NEWPORT, R.I. – Senior Dakota Baird (Bermuda Dunes, Calif.) pitched three scoreless innings after the Wentworth Institute of Technology baseball team scored the tying run with two outs in the top of the seventh to help propel the Leopards past Salve Regina, 9-5, in nine innings while sophomore Cory Blankmeyer's two run, walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh gave the Seahawks a 5-4 win as the two teams split a Commonwealth Coast Conference doubleheader Sunday afternoon.
Wentworth snapped a four-game losing streak in the opener and stands at 10-8 overall and 3-3 in league play while Salve Regina's win in the nightcap snapped a three-game skid as the Seahawks are 12-10 (4-5).
The Seahawks took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first in the opener on a two-run home run from freshman Alex Perry (North Attleboro, Mass.). In their next at bat the Leopards tied the game when junior Sam McManus (Hopkinton, N.H.) had an RBI single and an RBI fielder's choice from sophomore Jimmy Temte (Northborough, Mass.) scored freshman Tyler Weninger (Chandler, Ariz.), who had walked earlier in the inning.
In the bottom of the third Salve Regina took a 4-2 lead when Perry hit his second home run of the game. Wentworth responded with two runs in the top of the fifth when Temte scored on an RBI groundout by senior Joe Hulme (Tewksbury, Mass.) and an infield single from senior Jake Mailman (Medway, Mass.) scored sophomore Christian Ferri (Bloomfield, N.J.).
Salve Regina took a 5-4 lead in the home half of the inning as the Seahawks loaded the bases with no one out. Sophomore Aaron Denis (Dover, N.H.) got a strikeout and a groundout got the lead runner at the plate. However a balk was called which brought in Perry with the go-ahead run. Denis would leave two runners stranded in scoring position when he got his second strikeout of the inning.
Down to its final at bat, Ferri drew a one-out walk and, with two outs, would go to third on an error on a pickoff attempt. Mailman laced a triple to right center, which scored Ferri. After giving up a leadoff single Baird retired the next three batters to send the game to extra innings.
Salve Regina had runners at first and second with two outs in the eighth, however Baird ended the threat with a strikeout.
Wentworth's offense put up four in the top of the ninth. Ferri drew a one-out walk and came around to score when Hulme hit a triple. Mailman was intentionally walked and sophomore Jordan Burst (Jackson, N.J.) brought in Hulme with a sacrifice. Weninger would walk and he and Mailman scored on a senior Scott Ouellette (Lewiston, Maine) double. In the bottom of the inning Perry delivered a one-out single, however would be thrown out trying to steal to end the game.
Baird allowed two hits, walked two, and struck out four to improve to 1-1. Denis pitched the first six innings, allowing five runs on nine hits and striking out four. Mailman was 3-for-4 with two RBI while Ouellette and McManus had two hits each. Ouellette also drove in two.
Freshman Matt Wood (Walpole, N.H.) took the loss (0-1) after allowing three runs on two hits in 1.2 innings of work. Perry was 5-for-5 with two home runs and four RBI.
Game two saw the hosts score two in the first inning to take an early lead. Blankmeyer had an RBI single and senior Daniel Donahue (Westbury, N.Y.) drove in a run with a sacrifice bunt.
Wentworth took a 3-2 lead in the top of the third inning as Weninger drew a bases-loaded walk, Ouellette drove in a run with a single, and McManus drew a bases loaded walk. However, the Leopards would leave the bases loaded after sending nine batters to the plate.
The Seahawks tied the game at 3-all in the bottom of the fifth on a sacrifice fly off the bat of sophomore Sean Haley (Wakefield, R.I.) and would leave two runners on in the sixth.
Wentworth took a 4-3 lead in the top of the seventh as Burst reached on an error with one out and came around to score on a Weninger double. In the home half of the inning Haley was hit by a pitch with one out before Blankmeyer hit the first pitch he saw over the left-field fence to cap the Seahawk comeback.
Blankmeyer was 2-for-3 with three RBI while sophomore Alek Kucich (Old Brookville, N.Y.) had a pair of hits. Freshman Kyle Lefelar (Potomac, Md.) picked up the win (1-0) as he allowed an unearned run on three hits and struck out three in 4.1 innings of work.
Weninger was 2-for-2 with two RBI, while Ouellette and freshman Bram Grooten (Eindhoven, Netherlands) each had two hits. Junior Johnny Ryan (Brandt Rock, Mass.) took the loss (1-1) allowing two runs on one hit in a third of an inning. Sophomore Zack Bernier started and allowed three runs (two earned) on five hits and struck out seven in six innings of work.
The Leopards are at Gordon tomorrow.
