BOX SCORE
(GAME 1) | BOX SCORE (GAME 2)
BABSON PARK, Mass. - WPI received two brilliant pitching
performances from first-year Sean Minor (Los Angeles, Calif.) and
senior captain Conor Fahey (Cumberland, R.I.) as the visiting
Engineers swept a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference
(NEWMAC) baseball doubleheader at Babson College, 2-0 and 7-1. With
the victories, WPI improved to 13-6 overall and 3-1 in the
conference, while Babson fell to 10-7 overall and 2-2 in the
NEWMAC.
Game one featured an outstanding pitchers' duel between Minor
and Babson sophomore Andrew Aizenstadt (Norwell,
Mass.), who both went the distance on the mound. Minor
improved to 2-1 with his first collegiate shutout, allowing no runs
on five hits, walking three and striking out two in seven innings.
Aizenstadt nearly matched his counterpart, giving up just two runs
on seven hits, walking one and fanning six as he fell to 2-1.
Both of WPI's runs came on one swing of the bat, as junior Matt
Moreau (Manchester, N.H.) blasted his third home run of the season
over the wall in left with a man aboard in the top of the fourth.
Senior captain Scott McNee (Falmouth, Mass.) also scored on the
play after singling to left to start the inning. Moreau, McNee, and
first-year Nick Bean (Middleboro, Mass.) each finished with two
hits apiece for the Engineers, while junior Brian Scanlon
(Lawrenceville, N.J.) had two hits for Babson.
Game two saw WPI score all seven of its runs with two outs.
After the first two batters were retired in the third, juniors Joe
Walsh (Weymouth, Mass.) and Mark Dignum (Albany, N.Y.) recorded
back-to-back singles and scored on a two-run double to left center
by Bean. Babson then put a man on in the bottom of the inning, but
Moreau made a spectacular leaping catch before crashing into the
wall on a long fly-ball to left by junior Peter O'Toole
(Salem, Mass.). That play would prove critical moments
later, when Babson sophomore Billy Besinger (Milton,
Mass.) laced a two-out single to right. Fahey then retired
the final batter of the inning to preserve the 2-0 lead.
After six strong innings, WPI finally chased Babson senior
captain Jeff Wojnar (Bellaire, Texas) in the
seventh, with all the damage again coming after two men were out.
Following a walk to Dignum and a single by Bean, junior Paul
Galligan (Weymouth, Mass.) lined a single to left, driving in the
Engineers' third run. A hit batsman then loaded the bases for
senior Ethan Brown (Lunenburg, Mass.), who knocked in two more with
a base hit to center off junior reliever Keane Steiding
(Falmouth, Mass.). Two batters later, sophomore Ryan Brown
(Worcester, Mass.) singled to left, scoring two more runs and
giving WPI a commanding 7-0 lead.
Babson finally broke through against Fahey in the eighth, as
senior captain Bryan Evans (Bellaire, Texas)
doubled to right with two outs and scored on a single up the middle
by first-year Travis Jonasson (Needham, Mass.).
That would be the extent of the Beavers' offense, however, as
junior Jason Forte (Carlisle, Mass.) came on and got the final four
outs to finish off the 7-1 WPI victory.
Fahey allowed just one run on eight hits while walking two and
fanning six in 7 2/3 innings as he upped his record to 2-1 on
the year. Wojnar took the loss to fall to 1-1 after allowing six
runs on eight hits, walking three and striking out four in 6 2/3
innings. Bean finished 3-for-4 with two RBIs to pace the WPI
offense, while first-year Billy Miller (Sagamore Beach,
Mass.) recorded three of the eight hits for Babson.