BROCKTON, Mass. – The Wentworth Institute of Technology baseball team rallied from early deficits in both of its games against Endicott, however, the Leopards were defeated twice by the Gulls, falling 14-4 and 8-3.
GAME ONE: Endicott 14, Wentworth 4
Endicott nearly got on the board in the first inning, loading the bases with two outs, however, junior Ryan Obin (Plymouth, Mass.) recorded a flyout to get out of the jam. Two innings later, however, the Gulls put three runs on the board with two coming on a sophomore Jordan Carvalho (Rehoboth, Mass.) double and he scored when the next batter, freshman Ryan Prosser (Holden, Mass.) doubled him home.
In the top of the sixth inning, Endicott extended its lead to 4-0 when senior Matt Bald (De Pere, Wisc.) scored on a sacrifice fly from junior Brendan McDonald (Quincy, Mass.). The home half of the inning saw Wentworth pull within a run, as the Black & Gold scored three times. Sophomore Aidan French (Jacksonville, Fla.) led off with a walk and scored on a double from freshman Nolan McManus (Milton, Mass.). McManus moved to third when senior Jake Smith (Orange, Conn.) reached on an error and scored on an RBI groundout from senior Ross Golebiewski (Lyme, Conn.), which sent Smith to third. Smith came around to score on a junior Devin Haberstumpf (Forest Hills, N.Y.) double.
Wentworth tied the game in the seventh inning, thanks to timely, two-out hitting. Freshman Nate Ladeira (Fall River, Mass.) led off with a single, and, after an out was recorded, went to second when French walked. After a strikeout, senior Andrew Elliott (Rockland, Mass.) singled in Ladeira.
Endicott reclaimed the lead in the top of the eighth inning on an RBI double from sophomore Kyle Brennan (Wallingford, Conn.), which scored senior Dan Cacciola (Saugus, Mass.). The Gulls broke the game open with a nine-run ninth inning, highlighted by a two-run double from Brennan and a grand slam from sophomore Anthony Macchia (Ridgefield, Conn.).
Senior Liam Burke (Westwood, Mass.) picked up the win in relief (1-1) as he allowed just one hit over two innings while striking out three. Bald and Macchia each had three hits. Macchia drove in four runs as well.
Junior Caleb Eaton (East Hampstead, N.H.) took the loss (0-1) as he allowed two runs (one earned) on two hits and struck out three in three innings. Obin allowed three runs on eight hits and struck out seven in five innings of work. Haberstumpf and sophomore Kyle Litwin (Jacksonville, Fla.) each had two hits.
GAME TWO: Endicott 8, Wentworth 3
Endicott plated a pair of unearned runs in the top of the first inning to take the early lead. McDonald grounded out which scored Bald, while Brennan tripled in Cacciola, who had drawn a one-out walk.
Using a pair of runs in the fourth, Wentworth tied the game at 2-all. McManus led off with a single and scored on a Smith double. Elliott followed with a double to score Smith and even the score. In the seventh inning, the Leopards took a 3-2 lead. Junior Dan Mitchell (Avon, Mass.) led off with a double and went to third on a passed ball. French singled him home for the go-ahead run.
The eighth inning saw Endicott take a 5-3 lead as the Gulls took advantage of a two-out Wentworth error. After Brennan singled in Cacciola to tie the game, Carvalho reached on an error and Prosser delivered a two-run double. A bases-loaded triple off the bat of Brennan in the top of the ninth gave the Gulls an 8-3 lead.
Junior Joseph Oriola (Pembroke, Mass.) picked up the win (2-1), allowing an unearned run on two hits in an inning of work. Graduate student Victor Molle (Peabody, Mass.) notched his second save of the season, pitching two scoreless innings and striking out four. Brennan was 4-for-5 with four RBI.
Senior Ben Rexford (Lancaster, N.H.) was tagged with the loss (0-3). Senior Leo Coelho (Marlborough, Mass.) allowed a pair of unearned runs in seven innings while striking out three. Offensively, Elliott had two hits for the Leopards (4-17, 1-5 CCC) who host Pine Manor in a doubleheader tomorrow.
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