AUBURNDALE, Fla. – The Wentworth Institute of Technology baseball team kicked off 2018 campaign by dropping a pair of games to John Carroll. The Blue Streaks took the opener, 10-1, and held off the Leopards in the nightcap, 10-8.

GAME ONE:  John Carroll 10, Wentworth 1
John Carroll wasted little time getting on the board as junior Patrick Keohane (Quincy, Mass.) led off with a home run. The Blue Streaks tacked on three more runs on an RBI single from sophomore David Ferguson (Plainfield, Ill.) and a two-run single off the bat of freshman Michael Anderson (Pittsburgh, Pa.).

The top of the second inning saw John Carroll score three more times to take a 7-0 lead as junior Dominic Mittiga (Green, Ohio) drove in a run on a fielder's choice and Ferguson hit a two-run double. The Blue Streaks added single runs in the third, fifth, and sixth innings to take a 10-0 lead.

Wentworth, which was held to just one hit through the first six frames, got a leadoff double from junior Andrew Elliott (Rockland, Mass.) in the seventh inning and Elliott went to third on a senior Tim Elrick (Plymouth, Mass.) ground out. He then came around to score the Leopards' lone run of the contest on a junior Ross Golebiewski (Lyme, Conn.) single with two outs.

Senior Steven Virost (Aurora, Ohio) picked up the win for John Carroll, allowing zero runs on one hit and striking out seven in six innings. Keohane and Ferguson each had three hits for the Blue Streaks.

Sophomore Ryan Obin (Plymouth, Mass.) was tagged with the loss as he allowed eight runs (four earned) on eight hits in four innings of work.

GAME TWO:  John Carroll 10, Wentworth 8
John Carroll scored six times in the home half of the first inning to stake itself to a 6-0 lead. Donnelly had a two-run single and sophomore Aaron Zawadzki (Olmstead Falls, Ohio) had a two-run triple to account for four of the six runs.

Wentworth began to chip away and got on the board in the top of the second. Elrick, junior Jake Smith (Orange, Conn.), and Golebiewski each drew walks and Elrick scored on a passed ball. An inning later the Leopards pulled within a run at 6-5, scoring four times as senior Tyler Weninger (Chandler, Ariz.) drove in two with a triple and Elliott and Smith each had an RBI single.

John Carroll extended the lead to 7-5 in the bottom of the third when Donnelly scored on a delayed steal, however, the Leopards came back within a run in the top of the fourth when junior Anthony de la Cruz (Lynn, Mass.) scored on an error. The Blue Streaks used a sacrifice fly from freshman Mike McCarty (Butler, Pa.) in the home half of the fifth to push the lead back to a pair of runs but Wentworth countered with a run in the top of the sixth when sophomore Owen Swanson (New Milford, Conn.) scored on a wild pitch, making it 8-7. Swanson's run came during an 11-pitch at bat for Elliott, who eventually drew a walk.

The Blue Streaks pushed their lead to 10-8 as Ferguson had an RBI triple and Donnelly drove in a run with a sacrifice fly. Down to its final at bat, Wentworth got a leadoff single from Golebiewski, who, with two outs, went to second on a single from Swanson. Freshman Aidan French (Chicago, Ill.) drew a walk to load the bases and John Carroll freshman Andrew Steele (Milton, Mass.) came in to try and close the door. Weninger drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 10-8, however, Steele got a fly out to end the game.

Junior Carter Semancik (Aurora, Ohio) picked up the win in relief, allowing one unearned run on two hits in two innings of work. Steele notched his first save, walking one in a third of an inning. Junior Derek Penman (Amherst, N.Y.) had three hits to lead the John Carroll offense.

French went 4-for-4 and drew a walk while Elrick and Smith each collected two hits and Weninger drove in three runs. Junior Mike Callagee (Emerson, N.J.) took the loss, allowing seven runs on seven hits in 3.2 innings.

Wentworth (0-2) plays Ohio Northern in a doubleheader on Wednesday.

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