QUINCY, Mass. - A two out, two run, walk-off homer from the bat of junior Jimmy Temte (Northborough, Mass.) capped off a 7-6 comeback game two victory to help the Wentworth baseball team split the Commonwealth Coast Conference doubleheader with Eastern Nazarene College. In game one, Wentworth fell by the score of 5-4.
The Leopards now stand at 8-14 overall and 2-4 in CCC play while the Lions are 14-12 (1-5)
Game One: Eastern Nazarene 5, Wentworth 4
Wentworth scored the first run of the game in its half of the second frame and took a 1-0 lead. Junior Jordan Burst (Jackson, N.J.) sent a single up the middle to begin the inning and advanced to second on a walk to sophomore Johnny Ryan (Brant Rock, Mass.). On a throwing error Burst advanced to third and then scored.
In the top of the fourth, Eastern Nazarene took advantage of a Wentworth error and evened the game at 1-all. Senior Jeremy Wagner (Oklahoma City, Okla.) and freshman Zachary Carmody (Babylon, N.Y.) batted back-to-back singles to start off the fourth. After Wagner moved up to second on Carmody's single, he plated the equalizer on a throwing error after he stole third.
The Leopards answered with the go-ahead run in their half of the fourth. Burst notched a double into left field and crossed home on Temte single to left to give Wentworth the 2-1 lead. Wentworth tacked on another run in the bottom of the fifth on sophomore Tyler Weninger's (Chandler, Ariz.) RBI double to center to take the two-run lead at 3-1.
Eastern Nazarene's offense surged a four-run top of the sixth that allowed the Lions to gain a 5-3 advantage over Wentworth. After consecutive singles from Wagner and Carmody, the two put the score at 3-all on a double into left by junior Cameron Florentino (Uxbridge, Mass.). With the game squared at 3-3, a sacrifice fly into right field plated the go-ahead run to give the Lions the 5-3 edge after six.
Wentworth was not going away quietly as they cut Eastern Nazarene's lead down to one at 5-4 in the bottom of the sixth. The Leopards got their first baserunners on a walk to Burst and single from Ryan. Ryan's single allowed Burst to advance to third. With one out and runners on the corners, Ryan stole second with Burst scoring the fourth Wentworth run on the throw to second.
In an attempt to square the game at five in its half of the seventh, the Leopards' bats were silenced as they were retired in order with Eastern Nazarene taking the 5-4 game one victory.
Junior Ragan Cole (Alamorgordo, N.M.) allowed four runs (three earned) on four hits in the win (1-1) while he struck out two and walked three through five innings, while junior Zach Zaino (Falmouth, Mass.) earned the save with one strikeout. Wagner led the Lions, going 2-for-4 with two runs scored, while Carmody went 2-for-4 as well with one run scored and junior Colton Rice (Mesa, Ariz.) went 2-for-4 with two RBI.
Junior Aaron Denis (Dover, N.H.) was tagged with the loss (2-4), pitching seven innings and allowing five runs (four earned) on nine hits with one walk and five strikeouts. Burst paced the Black & Gold as he went 2-for-2 with three runs scored.
Game Two: Wentworth 7, Eastern Nazarene 6
Eastern Nazarene struck first in game two with four runs through the second and third frames to put the Lions up 4-0 after three. Senior Kurt Picarelli (Montrose, N.Y.) got the offense started with a double down the left field line and plated the game's first run on Rice's double down the right field line. Zaino and freshman Anthony Esposito (Mount Royal, N.Y.) knocked in the Lions' next two runs on consecutive singles. In the third, junior Brandon Wynne (New Haven, Conn.) sent the fourth Eastern Nazarene run over the left field fence.
The Leopards began its comeback over the fourth and fifth innings to cut the Lions' lead to one at 4-3.
Ryan rocketed a double into left center field to plate Weninger for Wentworth's first run of the game in the home half of the fourth and added two additional runs in the fifth. A single to center from junior Christian Ferri (Bloomfield, N.J.) and a sacrifice fly from Weninger cut the score to 4-3.
With a 4-2 lead entering the sixth, back-to-back doubles from Picarelli and Rice allowed Eastern Nazarene to extend the lead to three at 6-3. In the bottom of the seventh, Wentworth's bats came alive and chipped away at Eastern Nazarene's lead.
Ferri led off the seventh with a walk and went to second when sophomore Tim Elrick (Buzzards Bay, Mass.) reached on an error. A pair of wild pitches would plate Ferri to make it 6-4 and put Elrick on third. two outs and down by two, a triple by Ryan put the Leopards within one. Temte capped off the Leopards' game two comeback as he sent a walk-off home run over the left field fence to push Wentworth to the 7-6 victory.
Weninger pitched 5.1 innings and allowed six runs on eight hits while he walked one and struck out three and was relieved by senior Corey Jerolmon (New Milford, Conn.), who earned the win (2-2) after striking out one in 1.2 scoreless innings. Ryan and Temte powered the Leopards, going for a combined 3-for-7 with two runs scored, one homer and four RBI.
Zaino took the loss for Eastern Nazarene as he pitched 1.2 innings and allowed four runs on two hits. Picarelli paced the Lions, going 2-for-3 with two runs scored and one RBI, while Rice also went 2-for-3 with one run scored and two RBI.
Wentworth and Eastern Nazarene will both face Salve Regina next. Wentworth faces the Seahawks on Sunday at 11:00 a.m., while Eastern Nazarene faces Salve Regina on Monday at 3:00 p.m.
