Gulls split a pair with Wentworth

March 28, 2009

Box Score - Game One / Box Score - Game Two

BEVERLY, Mass. - The Endicott College baseball team split a double-header series with Wentworth Institute of Technology on Saturday afternoon at North Field in Beverly, Mass. The Gulls were able to win game one of the set, 7-2, but the Leopards responded in game two with a 4-1 victory. The Gulls improve to 6-8 (1-1 TCCC) while the Leopards stand at 13-5 (3-1 TCCC).

In the first game, Endicott got on the board in the first inning, scoring a quick three runs off Matt Jordan (Concord, N.H.). Endicott's Christopher Dominguez (Braintree, Mass.) started the two-out scoring with a single and moved to second after Roberto Zapata (Boston, Mass.) was hit by a pitch. Freshman Michael Russo (Natick, Mass.) stepped to the plate and drove in Dominguez as Zapata raced from first to third. After a Russo stolen base, Alex Judge (Wilton, Conn.) cleared the bases with a two-RBI single, giving the Gulls the 3-0 edge.

The Gulls would tack on two more in the second as the Gulls took advantage of several Wentworth mistakes. Mike Barbati (Melrose, Mass.) started off the inning with a single, advancing to second after a walk to Aaron Santos (Cambridge, Mass.). The runners would move into scoring position after a flyout and a Santos stolen base. The Leopards would make a pair of costly mistakes as an error would allow Barbati to score from third and a wild pitch one batter later allowed Santos to score.

The Leopards would respond in their half of the second as Wentworth started the inning with a pair of singles. Wentworth's Mike Diodato (Asbury, N.J.) flared a single into right field following an Anthony Carbone (Goshen, Conn.) single but Carbone was caught between the bases and thrown out in the base paths. Diodato advanced to second on a Colin McGinn (Tolland, Conn.) balk and later scored on a Pete Oggeri (Sandy Hook, Conn.) single. The Gulls had a chance to get out of the inning but an error by Russo allowed Oggeri to score, cutting the EC lead down to 5-2.

The Gulls would tack on two more in the fifth and seven runs is all McGinn would need to ensure the Gulls' first conference victory of the season. McGinn improved to 2-1 on the season by going the distance and pitching seven innings, allowing nine hits and only two earned runs while striking out a pair.

In the second game, the Leopards were the first to strike as Wentworth received three-straight singles from Conner Flisnik (Marcy, N.Y.), Nick Cunningham (Pembroke, Mass.), and Ben Danker (Bradford, Conn.). Two runs would come into score as Doug Papuga (Branford, Conn.) scorched a ball to center field that Aaron Santos could not handle as the Leopards took an early 2-0 lead.

Endicott would get one back in the third as Santos made up for his error by driving in the lone run of the game for the Gulls. It would not be enough however as the Leopards tacked on two more runs in the fifth on an RBI double by Jake McManus (Hokinton, N.H.) and McManus scoring on an error in the field, giving the Leopards all the runs they would need, winning game two, 4-1.

Wentworth's Chris Sandini (Upton, Mass.) picked up his third win of the season for the Leopards as he went seven innings allowing only one unearned run and four hits while striking out 12. Benjamin Petrides (Belchertown, Mass.) suffered the setback for the Gulls while going six-innings and allowing three earned runs.

The Gulls travel to Henniker, N.H. for a TCCC double-header with New England College on Sunday afternoon at 12:00 p.m. Wentworth hosts Roger Williams University on Sunday at 12:00 p.m.