Baseball Sweeps Lesley to Run Win Streak to Four

Baseball Sweeps Lesley to Run Win Streak to Four

AUBURNDALE, Fla. – Sophomore Hunter Thornton (Old Lyme, Conn.) tied a program record with 15 strikeouts in the opener and junior Aidan French (Chicago, Ill).) and sophomore Kyle Desjardins (Granby, Conn.) each rapped out three hits in the nightcap as the Wentworth Institute of Technology baseball team ran its win streak to four with a sweep of Lesley. The Leopards edged the Lynx, 8-7, in nine innings in game one, and won 17-4 in the nightcap.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE – GAME ONE

Offensive Leaders:  Kyle O'Neill (3-4), Matt Masciadrelli (3-5, 2 RBI); Aidan French (2-4); Jacob Knowles (1-2; GW RBI 2B)
Pitching Leaders:  Hunter Thornton (6 IP, 4H, 15 K); Caleb Eaton (W, 1-0) (2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 4 K)

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE – GAME TWO

Offensive Leaders:  Aidan French (3-6, RBI); Kyle Desjardins (3-3, 2 R); Matt Bishop (2-5, 4 RBI), Kyle O'Neil (2-5, 2R), Matt Masciadrelli (2-3 2 RBI); Jack Ruprecht (1-2, 3 RBI)
Pitching Leaders:  Ethan Hebard (W, 1-0) (6 IP, 3 R, 4 K)

HOW IT HAPPENED (Game One):

  • A scoreless game through the first two innings, Lesley got on the board in the top of the third inning, thanks to a two-out RBI single from Javi Martinez, which scored Zach Rossi who had led off with a single.
  • Wentworth scored twice in the bottom of the fourth to take a 2-1 lead as French led off with a single and went to third on a Desjardins single. Sophomore Matt Bishop (Boston, N.Y.) drove in French with a fielder's choice which erased Desjardins and Bishop moved to second on a sophomore Kyle O'Neill (Haverhill, Mass.) single. He came around to score on a sophomore Matt Masciadrelli (Westfield, Mass.) double.
  • The Leopards added four runs in the bottom of the sixth to take a 6-1 lead as O'Neill led off with a single and with one out went to second after sophomore pinch hitter Justin Kirst (Pomfret Center, Conn.) walked. Junior Kyle Litwin (Jacksonville, Fla.) walked to load the bases and sophomore Nolan Freeman (Braintree, Mass.) hit a two-run single. Sophomore Nolan McManus (Milton, Mass.) drove in the other two runs with a two-out single.
  • Lesley came back to tie the game by putting five runs up in the top of the seventh, two of which came on a two-run single from Steven DiPalma, while CJ Fusco singled in the tying run.
  • Freeman led off the bottom of the eight and went to second on a sacrifice bunt from French, however, was stranded there to end the inning. In the top of the ninth, Christian Vignola walked to lead off the inning and went to second on a wild pitch. Martinez laced a single to right and Vignola was gunned down at the plate by Bishop. Christopher Papallo drew a bases-loaded walk to put the Lynx ahead, however, senior Caleb Eaton (East Hampstead, N.H.) got a strikeout to end the inning with the bases loaded.
  • With one out in the bottom of the ninth, O'Neill reached on an error and went to second on an errant pickoff attempt. Masciadrelli doubled in O'Neill to tie the game, setting the stage for Knowles to drive Masciadrelli in with the winning run.
  • Thornton's 15 strikeouts ties a program record, most recently set by Chris Sandini '10. He set the side down by strikeout in each of the first three innings, fanning eight of the first nine batters he faced. Eaton earned the win (1-0), allowing one run on one hit and striking out four in two innings of work. O'Neill and Masciadrelli each had three hits to pace the offense.

HOW IT HAPPENED (Game Two):

  • Wentworth wasted little time getting on the board, scoring four times in the top of the first inning. French led off with a double, McManus was hit by a pitch, and Desjardins singled to load the bases. Bishop plated two with a single, Masciadrelli drove in Desjardins with a sacrifice fly, and Bishop scored on a wild pitch.
  • Lesley cut the lead in half with a pair of runs in the bottom of the second. Vignola had an RBI groundout, as did William Lombardo. The Leopards added two in the third and one in the fourth to extend the lead to 7-2. Masciadrelli had an RBI single while O'Neill scored on an error in the third and an RBI double from Bishop scored McManus who was hit by a pitch with two outs. An inning later Wentworth increased its lead to 11-2, with three of the four runs coming off a triple from senior Jack Ruprecht (Kingston, Mass.). Ruprecht then came into score when French grounded out.
  • After Lesley scored once in the bottom of the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Rossi, the Black & Gold scored six times in the top of the seventh. Freshman Aaron Lundgren (Portsmouth, N.H.) had an RBI single, French scored on an error, Bishop drove in McManus when he reached on an error, O'Neill had an RBI single, and freshman Jacob Grant (Beverly, Mass.) was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded.
  • Senior Ethan Hebard (North Attleboro, Mass.) picked up the win (1-0), allowing three runs on 10 hits and striking out four in six innings. Desjardins was 3-for-3 and French was 3-for-4 with an RBI, while Bishop, O'Neill, and Masciadrelli each had two hits. Bishop drove in four runs and Ruprecht drove in three.

SERIES NOTES:

  • Today marked the first-ever meetings between the two programs.

NEXT UP:

  • Now 5-3 on the season, Wentworth plays Westminster (Pa.) Friday morning.

For the latest on Wentworth Athletics, follow the Leopards via social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram. Fans can also download the Wentworth Leopards "Front Row" mobile app, powered by PrestoSports, on iTunes and the Android Market.