BOX
SCORE
BABSON PARK, Mass. - Junior lefthander Michael O'Brien
(Shrewsbury, Mass.) turned in one of the finest pitching
performances in Babson College history on Thursday, striking out a
school record 18 batters in a 3-0 shutout of the visiting Wentworth
Institute of Technology at Babson's Govoni Field. The 18 K's
surpassed the previous mark of 14 originally set by Major League
Baseball draftee Jason Kosow '04 in 2003 and matched earlier this
year by sophomore teammate Andrew Aizenstadt (Norwell,
Mass.).
With the win, the Beavers improved to 15-14 on the year, while
Wentworth dropped just its ninth game of the season to fall to
20-9-1.
O'Brien (3-1) was masterful throughout the ballgame, allowing
just four hits - all singles - while walking none. The veteran
southpaw baffled the Leopards early on, striking out the first four
batters he faced before senior Mike Roberts (Chelmsford, Mass.)
grounded out to third for the second out of the second. First-year
Kevin McKenzie (Arlington, Mass.) then recorded the only hit that
O'Brien would allow over the first seven innings when a Babson
infielder's stumble on the outfield grass allowed his flair to drop
safely into shallow left. Babson first-year catcher Sean
Cleary (Milton, Mass.) then picked off McKenzie with a
snap-throw to first to end the inning.
O'Brien continued to mow batters down in the top of the third,
striking out the side for the second time in the game. He then
struck out two more in each of the next four innings, giving him 15
strikeouts through seven. The junior southpaw faced just one over
the minimum through seven due to a one-out error in the
fourth.
After striking out two more hitters to begin the eighth, O'Brien
surrendered just his second hit of the contest when Wentworth
first-year Justin Bolla (Groveland, Mass.) looped a clean single
into left. Another groundout to third would then end the inning, as
O'Brien entered the final frame with 17 Ks.
With their starter cruising, the Beavers put up single runs in
the third, fourth, and eighth to take a 3-0 lead. In the third,
junior Peter O'Toole (Salem, Mass.) laced a double
to right and then scored on an RBI double to the left centerfield
gap by sophomore Billy Besinger (Milton, Mass.).
The following inning, first-year Travis Jonasson (Needham,
Mass.) singled to center with one out, took third on a
double down the leftfield line by junior Jake Bartlett
(Weymouth, Mass.), and scored when first-year
Billy Miller (Sagamore Beach, Mass.) singled
through a drawn-in infield on the right side. Besinger then
factored in on Babson's final run in the eighth, as he led off with
a single to right, was sacrificed to second by senior captain
Jeff Wojnar (Bellaire, Texas), and later scored on
a bases-loaded walk to Bartlett.
Armed with a 3-0 cushion, O'Brien finally had a runner reach
second base in the top of the ninth, as junior Pete Oggeri (Sandy
Hook, Conn.) led off with a bunt single and sophomore Jake McManus
(Hopkinton, N.H.) followed with a hard-hit single to left. However,
with the tying run at the plate and nobody out, O'Brien induced his
18th strikeout of the day followed by two straight fly outs to
right to clinch the four-hit shutout victory.
Besinger led the Beavers' offense with his team-leading 14th
multi-hit game of the season, as he went 2-for-4 with a run and an
RBI. Jonasson also added pair of safeties - this 10th multi-hit
effort of the year - finishing 2-for-2 with a run scored.
Sophomore starter Matt Jordan (Concord, N.H.) suffered the loss
for Wentworth, despite five solid innings of work in which he
allowed just two runs on seven hits, walked none and struck out
five. The loss dropped his season record to 2-4. First-year Adam
Farrar (Newport, Vt.) came on to pitch 2 1/3 innings of relief,
allowing one run on one hit and three walks while fanning two, and
senior Matt Chymbor (Meriden, Conn.) walked one while recording the
final two outs for the Leopards.
