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Baseball: Eastern Drops Road Contest at WPI After Fifth-Inning Surge

| By: Alyssa French-Graham

Warriors lug five-game losing streak into Sunday's LEC doubleheader

Box Score
NORTHBORO, Mass. – Eastern Connecticut State University's baseball team (20-11-1) was defeated by Worcester Polytechnic Institute (14-17) on Thursday afternoon at the New England Baseball Complex by a score of 12-5.

The win improves WPI to 14-17 on the season as Eastern drops to a five-game loss streak. Robert Runge will obtain the 12-5 win for the Engineers, and Jake Shaughnessy (Franklin, MA) will carry the loss for the Warriors.

Key Moment:
  • The contest broke open in the bottom of the fifth, the pinnacle of the previously quiet innings by the two competitors, as WPI took the reins and ripped a five-run inning to cement victory.
  • After putting runners on early, the Engineers stole bases on defensive errors, and, offensively, were led by Chuck Chappello's single and Jack Zawacki's RBI double, which dispelled the hosts' loaded bases and brought home a slew of runners, to which the Warriors had no comparable answer. 
How it Happened:
Despite the game slump, the Warriors were the first on board behind Lucas Malave's (Toms River, NJ) single to right field. On the hit, Hank Penders (Wethersfield) advanced to second,  Teige Kimbler (Albany, NY)  to third while Matthew Carrera (Mount Sinai, NY) would bring it home for a 1-0 lead, and the Warriors maintained that advantage into the fourth courtesy of Nicolas Martini's (New Fairfield ) RBI single to left center, which scored Dylan Jackson (Manchester) for a 2-1 lead.

WPI found its rhythm in the middle innings, slashing Eastern's lead in the bottom of the fourth as Jacob Wiberg's double scored Zachary Roethlein to tie it up before he himself managed a tally on a stolen base and a throwing error to break the deadlock and lead 3-2.

Eastern had no response to the small lead at the top of the fifth, and in the bottom, the Engineers capitalized on the silence with crucial hits while also taking advantage of a pair of dooming errors and a passed ball to push their lead 8-2, stunning the Warriors.

Eastern responded lightly in the sixth with their strongest offensive frame of the day as Martini launched a solo home run to center field before Penders followed with a two-run single, cutting the deficit to 8-5.

Though the inspiring momentum from the sixth was short-lived by WPI's overwhelming performance at the bottom of the seventh. Shane McLaughlin singled to left field, scoring one, followed by an Andrew Flamini RBI, which scored another, and to cement the victory, Aaron Johnson delivered a two-run double to right field, putting the game out of reach for the Warriors.

Despite the loss, Eastern totaled multiple hits from several contributors, including Martni, who finished with a home run and two RBI, and Penders, who added a pair of RBI.

Next Up:
The Warriors host the University of Massachusetts Boston in a Little East Conference doubleheader Sunday at noon at Holowaty Family Field. 
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