WPI Takes Two From Baseball
Framingham, MA - The WPI baseball team swept a non-conference doubleheader today at Framingham's Bowditch Field by a score of 8-6 in game one and 10-2 in game two. With the win in game one the Engineers set a new single season win mark surpassing the 2007 Engineer squad that went 24-17. The Engineers, who are now 26-11 on the season, have the most wins in a single season in the 106 years of WPI baseball and are still alive this season for a possible birth in both the NCAA Tournament and the ECAC Tournament, which will announce its field on Monday. The Rams finish the season at 11-25 which is the most wins for the Rams since the 2003 season.
WPI junior second baseman Mark Dignum (Albany, NY), who was 4-for-8 on the day with three RBI, gave the Engineers a 1-0 lead in the top of the first as he led off game one with a homer down the left field line.
The Rams came back in the bottom of the second as Chris Cole (Lynn, MA) and Matt Urban (Malden, MA) led off the inning with back-to-back singles. After a fielder's choice, junior Casey Hickey (Lee, MA) singled down the right field line scoring Urban to tie the game at 1-1.
Junior Paul Galligan (Weymouth, MA) gave WPI the lead for good in the top of the third as he hit a solo shot to left. The Engineers added three more in the top of the fourth on a sacrifice fly to center from sophomore Bryan Watkins (Belmont, MA), an RBI single by Dignum and junior Mike Swanton (Foxboro, MA) stole home as part of a first and third double steal.
After allowing the run in the second inning, WPI starting pitcher Sean Minor (Los Angeles, CA) retired ten of the next eleven batters he faced as the Engineers offense built him a 5-1 lead.
The Rams were able to push across an unearned run off Minor in the bottom of the sixth as sophomore Steven Tramontozzi (Watertown, MA) led off the inning with a long fly ball to left that was misplayed by the WPI leftfielder. Tramontozzi came around to score on junior Ryan McCarthy's (Shrewsbury, MA) RBI single to left. After Joe Sheehan (Burlington, MA) was hit by a pitch and Cole singled to left, the Rams were threatening with the bases loaded and no outs. Minor was able to get Urban to hit a grounder back to the mound that he fielded and threw home to erase the lead runner and then Minor was able to get the Rams next hitter to ground into a double play ending the inning.
The Engineers added three more runs in the top of the seventh on a two run homer to left from senior Scott McNee (Falmouth, MA) and an RBI single to left from junior Cody McGregor to take an 8-2 lead heading into the bottom of the seventh.
Hickey led off the bottom of the seventh with a single, advanced to second on a wild pitch and moved to third on an infield single by Dave Leach (Chelmsford, MA). Hickey scored on a fielder's choice from Jason Hutchinson (Kingston, MA) that erased Leach at second to cut the deficit to 8-3. Tramontozzi homered to center scoring Hutchinson to cut the Engineers lead to 8-5. After a single from McCarthy, Conor Fahey (Cumberland, RI) came on to pitch and retired the first man he faced before giving up an RBI single to Cole that cut the lead to 8-6. Fahey was able to strike out the next hitter and picked up his third save of the season.
Cole went 3-for-4 for the Rams in game one with an RBI, while McCarthy went 2-for-4 with an RBI. Senior Matt Nicholson (Watertown, MA) picked up the loss as he went seven innings allowing eight runs (six earned) on eleven hits while striking out two.
In the night cap, the Rams took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first on Sheehan's team leading seventh home run of the season. The Rams lead would be short lived as they committed four errors in the next three innings which led to five unearned runs for the Engineers as they opened up a 7-1 lead.
After reaching base on an error, freshman Nich Bean (Middleboro, MA) scored the Engineers first run in the second on an RBI single from Dignum.
The Engineers added five runs in the third as McNee hit his second home run of the day, this one a solo shot to left that put WPI up 2-1. Junior Joe Walsh (Weymouth, MA) hit a three run homer to center later in the inning the put WPI up 6-1 and in the fourth McNee, who finished the second game with two hits and two RBI, doubled to left driving home the Engineer's seventh run.
The Rams were able to push across a run in the bottom of the fifth as Urban doubled, advanced to third on a sacrifice fly, and came around to score on a pass ball.
WPI added two more runs in the sixth as Bean scored on a balk and junior Jameson Kokolis (Manchester, NH) singled home a run. They added a final run in the top of the seventh on home run to left center by Galligan.
Junior Nolan Murphy (Shrewsbury, MA) picked up his sixth win of the season as he went six innings allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits, while striking out six. Sophomore Matthew Magazine (Marlborough, MA) was tagged with the loss for the Rams as he went 3.1 innings allowing seven runs (2 earned) on eight hits.