Northboro, MA --- Bridgewater State avenged an early season WPI sweep, as the Engineers dropped a doubleheader to the Bears on Saturday at the New England Baseball Complex. Bridgewater State took game one, 14-5, and game two, 4-2. WPI falls to 7-7 on the season, while the Bears improve to 6-6.
GAME ONE
WPI baseball fell behind early and never recovered as Bridgewater State erupted for 17 hits and five home runs in a 14-5 win in the opener.
The Engineers' offense was paced by
Chuck Cappello (Southboro, MA), who drove in two runs on a single and reached base twice.
Andrew Cash (Marlboro, MA) added a solo home run, while
Liam Keblin (Newton, MA) and
Jack Zawacki (Pittsford, NY) each drove in runs.
Alex Hee (Walpole, MA) took the loss for WPI, allowing seven runs over four innings.
Bridgewater State's offense featured home runs from
Danny Jasmin (East Meadow, NY),
Joshua Selander (Granby, CT),
Philip Messina (Dunkirk, NY), DJ Prampin (Worcester, MA), and
Scott Emerson (Peabody, MA). Emerson went 3-for-4 with three RBI, while
Brendan Flaven (Taunton, MA) added three hits and an RBI. Selander also drove in two runs and scored twice.
Trey Yesu (Monson, MA) earned the win, allowing five runs (four earned) on six hits with five strikeouts in five innings.
Bridgewater State got on the board quickly in the first when
Ryan Flaherty (Duxbury, MA) delivered an RBI single and Flaven scored on a wild pitch. Jasmin's solo homer in the second extended the lead to 3-0 before Cappello's two-run single cut it to 3-2.
Back-to-back solo homers by Selander and Messina in the third pushed the Bears' advantage to 5-2.
Cash homered in the bottom half to make it 5-3, but Bridgewater State tacked on two more in the fourth with a Flaven RBI double and an Emerson sacrifice fly. Keblin's double brought in another run for WPI, narrowing the deficit to 7-4.
The Bears kept pouring it on, with Prampin crushing a two-run homer and Emerson singling in another run in the fifth. Zawacki grounded out to drive in WPI's final tally in the fifth before Bridgewater State put the game out of reach with four runs in the seventh, including a two-run homer from Emerson and an RBI single by Selander.
GAME TWO
Bridgewater State used a pair of late-inning home runs to erase a one-run deficit and complete the doubleheader sweep with a 4-2 victory in Saturday's nightcap.
Tommy Burns (Morris Plains, NJ) led WPI at the plate, going 2-for-2 with a solo home run, two stolen bases, a walk, and an RBI.
Jacob Wiberg (Exeter, NH) reached base three times and stole a base, while Cash chipped in a pair of hits. The Engineers swiped a season-best six bags in the game.
On the mound,
Dominic Monico (Litchfield, NH) took the loss for WPI despite a quality start, going six innings and allowing just two earned runs on six hits while striking out five.
Bridgewater State was again powered by Emerson, who went 3-for-4 with a double and a solo home run, scoring twice and driving in one.
Oscar Vargas-Pacheco (Bound Brook, NJ) delivered the go-ahead two-run homer in the sixth and finished with three RBI. Selander added a pinch-hit double.
The Bears' bullpen shut the door after a strong start from Jasmin.
Patrick Chapin (Framingham, MA) earned the win with two innings of one-run relief, and
Nick Reiser (Nahant, MA) picked up the save with a scoreless seventh, striking out three.
The Engineers struck first in the third inning. After Wiberg walked and
Miles Pratt (Hampton, NH) reached on a fielder's choice, the duo pulled off a double steal, with Burns taking second and Pratt darting home for a 1-0 lead.
Bridgewater State tied the game in the fourth when Emerson scored on an RBI groundout from Vargas-Pacheco. WPI briefly regained the lead in the fifth when Burns turned on a pitch and launched a solo home run to right, putting the Engineers up 2-1.
The Bears responded in the sixth. After a one-out walk and a single, Vargas-Pacheco belted a two-run homer to center field, flipping the score in Bridgewater's favor. Emerson added insurance in the seventh with a solo blast to right center, his second homer of the day.
WPI next heads to Wheaton on Tuesday for a 3:30pm matchup that will open NEWMAC play for the Engineers. Bridgewater State continues its road swing Monday at Curry College, also at 3:30pm.
