Leopards Go on Offensive in Ninth Inning to Beat Endicott

BEVERLY, Mass. –Wentworth Institute of Technology scored six runs in the top of the ninth, including a three run homerun from Mike Diodato  (Asbury, N.J.), to defeat Endicott College, 9-3, in ECAC Semifinal action on Saturday afternoon in Beverly, Mass. The Leopards (29-14) advance to the ECAC Championship game where they will take on Curry College on Sunday afternoon.

Wentworth's Matt Dannenhoffer (Bethany, Conn.) pitched a complete game, going nine innings while allowing 12 hits and three runs (two earned), while striking out four in the win, his program record-tying eighth of the season (8-0).

WIT was the first team on the board as the Leopards scored in the top of the third on a sacrifice fly from Conner Flisnik (Marcy, N.Y.) that scored Anthony Carbone (Goshen, Conn.). Wentworth grabbed two more runs in the top of the sixth as Justin Bolla (Groveland, Mass.) and Alex Wong (Lewiston, Maine) had RBI singles to push the Leopards' lead to 3-0. Endicott scored its first run of the game in their half of the sixth when Colin Sitarz (West Hartford, Conn.) doubled to lead off the inning and came around to score on an RBI single by Joe Klein (Monroe, Conn.).

After a scoreless seventh by both teams, Endicott cut the deficit to one run on an RBI single by John Halsey (Reading, Mass.) that made it a 3-2 ballgame in the bottom of the eighth. The Gulls tied the game at three-all when Mike Russo (Natick, Mass.) scored on an infield gaffe by the Leopards. EC could not push the winning run across, however, with Victor Resto (Franklin, Mass.) on third as Eric Lemke (Southington, Conn.) lined-out to second and Chris Dominguez (Braintree, Mass.) struck out to end the inning.

In the top of the ninth, Wentworth took a 4-3 lead on a sac-fly by Ben Danker (Branford, Conn.) and pushed its lead to 5-3 on an RBI single by Jake McManus (Hopkinton, N.H.). Mike Diodato then stepped to the plate and crushed a three-run homerun off the top of the rock façade in left-centerfield en route to a five run ninth inning.  The Blue and Green got the first two runners on base in the bottom of the ninth but the Leopards turned a double play before Andrew Betts (Bristol, Conn.) grounded out to third to end the game.

The Gulls were led by Colin Sitarz, who went 4-for-5 with a run scored. Joe Klein and Mike Russo also had multi-hit days while Klein and John Halsey drove in the two RBI's for the Gulls. Benjamin Petrides (Belchertown, Mass.) suffered the setback in relief, tossing 1.2 innings and giving up six runs on four hits. Starter Brendan Pittsley (Plympton, Mass.) went 5.2 innings and scattered eight hits while giving up three runs (two earned).

Wentworth had four players register multi-hit games led by Alex Wong's perfect 4-for-4 day at the plate with a pair of RBI. Matt Jordan (Concord, N.H.) and Jake McManus had three hits apiece while Anthony Carbone went 2-for-4. Diodato was only 1-for-5 on the day, but did all his damage with one swing of the bat on his three-run bomb.

No. 3 seeded Wentworth will take on top-seeded Curry College on Sunday afternoon to determine the ECAC Champion. The two teams have met three times this season.  In the regular-season doubleheader the Leopards won, 4-2, before the Colonels earned a split with 19-6 triumph in the nightcap.  In a The Commonwealth Coast Conference Tournament elimination game on April 30, Wentworth won a slugfest, 16-14.  Endicott falls to 28-18.