BUZZARDS BAY, Mass. – Sophomore Connor Kennedy (West Barnstable, Mass.) collected three hits, including the go-ahead solo home run in the bottom of the fifth inning, to lead the Massachusetts Maritime Academy baseball team to an 8-3 non-league victory over Wentworth Thursday afternoon at Commodore Hendy Field.

The host Buccaneers, who improved to 19-12 on the season, jumped out to a 2-0 first inning lead on an error and an RBI single by sophomore Cobie Gerbis (Holmes Beach, Fla.), and Massachusetts Maritime extended that margin to 3-0 in the third when Gerbis tripled and scored on freshman Kevin Troy's (Braintree, Mass.) double.

Wentworth (10-22) evened matters with one swing of the bat in the top of the fourth, as after a double by sophomore Tyler Weninger (Chandler, Ariz.) and a single by junior Jordan Burst (Jackson, N.J.) led off the frame, junior Jimmy Temte (Northboro, Mass.) blasted an 0-1 pitch over the left field fence for his second home run of the season that knotted the score at 3-all.

Kennedy gave the hosts the lead for good in the bottom of the fifth, as he drilled a 2-0 pitch over the right centerfield fence for his first career home run, and the Buccaneers took control of the contest with a three-run sixth inning rally that featured RBI singles off the bats of Kennedy and freshman Riley Fusaro (Nantucket, Mass.) as well as a sacrifice fly by sophomore Billy Keane (Braintree, Mass.). Massachusetts Maritime closed out the scoring in the eighth when junior Tommy Walls (Hawthorne, N.J.) scored on a wild pitch.

Gerbis and Troy each added two hits as part of an 11-hit attack for the Buccaneers, as sophomore Trevor Brown (Rehoboth, Mass.) earned his first victory in a Massachusetts Maritime uniform by scattering a hit and striking out three in two innings of relief work. Senior Everett Walsh (Marstons Mills, Mass.) allowed five hits and fanned five over the first four frames for the hosts, who received three scoreless innings of relief work from Fusaro, senior Kyle Kennedy (Woodbury, Conn.) and sophomore Justin Nichols (Adams, Mass.).

Temte rapped out two of Wentworth's eight hits on the afternoon, as freshman Mike Callagee (Emerson, N.J.) worked the first six innings on the mound to fall to 2-3 on the season for the Leopards. Classmates Ben Rexford (Lancaster, NH.), Matt Rothermel (Attleboro, Mass.), and Leo Coehlo (Marlborough, Mass.) combined to work two innings allowing one run on two hits and striking out two batters.

Massachusetts Maritime hosts Westfield State in a Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference doubleheader on Saturday afternoon at Commodore Hendy Field beginning at Noon, while Wentworth heads to Beverly, Mass. for a Commonwealth Coast Conference twinbill with Endicott that also begins at Noon.