WORCESTER – Senior Teddy Downing (Cambridge, MA) batted 4-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored and junior Dan Shaw (Arlington, MA) struck out four in a complete-game effort as Clark completed a NEWMAC West Baseball weekend sweep of WPI Sunday with an 8-3 triumph at Granger Field.
The first two innings were scoreless. Each side then plated a pair in the third. Sophomore Derek Lefebvre (Groton, MA) gave the Cougars a 2-0 lead with a single up the middle. Junior Ryan Tropeano (Pembroke, MA) drove in one while another scored on a miscue on the same play as the Engineers tied the game.
Lefebvre opened the sixth with a solo blast for the 3-2 advantage. Three more crossed the dish in the seventh beginning with an RBI single by Downing. Freshman James Huber (Rochester, NY) drew a bases-loaded walk and sophomore Andrew Thibault (Nashua, NH) plated Downing with an infield single.
Sophomore Dylan Horn (Sterling, CT) tripled in a run and quickly came home courtesy of a sac fly off the bat of graduate student Kyle Bonicki (Waterbury, CT) for the 8-2 lead in the top of the eighth. WPI junior Josh Herlands (Glastonbury, CT) used a productive out to allow classmate Steven Gallagher (Coventry, RI) to score in the bottom of the ninth.
Senior Steven D'Agostino (Worcester, MA), working on two days rest, struck out seven in 6 2/3 for WPI. Sophomore Nick Tagaris (New City, NY) fanned one during his shift while classmate Matt Woods (Wilmington, MA) retired the side in order in the ninth.
Junior Benjamin Chaffee (Franklin, MA) was the lone Engineer with a pair of hits while Gallagher and senior Evan Lacroix (Methuen, MA) each doubled. Tropeano and sophomore Tyrone Patterson (Upper Marlboro, MD) each stole a base.
Horn (triple, 2 runs), Lefebvre (3 RBI) and junior Zach Kelley (Hadley, MA), who logged a double, each had two hits for Clark. Horn, Bonicki and Kelley turned an inning-ending 6-4-3 double play.
WPI (10-14, 2-7) hosts Wheaton and Clark (14-7, 6-2) hosts Emerson for NEWMAC crossover games Tuesday at 3:30pm.