Baseball Falls Twice to Russell Sage

LEESBURG, Fla. – Four student-athletes recorded two hits apiece in the Wentworth Institute of Technology baseball team's doubleheader against Russell Sage. The Gators defeated the Leopards, 9-3, in game one, and, 8-3, in game two.

GAME ONE:  Russell Sage 9, Wentworth 3

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Russell Sage scored four runs in the first inning, loading the bases and bringing in a run on a balk and hitting a three-run home run. The Gators added a run to increase their lead to 5-0, scoring on a passed ball in the third inning.
• Wentworth got on the board in the fourth inning. With one out, senior Brandon Sullivan (Quincy, Mass.) drew a walk. Sullivan went to second on a single from freshman Matt Robison (Mystic, Conn.). Graduate student Nolan McManus (Milton, Mass.) reached on an error on a sacrifice bunt attempt, loading the bases. Sophomore Michael Petit (Sandwich, Mass.) was hit by a pitch to bring in Sullivan and freshman Mike Sibert (Billerica, Mass.) lifted a sacrifice fly to score Robinson, making it 5-2.
• In the fifth inning the Black & Gold got a one-out single from junior A.T. DiPina (Pawtucket, R.I.). Freshman Natthew Favazzo (Lexington, Mass.) followed with a double, moving DiPina to third. DiPina scored on a Sullivan groundout, cutting the lead to 5-3.
• The Gators added four to their lead in the fifth inning, going ahead 9-3 on a pair of RBI singles and a two-run double. In the top of the sixth, Wentworth threatened to cut into the lead, putting runners on first and second with one out, however, back-to-back strikeouts, ended the inning.
• DiPina and Sibert each had two hits, with Sullivan, Petit, and Sibert driving in runs. Sophomore Brady Aubuchon (Westminster, Mass.) took the loss (1-1), pitching 4.1 innings.

GAME TWO:  Russell Sage 8, Wentworth 3

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• The bottom of the first inning saw Wentworth take a 1-0 lead. Junior Christian Peruzzi (Plymouth, Mass.) drew a one-out walk and went to second on a junior Zach Smith (Madison, N.H.) single. On a double-steal attempt, both runners were safe but an overthrow trying to get Peruzzi allowed him to score and moved Smith to third.
• Russell Sage tied the game at 1-all on an RBI single in the top of the third before, in the bottom of the fourth, Favazzo drew a one-out walk and went to second on a walk by senior Aaron Lundgren (Portsmouth, N.H.). Both runners move up 90 feet when McManus scored and senior Chris Alcantara (Weymouth, Mass.) delivered a single to give the Black & Gold a 2-1 lead.
• In the top of the fifth the Gators used a pair of RBI singles, an RBI double, and took advantage of a Wentworth error to take a 5-2 lead. An inning later an RBI single increased the lead to 6-2, and, in the seventh inning a two-run home run made it 8-2.
• Peruzzi hit a one-out triple in the bottom of the seventh and scored one batter later on a Smith sacrifice fly to make it 8-3.
• Sullivan took the loss (0-2), striking out eight in 4.1 innings of work. Offensively, Alcantara was 2-for-3 with an RBI.

ALL-TIME SERIES:

• Today was the first two meetings between the two teams.

NEXT UP:

• Wentworth completes its spring break Saturday morning with a doubleheader against UMass Dartmouth.

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