New London, CT --- Sophomore Jordan DeDonato (Danvers, MA) for both RBI in the first nine innings while junior David Larson (Port Tobacco, MD) snapped a 2-2 tie in the top of the 14th as WPI went on to defeat Coast Guard, 6-2, in a NEWMAC baseball matchup Friday afternoon. Junior Kyle Wood (Hauppauge, NY), meanwhile, struck out eight and walked a pair in six hitless innings.

The Engineers up their record to 18-10 overall and 4-5 in NEWMAC games while the Bears dip to 14-11 and 4-7. The three-game series moves to the New England Baseball Complex for two beginning at noon tomorrow.

Trailing 2-1 heading into the ninth, DeDonato used a productive ground out to tie the game. The game then went into extra innings after a 1-2-3 frame by the hosts. Coast Guard left three on and WPI abandoned a pair in the 10th and 11th. Both sides were then retired in order in the 12th and 13th.

Junior Tyrone Patterson (Upper Marlboro, MD), graduate student Matt Howard (Worcester, MA) and Larson each connected on singles to produce the go-ahead run. Later in the frame, senior Josh Herlands (Glastonbury, CT) chased home a run before classmate Austin Lindner (Princeton Jct., NJ) struck a two-RBI single to center for the 6-2 final.

DeDonato gave the Engineers a 1-0 advantage with an RBI ground out in the fourth. Coast Guard later tilted the scoreboard in its favor with a two-out 2-RBI double to left by senior Reed Jenkins (Brown Summitt, NC) in the bottom of the eighth.

Howard and Larson (2 doubles, stolen base) each collected a trio of hits while Patterson chipped in with a pair. DeDonato and Lindner each drove in a two for WPI. Junior Kyle Foley (Watertown, MA) yielded five hits and two walks while striking out three in the first 6 2/3 for WPI. Junior Nick Colucci (Lynnfield, MA) went 1 1/3 before handing the ball to Wood for the final six.

Senior Jeremy Lhotka (Orange Park, FL) and sophomore Dylan Roberts (Cape Elizabeth, ME) each amassed a pair of hits for the Bears, and along with Jenkins, clubbed a double. Junior Brett Sullivan (Granby, MA) allowed one run on three hits and one walk while striking out nine in eight innings, and senior Will Stephens (Raleigh, NC) and senior Dan Finn (Middletown, MD) each made a three-inning relief appearance.