AUBURNDALE, Fla. – The Wentworth Institute of Technology baseball team kicked off its annual spring break trip with a split against Nebraska Wesleyan. The Leopards picked up a 12-8 win in the opener before being edged by the Prairie Wolves, 4-3, in the nightcap.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE – GAME ONE

Offensive Leaders:  Kyle O'Neill (3-4, HR, 4 RBI); Jack Ruprecht (1-4, HR, 3 RBI), Matt Masciadrelli (2-3); Matt Bishop (1-2, 2B, 2 runs, 2 BB)
Pitching Leaders:  Ryan Obin (W, 1-1) (5 IP, 3ER, 3K); Jon Campbell (SV (1)) (0.1 IP, 1 K)

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE – GAME TWO

Offensive Leaders:  Kyle Litwin (2-3, 1 RBI); Kyle O'Neill (1-1, 2 RBI)
Pitching Leaders:  Ryan Joyce (ND) (4 IP, 9 K)

HOW IT HAPPENED (Game One):

• With two outs in the top of the second inning, Nebraska Wesleyan plated a pair of runs on an error. However, Wentworth took the lead in the bottom of the inning when sophomore Kyle O'Neill (Haverhill, Mass.) launched a two-run home run, which also scored sophomore Matt Bishop (New Boston, N.Y.) who had led off with a walk. Sophomore Matt Masciadrelli (Westfield, Mass.) singled and went to second on a wild pitch and scored on an error after sophomore Nolan Freeman (Braintree, Mass.) singled.
• An RBI double from junior Derek Kolbush (Lincoln, Neb.) tied the game in the top of the third but Wentworth reclaimed the lead after an RBI double from Bishop and a three-run home run from senior Jack Ruprecht (Kingston, Mass.) in the bottom of the inning. The Leopards increased their lead to 9-3 with two in the fourth as sophomore Nolan McManus (Milton, Mass.) delivered a two-run single and, after the Prairie Wolves scored two in the top of the fifth to make it 9-5, a delayed steal of home by Masciadrelli made the lead 10-5.
• Sophomore Kaleb Knox (Moreno Valley, Calif.) delivered a sacrifice fly in the top of the sixth to make it 10-6, however, in the bottom of the inning, O'Neill delivered a two-run single, doubling the lead once again.
• Nebraska Wesleyan scored two in the top of the seventh, thanks to a two-run single from sophomore Aaron Nichols (Lincoln, Neb.) before freshman Jon Campbell (Redmond, Wash.) came in and struck out the only batter he faced to pick up his first collegiate save.
• Senior Ryan Obin (Plymouth, Mass.) picked up the win (1-1), allowing five runs (three earned) on five hits and striking out three in five innings of work. At the plate, O'Neill was 3-for-4 with four RBI while Masciadrelli had a pair of hits and Ruprecht drove in three runs.

HOW IT HAPPENED (Game Two):

• The Prairie Wolves took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning on an RBI double from freshman Will Schneidewind (Omaha, Neb.). In the bottom of the inning, O'Neill hit a double, and went to third on an error which plated Ruprecht who had led off the inning with a single. O'Neill came around to score on an RBI single from junior Kyle Litwin (Jacksonville, Fla.), giving the Black & Gold a 2-1 lead.
• Senior Ryan Joyce (Avon, Mass.) struck out six batters in a row before junior Riley Ward (Lincoln, Neb.) broke up the stretch with a single. After he was caught stealing, Nebraska Wesleyan loaded the bases, however, Joyce got out of the jam with a strikeout.
• With two outs in the bottom of the fourth, the Prairie Wolves had runners on second, however, a pop out ended the inning. Nebraska Wesleyan used back-to-back doubles from Knox and Schneidewind to tie the score and, with one out, Schneidewind scored on a wild pitch to give Nebraska Wesleyan a 3-2 lead.
• The top of the sixth inning saw the Leopards even the score at 3-all. Bishop led off with a triple and came in to score when O'Neill hit a sacrifice fly. However, the bottom of the inning saw Ward led off with a single and, with one out, go to third on a double from Schneidewind. Freshman John Haimowitz (Valencia, Calif.) scored Ward with a sacrifice fly to give the Prairie Wolves the lead.
• Down to its final at bat, Wentworth got a leadoff single from Litwin. Sophomore Jacob Knowles (Concord, N.H.) came onto pinch run for Litwin and went to second on a sacrifice bunt from Freeman. The tying run would be stranded in scoring position as junior Josh Seifert (Lincoln, Neb.) got a fly out and a strikeout to end the game.
• Campbell was saddled with the loss (0-1), allowing one run on three hits while striking out three in two innings. Joyce pitched four-plus innings, allowing three runs on nine hits. Litwin was 2-for-3 while O'Neill drove in two runs.

SERIES NOTES:

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

NEXT UP:

• Wentworth is back in action tomorrow morning with a doubleheader against Martin Luther.

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.