Fast Start Helps Baseball Cruise Past Eastern Nazarene

QUINCY, Mass. – The Wentworth Institute of Technology baseball team scored five runs in its first at bat and never looked back as the Leopards closed out their non-conference slate with a 13-2 win over Eastern Nazarene.

With the win the Leopards improve to 8-19 while the Lions fall to 16-12.

Sophomore Aidan French (Chicago, Ill.) led off the game getting hit by a pitch and, with one out, stole second. After senior Andrew Elliott (Rockland, Mass.) walked), senior Jake Smith (Orange, Conn.) plated French with an RBI single, which moved Elliott to third. Elliott came home on a senior Ross Golebiewski (Lyme, Conn.) sacrifice fly. Smith came around to score on a junior Dan Mitchell (Avon, Mass.) double and a junior Jack Ruprecht (Kingston, Mass.) double brought Mitchell in. After Ruprecht went to third on a wild pitch, he scored on a freshman Nolan McManus (Milton, Mass.) single.

Wentworth added three runs in the fifth inning to increase its lead to 8-0. Smith hit a one-out single and went to third on a Golebiewski double. Mitchell grounded out to bring in Smith and Golebiewski came in on a Ruprecht RBI single. McManus singled in sophomore Kyle Litwin (Jacksonville, Fla.), who had come on to pinch run for Ruprecht.

Eastern Nazarene got its first hit of the game in the bottom of the fifth as junior Joshua Bombard led off the inning with a single. Junior Dylan Louviaux (Mohnton, Pa.) was hit by a pitch, putting runners on first and second before senior Josue Basilis (Bronx, N.Y.) reached on a fielder's choice where Bombard went to third and scored on an error.

The Leopards added two runs to their total in the sixth inning on sacrifice flies from Smith and Golebiewski. Smith scored freshman Matt Bishop (Ballston Lake, N.Y.), who lead off the inning with a walk and went to third on an Elliott double while Golebiewski scored Elliott. The Lions got a run back in the bottom of the inning on a sacrifice fly by senior Zach Carmody (Babylon, N.Y.), which scored senior Connor Simpson (Haverhill, Mass.) who had led off the inning with a walk.

A bases-loaded walk by freshman Justin Kirst (Boston, N.Y.) scored French who had led off the inning with a single, while, Bishop, who followed French with a single of his own, scored when freshman Matt Masciadrelli (Westfield, Mass.) reached on a fielder's choice. Bishop completed the scoring in the ninth inning as he tripled in French, who hit a two-out single.

French paced the offense with a 3-for-5 day while Bishop, Elliott, Smith, Ruprecht, and McManus each had two hits. Smith, Golebiewski, Mitchell, Ruprecht, and McManus each drove in two runs for the Leopards. Nine different pitchers saw action for the Black & Gold, with each throwing an inning. Junior Ryan Obin (Plymouth, Mass.) earned the win (3-4). Senior Leo Coelho (Marlborough, Mass.) and freshmen Matt Perconti (Hancock, Maine) and Jacob Knowles (Concord, N.H.) each struck out two batters.

Senior Ben Petersen (Manchester, Conn.) was tagged with the loss (1-2), allowing five runs in two-third of an inning.

Wentworth hosts Gordon on Saturday.

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