EAST PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Senior Mike Diodato (Asbury, N.J.) doubled in freshman Jon Spitz (Hanover, Mass.) with one out in the top of the ninth inning to snap a 7-all tie as the Wentworth baseball team, which held leads of 6-0 and 7-6, defeated non-conference foe Johnson & Wales, 9-7, in a contest played at Pierce Field.

Wentworth jumped out to the early lead in the first inning when lead-off hitter Matt Jordan (Concord, N.H.) walked and later scored on a wild pitch. The visiting Leopards tacked on another run in the third when sophomore Alex Wong (Lewiston, Maine) doubled to right field, later scoring on a balk. Wentworth held the 2-0 lead after three innings of play.

After producing one run in the fourth, Wentworth used an RBI single by Brendon Duffy (Lynn, Mass.) and a two RBI double by Wong to take a 6-0 lead. The Wildcats stormed back in the sixth with five runs, two coming off the bat of senior Teddy Katz (Pittsburgh, Pa.). JWU then briefly tied the game in the seventh when a fielder's choice by Joe Coppola (Ridgewood, N.J.) scored freshman Jake Dickerson (Garnet Valley, Pa.).

Wentworth regained the lead in the top of the eighth inning with one run only to be matched by a run in the bottom half of the inning by JWU. Diodato's second double of the contest gave the Leopards the lead for good and an RBI single by Ryan Delgado (Wareham, Mass.) provided an insurance run. Wentworth held on to the 9-7 win, despite a last inning scare by the Wildcats, as they left runners at second and third before freshman Mike Berry (Belfast, Maine) picked up his second win (2-0) by getting a flyout to center to end the game.

Dickerson was 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored for Johnson & Wales.  Sophomore Zach Boyes (West Warwick, R.I.) and senior Nick Alosco (Mahopac, N.Y.) each had two hits in the setback for the Wildcats.

Wong went 2-for-4 with one run and two RBI for Wentworth while Diodato, junior Conner Flisnik (Marcy, N.Y.), senior Ben Danker (Branford, Conn.), and Duffy each added two hits apiece.  Junior Adam Farrar (Newport, Vt.) allowed five runs (two earned) on five hits and struck out three batters in 5.2 innings of work to start the game.

JWU is now 3-6 overall while Wentworth moves to 6-5 overall. The Wildcats will return to action on Sunday, March 20th when they host Thomas College for a non-conference doubleheader beginning at 12:00 p.m.  The Leopards open The Commonwealth Coast Conference play tomorrow, hosting Colby-Sawyer at 12:00 p.m. in a doubleheader to be played at Strong Field in East Bridgewater, Mass.

-Portions of this release courtesy of Johnson & Wales Sports Information-