Birtz Drives in Six as Baseball Doubles up Curry

WEYMOUTH, Mass. – Caden Birtz went 2-for-4 and drove in six runners to help the Wentworth Institute of Technology baseball team pick up a pivotal Conference of New England win as the Leopards doubled up Curry, 10-5, Tuesday night at Libby Field.

With the win the Leopards improve to 14-20 overall and 5-9 in CNE play, while Curry falls to 8-21 (4-10).

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Curry's George Calderon led off the game with a tiple and came home on a Kyle Doolin sacrifice fly to give the Colonels a 1-0 lead.
• Wentworth struck for four in the second, with the big hit coming on a bases-clearing, three-run double of the bat of Birtz. A.T. DiPina led off the inning with a single and went to second on a Nick Cullinan sacrifice bunt. After Christian Roncal walked, both baserunners stole bases, putting two in scoring position. Jake Prisco walked to load the bases and Birtz cleared the bags with a double. A groundout moved Birtz to third and he came into score when Devon Lapierre reached on an error.
• With one out in the third inning, the Leopards increased their lead to 5-1 as DiPina hit a home run that clanged off the right field foul pole.
• Curry closed the gap to 5-2 on a Eric Leonard sacrifice fly in the top of the fourth, and, in the home half of the inning, Mike Sibert got on with a one-out single and went to second when Lapierre was hit by a pitch. Both runners stole bases, putting runners on second and third, and Matt Robinson's sacrifice fly scored Sibert.
• Birtz gave the Leopards a 9-2 lead in the fifth with a three-run home run. Cullinan hit a one-out single and went to second when Roncal walked. Both players moved up 90 feet before Birtz hit his first collegiate home run.
• In the sixth inning, Robinson and Matthew Favazzo each got hit by a pitch with Robinson moving to second on a wild pitch during Favazzo's at bat. DiPina reached on a fielder's choice, which erased Favazzo and put runners on the corners with one out. DiPina was thrown out trying to steal second, and, on the play, Robinson came in to score, making it 10-2.
• The Colonels added three in the eighth to cut into Wentworth's lead as Bobby Marshall had an RBI double, Brandon Polanco had an RBI groundout, and Leonard added an RBI single.
• Matt Ferrara improved to 3-3 on the season, allowing two runs on seven hits and striking out a pair in seven innings of work. Luke Ryan pitched a scoreless ninth, walking one batter. That batter was erased on a game-ending double play turned by Robinson, Prisco, and Cullinan.
• At the plate, in addition to Birtz's two hits and six RBI, DiPina was 2-for-5 with a pair of runs scored and Cullinan was 2-for-2 as well as walking once and getting hit by a pitch, making him perfect in four plate appearances.

ALL-TIME SERIES:

• Tonight was the 71st all-time meeting between the two teams. Wentworth has won three of the last four series meetings.

NEXT UP

• Wentworth is at UMass Boston on Wednesday afternoon.

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