Auburndale, FL --- Freshman Steven Gallagher (Coventry, RI) batted 2-for-3 in game one and seniors Vinny D'Ambrosio (Mahopac, NY), John Mulready (Rockland, MA) and DJ Ouellette (Watertown, CT) each went 2-for-3 in the nightcap as WPI swept Keene State 4-1 and 11-3 in a non-conference baseball doubleheader at the RussMatt Invitational Friday.

The Engineers even out at 4-4 heading into their final day of action before returning to New England while the Owls move to 1-3 on their young season.

Junior Mike Vaitkunas (Auburn, MA) allowed one run on seven hits with four strikeouts and a walk in the complete game victory. Junior Nick Comei (Haverhill, MA) added a double and sophomore Evan Lacroix (Methuen, MA) logged a single in the opener. Defensively, Comei and senior Alex Venditti (Newton, MA) teamed up to turn a 6-3 double play.

Comei used his double to chase home Gallagher for the early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second. Lacroix quickly followed with an RBI single through the right side. Senior Anthony Capuano (Stoneham, MA) scampered home on a bases-loaded passed ball in the bottom of the third.

After Keene State strung together three consecutive singles to produce its lone run of the contest in the top of the fifth, WPI answered in the home half as freshman Ryan Tropeano (Pembroke, MA) crossed home plate on a throwing miscue.

D'Ambrosio also walked twice in the second game and tied the program record for steals in a single game during the Mike Callahan era with three. Freshman Dominic Fusco (North Haven, CT) and Ouellette each doubled while senior John Caliri (Hanson, MA) and Comei each swiped a base. Gallagher, D'Ambrosio and Venditti turned a 5-4-3 double play. Junior CJ Doskocil (Sterling, MA) yielded one run on three hits and two walks, and struck out a career-high seven batters. Junior Dan Bettigole (South Windsor, CT) struck out two in the final two innings.

Gallagher drove in the initial run with a single to right field in the fourth. Two batters later Comei plated Gallagher with a single through the left side. Three more crossed the dish in the fifth, including back-to-back RBI swings by Mulready and Ouellette.

An infield ground out in the home half of the fifth snapped the shutout.

WPI collected four more in the sixth thanks to junior Connor Kurtz's (Lunenburg, MA) run-producing fielder's choice and back-to-back RBI singles. The Owls put two more on the board courtesy of a two-run blast in the bottom of the sixth.

Fusco's RBI double in the top of the seventh made it an 11-3 ballagame.

WPI meets Wentworth for two tomorrow beginning at 9:30am while Keene State faces Montclair State at 3pm.

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