New London, CT --- Sophomore Matt Blakeman (Bedford, NH) and senior Mitch McClune (Pembroke, MA) each drove in three runs in the second game of a doubleheader as WPI completed a sweep of Coast Guard with a 10-7 win after winning the opener of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) twin bill 5-2.
The Engineers, who beat Coast Guard yesterday 2-0, swept the three-game set to improve to 19-8 overall and 8-3 in conference play while Coast Guard drops to 11-16 overall and 5-9 in the NEWMAC.
In the opener, WPI scored three unearned runs in the second inning as sophomore David Trujillo (Sutton, MA) reached on an error, senior Nick Bean (Middleboro, MA) doubled and junior Brendan Walsh (Windham, NH) walked to load the bases. Senior Kyle Bartosik (Midland Park, NJ) hit a sacrifice fly before two more runs scored on an error as WPI took a 3-1 lead.
The Bears had opened the scoring in the first when junior Joe Petry (Worcester, MA) and classmate Nolan Gallagher (New Milford, CT) singled before Petry scored on a wild pitch.
Coast Guard got an unearned run in the fourth on senior Mike Salerno's (Ellicott City, MD) RBI single before the Engineers scored twice in the fifth without the benefit of a base hit taking advantage of three walks and a hit batter while Walsh added a sacrifice fly to close the scoring.
Senior Sean Minor (Sherman Oaks, CA) (6-1) won his career-high sixth game, his sixth straight win and the 19th of his career as he allowed seven hits and just one earned run while walking two and striking out five.
Coast Guard starter junior Curt Barrett (Bremen, GA) (1-2) took the loss despite not allowing an earned run. Barrett went four innings and allowed just three hits and three runs, all unearned with two walks and four strikeouts.
Gallagher had two of the Bears seven hits in the opener while WPI had five hits in the win.
In game two, Coast guard got on the board first on a two-run homer by junior Tyler Babkiewich (Golden, CO), his first of the season before the Engineers answered with two in the second, both unearned, as Blakeman had an RBI double and McClune followed with an RBI single to tie the game.
WPI took a 4-2 lead with two in the sixth on an RBI single by Blakeman before McClune drew a bases loaded walk. Coast Guard got one back in the home half of the sixth as senior Chris Izurieta (Mason, OH) was hit by a pitch and later scored on a wild pitch.
The Engineers scored four runs, three unearned, in the seventh on a sac fly by Bartosik, a safety squeeze by Steve Petry (Worcester, MA) and an RBI single by Blakeman for an 8-3 lead.
Coast Guard took advantage of a pair of WPI errors in the eighth to score four unearned runs as Petry had an RBI single before Gallagher's three-run double down the left field line pulled the Bears to within 8-7.
WPI added two insurance runs in the top of the ninth on an RBI single by McClune and an RBI double by senior John Flynn (Albion, ME).
Freshman Andrew Portera (Alpharetta, GA) (4-1) went 5 2/3 to get the win as he allowed five hits and three runs, two earned while walking four and striking out two. Freshman Taylor Landry (Kennebunk, ME) went the final 3 1/3 innings allowing five hits and four unearned runs with one walk and two strikeouts to pickup his fifth save of the season.
Junior Nate Toll (Oley, MD) (1-4) was the starter and loser for the Bears as he went 5 1/3 innings allowing eight hits and four runs, two earned while walking three and striking out two.
Petry was 4 for 4 in the second game for Coast Guard as he finished 5-6 with three walks getting on base eight of nine times he came to the plate for the Bears.
Sophomore Dave Wolinski (Henrico, VA) had three hits in game two for Coast Guard.
Blakeman was 4 for 5 while McClune, Bean, Petry and sophomore Tim Erlandson (Hudson, MA) each had two hits in the game two win for WPI.
WPI tangles with Clark on Tuesday at 3:30pm at Clark. Coast Guard hosts Babson that same day.
Release Courtesy Coast Guard Sports Information