Baseball Ends Regular Season on High Note

NASHUA, N.H. – The Wentworth Institute of Technology baseball team scored nine runs in the top of the 10th inning to snap a 4-all tie as the Leopards closed out the regular season with a 13-7 win over Rivier in a game played at Holman Stadium.

With the win the Leopards improve to 15-16 overall and will wait for the outcome of Nichols' four Commonwealth Coast Conference games this weekend to determine the sixth and final CCC Tournament spot. The Bison would have to win out to overtake the Leopards, while one Nichols loss gives Wentworth the number six seed. Rivier finishes its season with a 3-27 record.

The Raiders got on the board in their first at bat when sophomore Marc Medeiros (Arlington, Mass.) led off with a single and went to second on a one-out single from sophomore Taylor Black (West Springfield, Mass.). A junior JJ Montello (Nashua, N.H.) groundout moved Black to second and plated Medeiros.

Rivier went ahead 2-0 in the third when Montello delivered a two-out single, which scored sophomore Jeremy Ball (Swanzey, N.H.). An inning later the hosts increased their lead to 3-0 when Ball drew a two-out walk and came around to score on a single from Black.

Wentworth scored four times in the top of the seventh to take its first lead of the night. Junior Scott Ouellette (Lewiston, Maine) drew a one-out walk, went to second when senior Jon Spitz walked, and scored when classmate Anthony Matera (Trumbull, Conn.) reached on a two-out error that extended the inning. Matera and Spitz each moved up 90 feet on a double steal and junior Joe Hulme (Tewksbury, Mass.) drew a walk to load the bases. Junior Jake Mailman (Medway, Mass.) and freshman Jordan Burst (Jackson, N.J.) each drew bases loaded walks to tie the game and Hulme scored on a wild pitch to give the Black & Gold the lead.

The Raiders tied the game in the home half of the inning when freshman Zachary St. Cyr (Rochester, N.H.) was hit by a pitch with two out, went to second on a wild pitch, and scored on an RBI single from sophomore Nick Gagnon (Providence, R.I.).

Wentworth threatened to take the lead in the top of the ninth as the Leopards had runners on second and third with two out. However, a groundout would end the threat. In the home half of the inning, Rivier got a leadoff single from junior David Cusack (Newburyport, Mass.) but he was erased on a caught stealing and sophomore Johnny Ryan (Brandt Rock, Mass.) got back-to-back strikeouts to send the game into extra innings.

In the 10th inning the Leopards scored nine times on six hits, drew five walks, and took advantage of a pair of Rivier errors as Wentworth sent 13 batters to the plate. Spitz would reach on an error, scoring pinch-runner Jim Collins (Bedford, Mass.), Matera drew a bases-loaded walk, senior Paul Dassau (Franklin, Mass.) scored on a wild pitch, Hulme had a sacrifice fly, freshman Jimmy Temte (Northborough, Mass.) delivered a two-run double and came around to score on an error after a sophomore Greg Confessore (West Hartford, Conn.) single, and Dassau delivered an RBI single.

Rivier scored three times in the bottom on the 10th. Freshman Drew Neely (Lakeland, Fla.) had an RBI double, junior Alex Mears (Salem, N.H.) had an RBI single, and a third run was scored on an error.

Ryan picked up his first collegiate win (1-0) has he allowed one run and struck out two. Senior Ben Lewis (Middletown, R.I.) started and allowed two runs on seven hits and struck out three in four innings. Freshman Aaron Denis (Dover, N.H.) allowed two runs on three hits and struck out seven in four innings, while junior Justin Voytek (New Milford, Conn.) pitched the 10th, allowing three runs (two earned) on four hits and struck out one. Burst and Confessore each had two hits, with Temte driving in two runs.

Nine different pitchers saw action for the Raiders, with Mears taking the loss (0-7) as he allowed six runs (two earned) on two hits in 1.2 innings. Medeiros, Black, Neely, sophomore David Feole (Scituate, R.I.), and Cusack had two hits each.