by Johnson & Wales

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Junior Joe Maracic (Syosset, N.Y.) and sophomore Steve Rocchio (Cranston, R.I.) each had three hits and three RBI while senior Aidan Hagarty (Weed, Calif.) drove in four runs as the Johnson & Wales University baseball team defeated Wentworth Institute of Technology, 20-7, in non-conference action Thursday afternoon.

With the win the Wildcats improve to 10-4 while the Leopards fall to 3-14.

Wentworth took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning, thanks to an RBI single from senior Andrew Elliott (Rockland, Mass.). Sophomore Aidan French (Chicago, Ill.) led off with a single and went to second on a wild pitch. With one out, Elliott drove him home, and, with two outs, went to second when senior Ross Golebiewski (Lyme, Conn.) reached on an error. However, both runners were stranded to end the inning.

Johnson & Wales scored four times in each of the first two innings to take an 8-1 lead. Hagarty and Rocchio accounted for the four-run first as each drove in two runs while Maracic had a two-run double and Hagarty a two-run home run in the second inning. Wentworth got a run back in the top of the third inning when Golebiewski singled in freshman Nolan McManus (Milton, Mass.) who had a one-out single and went to second when Elliott walked.

The Wildcats broke the game open in the third and fourth innings, combining for 11 runs over the two frames. A five-run third inning saw five different players drive in runs, including Maracic and Rocchio, while an inning later, sophomore Bryan Bessler (Everett, Mass.) had a two-run double and junior Nick Lloyd (Plymouth, Mass.) drove in two runs with a single as a part of a six-run fourth. IN the sixth inning, Lloyd scored an unearned run when senior Evan Nelson (Tiverton, R.I.) reached on an error.

Wentworth scored five times in the top of the seventh to make it 20-7. Back-to-back singles from freshmen Kyle O'Neill (Haverhill, Mass.) and Nolan Freeman (Braintree, Mass.) put runners on first and second before classmate Justin Kirst (Boston, N.Y.) was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Sophomore Craig Rich (Billerica, Mass.) drove in Freeman and O'Neill with a two-run double and he and Kirst both came around to score when freshman Matt Bishop (Ballston Lake, N.Y.) followed with a two-run double. Bishop moved to third on a groundout by junior Jack Ruprecht (Kingston, Mass.) and scored on a freshman Nate Ladeira (Fall River, Mass.) double. Freshman Matt Masciadrelli (Westfield, Mass.) walked and an O'Neill single loaded the bases with two outs. However, a lineout left the bases loaded and ended the game.

Sophomore Jake Hernandez (Missouri City, Texas) picked up the win (1-0) as he allowed two runs on four hits and struck out six in five innings of work.

Freshman Hunter Thornton (Old Lyme, Conn.) took the loss (0-2), allowing eight runs on seven hits in two innings. O'Neill paced the offense with two hits while Rich and Bishop drove in two runs apiece.

Wentworth is at Salve Regina on Saturday.

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.