Waltham, MA --- It was a tale of two games as the WPI baseball team swept a doubleheader on the road at Brandeis on Saturday. The Engineers won a 1-0 pitcher's duel in the opener before the bats came alive to pound out a 13-1 victory in the nightcap.
The wins lift WPI to 12-7 overall, while the Judges dip to 4-12.
Game One
Noah Pins (Holden, MA) threw a gem in game one to move to 4-1 on the season, he threw five scoreless innings scattering two hits and strikeout out eight. Eric DePiero (Beverly, MA) got the save, his first of the year, throwing the final two frames, allowing one hit while striking out a pair.
Offensively, Jacob Hand (Niskayuna, NY) was 2-for-3 with the winning run scored, while Andrew Cash (Marlboro, MA) drove in the game-winner, with both belting doubles in the contest.
For Brandeis, Marc Maestri (Katonah, N.Y.) had a strong outing despite being saddled with the loss (2-3). He threw all seven innings, allowing one run on five hits with five strikeouts. The Judges' offense was limited to a double from Jake Freed (Vernon Hills, IL) and singles from Eddie Zanor (Branford, CT) and Justin Keeler (Seymour, CT).
WPI broke a scoreless tie in the top of the third. Hand led off with a double and Cash followed with a double of his own to make it 1-0. Brandeis got a double play to erase the runner and then got a ground-out to end the frame.
The Judges threatened in the bottom of the fifth putting two on with one out as Zanor singled and Freed added a walk. However, Pins forced a flyout and a foul out to end the threat.
In the bottom of the seventh, DePiero worked around a lead-off double from Fried to seal the win.
Game Two
A five-run second inning, including a grand slam from Hand set the tone for the game, as WPI wrapped up the sweep with a 13-1 win in game two. WPI racked up 13 hits, allowing just four to the Judges.
Andrew Gray (Millersville, MD) moved to 2-1 on the season with the victory. He threw giving innings allowing one run on three hits with a pair of strikeouts. Damon Chase (Rye, NH) and Adam Tedesco (Middlebury, CT) both pitched well in relief. Chase tossed one inning allowing one hit, while Tedesco threw one inning with two strikeouts.
Hand belted a grand slam, his seventh dinger of the season, to lead the Engineers' offense with six RBI. Jonathan Lattimer (Windsor, CT) put together a 4-for-4 performance with three runs and two RBI, while Cash drove in two runs on his sixth home run of the year. Luke Frauton (Medway, MA) had two hits and an RBI while Matt Shea (Andover, MA) also collected a pair of hits. Spencer Merrick (Abington, MA) added an RBI in the win.
Brandeis was limited to doubles from Zanor and Mastri and singles from Mike DiCenso (Cranston, RI) and Tobei Nakajima (Winchester, MA), with CJ Dunston (New Bedford, MA) driving in the only run. On the bump, Andrew Tringe (Montpelier, VT) suffered the loss, going 2.1 innings, allowing six runs on eight hits.
WPI opened the scoring with five in the second inning. Lattimer drove in the first run of the game on an infield single. Two batters later, Hand launched a grand slam to make it a 5-0 game.
The Engineers added three more in the top of the third. Merrick and Lattimer picked up RBI singles, while Hand added a bases-loaded walk to push the lead to 8-0.
Brandeis dented the scoreboard in the bottom of the third. Nakajima led off the frame with a single and was later sent home on a sacrifice fly from Dunston that made it 8-1.
WPI tacked on four more in the top of the fifth. Frauton drove in the first run on an infield single and a second run scored in a Brandeis miscue. Cash then sent a two-run home run to center to make it 12-1.
The Engineers added one in the top of the seventh on a Hand sacrifice fly to set the final to 13-1.
WPI jumped back into NEWMAC play, heading to Wheaton on Tuesday for a 3:30pm game. Brandeis also plays Tuesday at 3:30pm, hosting Nichols in a non-conference clash.