Lakeland, FL --- The WPI baseball team totaled 33 hits and 28 runs in a split decision with SUNY Poly on Thursday at the RussMatt Invitational. The Engineers rebounded from a 10-9 setback to defeat the Wildcats 19-2.
Anthony Capuano (Stoneham, MA) delivered the first two runs of the nightcap in the form of an RBI single up the middle in the second and a sacrifice fly in the third. Steve Petry (Worcester, MA) followed with a run-producing single to left for what proved to be the game-winning run.
The Wildcats (2-6) cut their deficit to a run with an RBI single and a sacrifice fly in the fourth. The home half of the stanza saw Sean Greene (Hingham, MA) lift a sacrifice fly to center for the 4-2 Engineer lead.
John Mulready (Rockland, MA) used a 2-RBI single up the middle to spark a six-run bottom of the fifth. With two outs, Alex Venditti (Newton, MA) doubled in a pair of Engineers. Following a pitching change, Greene doubled and DJ Ouellette (Watertown, CT) singled to drive in the final two runs of the spurt.
Nick Comei (Haverhill, MA) bookended the scoring in the sixth with an RBI walk and single while Venditti also logged a pair of RBI in the frame. John McGonagle (Medford, MA), Capuano, Petry,Evan Lacroix (Methuen, MA) and Allan Burgess (Plymouth, MA) all contributed an RBI in the nine-run spree.
Aidan Freeburg (Billerica, MA) yielded five hits and struck out five in the win. Nick Borsari(Bolton, MA) struck out one in an inning of relief.
Capuano (3-for-3, 3 RBI 2 runs), Ouellette (3-for-4, RBI, 2 runs), Vendetti (2-for-4, 4 RBI, 3 runs) and Greene (2-for-3, 2 RBI, 2 runs) all recorded multiple hits for the Engineers who enjoyed a 16-6 advantage for the game.
In the opener, SUNY Poly used a sacrifice fly to walk off with the 10-9 victory. WPI rallied for two runs to tie the game in the top of the seventh behind an infield RBI single by Zach Blanchard(Warwick, RI) and an outfield miscue on a ball put into play by Mulready.
Venditti pushed the first run across with an RBI double in the top of the first. The Wildcats made it a 1-1 ballgame in the bottom of the second.
WPI then forged a 4-1 advantage behind RBI knocks by Blanchard, Capuano and Matt Cote(Burrillville, RI) in the third. SUNY Poly scored once in the home half of the third.
The Boynton Hillers added three more in the fourth as Venditti doubled to deliver two and Capuano logged an RBI ground out. The Wildcats then put a huge dent in their deficit with a four run surge in the fourth before taking the 9-7 lead in the fifth.
Comei, Sean Kelly (Shrewsbury, MA), Venditti (3), Blanchard, Mulready, Cote and Greene were all members of the multiple hit club. Comei also walked twice.
Dan Bettigole (South Windsor, CT), Andrew Portera (Alpharetta, GA) and Drew Gelinas (Saco, ME) all saw time on the bump for the Engineers.
Baseball (5-3) remains in Lakeland for a 9:30am doubleheader with Keene State tomorrow morning.