AUBURNDALE, Fla. – Freshman Aaron Denis (Dover, N.H.) spun a six-hit shutout in his collegiate debut to help the Wentworth Institute of Technology baseball team salvage a split with WPI in the season-opening doubleheader for both squads. The Leopards claimed a 3-0 win in the nightcap after the Engineers took game one by a 6-1 final.
In the opener Wentworth took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first when senior Jon Spitz (Hanover, Mass.) led off with a single and would go to third on an errant pickoff attempt. Spitz would come in to score on an RBI single from junior Joe Hulme (Tewksbury, Mass.).
WPI took the lead in the third inning, belting out four runs on four hits, all coming with two outs. Sophomore Vinny D'Ambrosio (Mahopac, N.Y.) drew a walk and stole second before scoring on a senior Sean Kelly (Shrewsbury, Mass.) double. An infield single by sophomore Alex Venditti (Newton, Mass.) placed runners at first and third before a wild pitch plated Kelly and moved Venditti into scoring position. Back-to-back doubles from sophomore DJ Ouellette (Watertown, Conn.) and senior Brendan Walsh (Windham, N.H.) gave the Engineers a 4-1 lead.
The Engineers added two more in the fifth as Ouellette delivered a two-run single up the middle that scored Venditti and Kelly.
Junior Taylor Landry (Kennebunkport, Maine) pitched six innings to pick up the win, allowing an unearned run on five hits, walking one, and striking out seven. Senior Sam Miraglia (Babylon, N.Y.) pitched a scoreless seventh with two strikeouts.
Spitz, Hulme, and sophomore Sam McManus (Hopkinton, N.H.) had two hits apiece for the Leopards. Senior Ben Lewis (Middletown, R.I.) was tagged with the loss, allowing six runs on nine hits and striking out four in six innings. Junior Justin Voytek (New Milford, Conn.) pitched the seventh for the Black & Gold.
Game two saw Wentworth get all the runs it would need in the first inning, as the Leopards scored twice. Spitz and senior Paul Dassau (Franklin, Mass.) led off with back-to-back singles and, after a flyout, both would steal during junior Jake Mailman's at bat. Mailman would walk to load the bases before McManus singled to center to score Spitz. Dassau would score on a wild pitch and both McManus and Mailman would move up, however a strikeout and a groundout ended the inning.
Wentworth added another run in the third when Spitz reached on a two-out double and would come around to score when Dassau reached on an error.
Denis kept the Engineers out of the hit column until there was one out in the fourth inning and stranded WPI baserunners in that inning and the sixth inning.
The seventh inning saw back-to-back singles from sophomores Anthony Capuano (Stoneham, Mass.) and Cody Holmes (Plymouth, Mass.), bringing the tying run to the plate. However, Dennis got the next two batters to strike out looking and induced a popup to Spitz to end the game.
Spitz had two of Wentworth's five hits in the nightcap with Dassau, McManus, and junior Anthony Matera (Trumbull, Conn.) each recording single hits.
Freshman Aidan Freeburg (Billerica, Mass.) was tagged with the loss, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits and striking out six. At the plate, six different Engineers accounted for the offense.
Both teams play doubleheaders at Pat Thomas Stadium in Lessburg on Monday. WPI battles Westfield State at 10:00 a.m. while Wentworth faces Greenville at 4:00 p.m.