LEICESTER, Mass. – Led by junior Jordan Burst's (Jackson, N.J.) five hits, the Wentworth Institute of Technology baseball team pounded out 19 hits on its way to a 13-9 victory over Becker College in non-conference baseball action Tuesday afternoon at Rochdale Park. The win lifts the Leopards record to 7-13, while the Hawks slip to 12-12.
Five different Leopards collected multiple hits in the game. In addition to Burst – who also scored twice and drove in three runs – junior Christian Ferri (Bloomfield, N.J.), freshman Jake Smith (Orange, Conn.), and sophomore Tyler Weninger (Chandler, Ariz.) all turned in three-hit performances. Weninger also drove in four runs. Junior Jimmy Temte (Northborough, Mass.) chipped in with a pair of hits in the victory.
T.J Sempkowski (Oceanport, N.Y.) led the Hawks with three hits, including two homeruns. Sempkowski also drove in five runs and scored three others in the loss.
Wentworth jumped on the Hawks early with six runs in the top of the first. Ferri led off the game with a double down the left field line. After senior Sam McManus (Hopkinton, N.H.) reached on a walk, Weninger drove in his first two runs of the game with a bases clearing double to centerfield. Burst would plate Weninger with a double to centerfield, putting the Leopard in front 3-0. Temte kept the line moving with an RBI triple to deep center. The Hawks were able to finally record an out when Temte tried to score from third on a ground ball by sophomore Tim Elrick (Buzzards Bay, Mass.). After an error put runners on first and second, Smith singled up the middle to score Elrick with Wentworth's fifth run of the inning. Ferri would cap off the inning with a single to centerfield, putting the Hawks in a 6-0 hole.
Sempkowski put Becker on the board in bottom of the first when he belted a two-run homerun over the right field fence.
The Hawks continued to chip away in the bottom of the third inning when they took advantage of a Wentworth error. With two outs in the inning and runners on first and second, Vaibhav Desai (Waltham, Mass.) hit what appeared to be an inning ending ground ball, but the ball was misplayed, allowing Sempkowski to scamper home to make the score 6-3.
Becker completed their comeback with four runs in the bottom of the fourth. Freshman Evan Barrera (West Warwick, R.I.) led off the inning with double into the right centerfield gap. After back-to-back walks loaded the bases, Christopher Testa (Providence, R.I.) plated a run on a fielder's choice to cut the Leopards lead to 6-4. Sempkowski then cleared the bases with an inside the park homerun into the left centerfield gap to put Becker in front 7-6.
Wentworth took the lead back for good in the top of the fifth with five runs, all with two outs. With the bases loaded, Weninger gave the Leopards an 8-7 lead when he drove in a pair of runs with a blooper down the left field line. Burst plated two more runs with a single through the left side of the infield. After an error kept the inning alive, Elrick drove in the fifth run of the inning with an RBI single to up the Wentworth lead to 11-7.
The Leopards added insurance runs in the top of the six and seventh to make the score 13-7.
Tanyon Ventres (Holden, Mass.) drove in a pair of runs in the bottom of the seventh to give Becker some hope, but Wentworth freshmen relief pitchers Matt Rothermel (Attleboro, Mass.) and Leo Coehlo (Marlborough, Mass.) sat the Hawks down in order in the eighth and ninth to preserve the 13-9 victory.
Freshman starter Ben Rexford (Lancaster, N.H.) earned his first collegiate win (1-1) after tossing six innings, allowing sixth earned runs while striking out four Hawks.
Michael Iacovelli (Northbridge, Mass.) suffered the loss (1-1) for Becker.
Wentworth resumes Commonwealth Coast Conference play on Saturday at Eastern Nazarene while Becker returns to the diamond tomorrow for a single game against Anna Maria.