WALTHAM, Mass. – Senior David Marsell (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) went 3-for-4 while classmate Justin Webb (San Diego, Calif.) pitched a scoreless ninth inning, leaving the tying and go-ahead runs on base as the Lasell College baseball team edged Wentworth Institute of Technology, 3-2, at Brandeis University's Stein Diamond.
With the win the Lasers improve to 8-5 on the season while the Leopards fall to 3-11.
Wentworth struck first, getting on the board in its first at bat. Sophomore Aidan French (Chicago, Ill.) led off with a walk and stole second. Senior Andrew Elliott (Rockland, Mass.) drew a walk, and after a strikeout, senior Ross Golebiewski (Lyme, Conn.) reached on an error allowing French to score.
The home half of the inning saw Lasell even the score at 1-all. Senior Evan Michalek (Berlin, Conn.) walked and, with one out, stole second. A groundout moved him to third and he came in to score on an RBI single from senior Brett Sherron (Howard Beach, N.Y.).
Wentworth grabbed a 2-1 lead in the top of the second. Sophomore Kyle Litwin (Jacksonville, Fla.) was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning and went to second when junior Dan Mitchell (Avon, Mass.) singled. Freshman Matt Masciadrelli (Westfield, Mass.) laid down a bunt single to load the bases and when French grounded into a double play, Litwin came around to score.
Lasell scored a pair of runs in the sixth inning to take a 3-2 lead, thanks in part to a pair of Leopard errors. Freshman Matt Bischof (Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.), went to second on a sacrifice bunt, and moved to third on a ground out. Sophomore Wyatt Sihvonen (Lebanon, Conn.) reached on an error, allowing Bischof to score. Sihvonen stole second and moved to third when Michalek reached on an error. Sihvonen came around to score when Marsell singled him in.
Down by a run in their final at bat, the Black & Gold nearly came back. Mitchell led off with a single and went to second on a sacrifice bunt from Masciadrelli. With one out, French walked, placing the tying run on second and go-ahead run on first, however, Webb got a fly out and ground out to end the game.
Sophomore Dylan Fenuccio (Worcester, Mass.) picked up the win (1-0) as he allowed one hit in two innings of relief. Webb notched his first save, allowing a hit and a walk in the ninth.
Mitchell paced Wentworth with two hits while sophomore Brendan Winch (Bow, N.H.) suffered the loss (0-1). Winch allowed two unearned runs on two hits in one inning of work. Freshman Hunter Thornton (Old Lyme, Conn.) started and allowed one run on five hits and struck out two in five innings. Junior Caleb Eaton (East Hampstead, N.H.) pitched the final two innings, allowing no runs on one hit.
Both teams open conference play this Saturday, March 23, as Lasell hosts Colby-Sawyer College in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) doubleheader at noon at Brandeis and Wentworth starts Commonwealth Coast Conference play at Western New England University.
(Courtesy of Wentworth Athletics)
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