Providence, RI --- The WPI baseball team ran into a relentless Johnson & Wales offense on Wednesday night, as the Engineers dropped a 20-5 non-conference clash in Providence on Wednesday. The Wildcats improved to 21-13 with the win, while WPI dips to 15-20.
JWU collected 16 hits and scored in all but one inning, led by a two-hit six-RBI performance from Xavier Botelho (Rehoboth, MA). Thorin Sanchez-Guerra (Lindenhurst, NY) added two hits, both homeruns, and four RBI, while Riley Hasson (South Portland, ME) had two hits and three RBI. Brett Nickerson (Medfield, MA) got the win for the Wildcats, throwing six innings, allowing four earned runs on eight hits, while Max Randazzo (Bryn Mawr, PA) pitched a 1-2-3 bottom of the seventh.
WPI's offense was led by Jake DelMonte (Southington, CT), who homered in a two-hit, three-RBI night. Kyle DeRoma (Dracut, MA) and Jacob Hand (Niskayuna, NY) also added RBI in the game. Matt Penkala (Warren, RI) took the loss in one inning of work, allowing six runs, only one earned, with three hits and three strikeouts.
WPI started strong, scoring a pair in the top of the first. Hand launched his team-leading fourth homerun of the season to open the scoring, while DeRoma singled in a run to make it 2-0.
JWU was quick to answer, scoring six in the bottom of the first on three hits and an error. Trevor Juan (Bolton, CT) led off with a double and was sent home on an infield single from Hasson. A throwing error then plated two before a balk made it 4-2 Wildcats. With the bases loaded and two outs, Juan had his second hit of the inning, a two-RBI single to make it 6-2 before WPI got out of the inning.
The Johnson & Wales offense continued to roll in the bottom of the second and third innings, putting up three runs in each to extend the lead to 12-2. In the second, Sanchez-Guerra hit a three-run homerun, while in the third, Hasson notched an RBI single and a Botelho double plated a pair.
WPI cut the lead to 12-4 with two in the top of the fourth inning, as DelMonte blasted his first career homerun to left center, which scored DeRoma.
Again JWU wasted no time extending its advantage, going up 16-4 in the bottom of the fourth. Juan and Miles Kelly (East Setauket NY) each tallied RBI singles, while Hasson and Botelho drove in runs on fielder's choices.
After a scoreless fifth, WPI capitalized on a pair of doubles to add another run. Johns led off the frame with a double to left and DelMonte drove him home on a double down the left field line that made it 16-5.
Four more Wildcats runs followed in the bottom half of the inning, as JWU pounded out five more hits to extend the lead to 20-5. A Hasson single and a walk to EJ Leone (Peabody, MA) both scored on a three-run shot from Botelho, his fourth of the season. Two batters later, Sanchez-Guerra launched his fifth homerun of the season, and second of the game, a solo shot to right, to wrap up the scoring.
WPI was sat down in order in the top of the seventh as Johnson & Wales wrapped up the win.
Both teams jump back into conference play on Friday. WPI begins a three-game series against Clark at 3:30pm, while JWU hosts Saint Joseph's in a doubleheader beginning at 1pm.