Northboro, MA --- The WPI baseball team handed visiting Roger Williams its first loss of the season, taking a wild 18-16 win on Tuesday afternoon at the New England Baseball Complex. The win lifts the Engineers to 10-3 overall, while the Hawks go to 9-1.
WPI belted five homers in the game with Andrew Cash (Marlboro, MA) and Jacob Hand (Niskayuna, NY) each collecting two, while Tommy Burns (Morris Plains, NJ) also added a dinger. Cash finished with three hits and seven total RBI, while Hand had three hits and drove in five runs. Burns also collected three hits, driving in three. Also for the Engineers, Jonathan Lattimer (Windsor, CT) had two hits with an RBI, while Jack Zawacki (Pittsford, NY) and DJ Brooks (Danvers, MA) drove in runs.
On the bump, Dominic Monico (Litchfield, NH) got the win for WPI, throwing 1.1 innings, allowing three runs on two hits with two strikeouts. Ryan Camp (Cheshire, CT) suffered the loss for Roger Williams, going one inning, allowing five earned runs on five hits.
Offensively for the Hawks, Jack Morin (North Andover, MA) led the team with six RBI, adding three hits and three runs scored. Dennis Folan (Medfield, MA) drove in three runs, while Owen Hibbard (Roxbury, CT) and Nick Sheehan (Medway, MA) each had two-hit, two-RBI games. Ty Cali (Taunton, MA), London Camelo (Bristol, RI), and Mike Uriati (Barrington, RI) also drove in runs for Roger Williams.
The Hawks struck first with two in the top of the third. Hawley led off with a single before Morin drove in the first run of the game with a single to right. Hubbard then doubled to center to bring a second run.
WPI countered with a big seven-run bottom of the fourth, using four hits to make it a 7-2 game. A Zawacki single scored the first run, while Lattimer laid down a bunt to bring the tying run home. A Brooks single up the middle made it 3-2 WPI, while a hit batter loaded the bases for Cash. Cash then launched his second home run of the season, a grand slam that made it 7-2 WPI.
The Hawks got one back in the fifth with a Folan RBI single, then made it a 7-6 game with three in the top of the sixth. Camelo notched an RBI groundout, Morin had a sac fly, and an RBI walk from Folan cut the lead to one run.
WPI got some insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth, pushing the advantage to 10-6. Liam Keblin (Newton, MA) singled to open the frame and Hand then belted a two-run shot to right center to make it 9-6. Cash followed with his second homer of the game, a solo shot to center to give the Engineers a four-run cushion.
The Hawks wasted no time taking over the advantage with five runs on five hits in the top of the seventh. A three-run double from Morin started the scoring, closing the gap to 10-9 before an RBI hit by pitch from Sheehan tied the game at 10-10. Roger Williams then saw Cali get hit with the bases loaded, to go up 11-10.
The Engineers answered with five runs of their own to regain the lead, making it 15-11. WPI started its scoring barrage with two outs, as Hand blasted his second homer of the game, a three-run dinger to right to make it 13-11. After Cash walked, Burns joined the long ball party, with a two-run knock to left that put the Engineers up 15-11.
In the top of the eighth, Roger Williams pushed three across to close the gap to 15-14. Hibbard singled through the left side to bring the first run across, while an RBI groundout from Folan made it 15-13. A Sheehan single then made it a one-run game before a strikeout ended the inning.
WPI added three insurance runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. Cash added two more RBI to his total with a single to left, and an RBI single from Burns made it 18-14, Engineers.
In the top of the ninth, Roger Williams cut it to 18-16 as a pair of lead-off walks both came around to score. A Morin RBI groundout accounted for the first run, while Uriati doubled to make it a two-run game. The next batter reached on an error, putting two on with one out, but WPI's Monico induced a ground-ball double-play to hand the Engineers the victory.
WPI is back in action tomorrow hosting Suffolk at 3:30pm at the New England Baseball Complex. Roger Williams next plays Thursday, hosting UMass Dartmouth at 3pm.