Davenport, FL --- Day two of the 2022 WPI baseball season featured a doubleheader with undefeated Marymount (VA) that saw the Saints pick up a pair of wins over the Engineers on Monday morning.
Game one featured a 16-4 decision in favor of Marymount while the Engineers kept it closer in game two falling 9-6. Frank D'Alessio (Morganville, NJ) accounted for two of WPI's hits in the first game of the day, while a trio of Engineers accomplished a multi-hit game in game two, including a two homer game from Andrew Brooks (Millis, MA).
GAME ONE
The first inning featured a lot of offense as Marymount started things off by putting four runs up on the board in the top of the first. WPI responded in the bottom half of the inning, halving the Saints' lead thanks to back-to-back homers from Jeffrey Brennan (Amsterdam, NY) and Dylan Connors (Westboro, MA), the team's first and second home runs of the season, to make it a 4-2 ballgame at the end of the first.
Marymount's offense continued in the top of the third as the Saints piled on eight more runs off of six hits. WPI responded with another run in the bottom half of the inning as Martin McCormack (Quincy, MA) doubled home Jake DelMonte (Southington, CT) with a rope down the leftfield line.
WPI got another one back in the bottom of the fifth, again at the hands of McCormack who reached first after a throwing error by the Marymount shortstop, as Kyle Johns (Milltown, NJ) crossed the plate to make it a 12-4 ballgame.
Marymount put another four runs on the board in the top of the seventh for good measure en route to the 16-4 game one win. Stephen Gerade (Alexandria, VA) picked up the victory for Marymount, improving to 1-0 on the season after five innings pitched allowing four runs on seven hits while striking out five.
For the Engineers, Andrew Dupuis (Raymond, NH) got the start on the mound and pitched 2.2 innings of action allowing 10 runs, nine earned, on seven hits while striking out four and walking four.
GAME TWO
Game two came down to a six-run third inning for Marymount being the deciding factor in a 9-6 loss for the Engineers.
Both teams put a run on the board in the first inning with WPI delivering right away as Brooks ripped a shot to right center that flew over the wall for a leadoff home run for the Engineers. But Marymount answered in the bottom half of the frame using some small ball to get its first run of the game across the plate.
The Saints added six more in the bottom of the third as the team batted around with nine of the first 10 batters to get to the plate, reached base. Four-straight hits accumulated three runs, and a single through the left side from Robby Cable (Fairfax Station, VA) sent home two to cap off the inning.
WPI got one back in the top of the fourth after some rocky pitching by the Saints loaded the bases with Michael Fraser (Mashpee, MA) starting things off getting hit by a pitch, Jacob Hand (Niskayuna, NY) and Kyle DeRoma (Dracut, MA) drawing walks, and Gavin George (Salem, NH) getting hit by a pitch to bring a run in and make it a 7-2 ball game.
But every time, WPI put a run up, Marymount responded, adding one more to the total in the bottom of the fourth, and after WPI's offense came alive again in the fifth inning as McCormack drew a walk that ended with a wild pitch and Brennan was able to come across, the Saints added another in the fifth.
The top of the sixth inning featured yet another blast by the Engineers, the team's fourth on the day, as Brooks knocked his second shot out of the park in the game, this time a two-run shot to right field to make it a 9-6 game.
Unfortunately, Marymount halted the Engineer offense in the final inning, holding on for the victory. Coleman Grehawick (Springfield, VA) picked up the win for the Saints to improve to 2-0 on the year pitching four complete innings, facing 19 batters while allowing three runs on three hits, two walks, and five strikeouts. Clint Wheeler (Vienna, VA) picked up the save for Marymount, his first of the year.
Andrew Gray (Millersville, MD) earned the start for WPI, pitching three complete innings, allowing seven runs on eight hits.
WPI will have a much deserved day off and will be back in action on Wednesday, March 9 with a doubleheader against Thomas (ME) beginning at 9:30am in Davenport, FL once again at Northeast Regional Park #4.