Wetmore Goes the Distance in Game Two as Golden Bears Split Doubleheader with Gulls

Loparco (3-for-4, HR, 4 RBI) leads offense in 11-1, game two victory  

BEVERLY, Mass. (April 22, 2017) – The Western New England University baseball team split a Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) doubleheader at Endicott College on Saturday afternoon at North Field, dropping the opener 5-2 before bouncing back with an 11-1 triumph in game two.

Endicott 5, Western New England 2

Top Performers
• Sophomore outfielder Ben LaCroix (Branford, Conn.) accounted for two of Western New England's four hits and scored one of the team's two runs in the opener, while classmate Erik Lacaire (Worcester, Mass.) walked, tripled and drove in a run.

• Junior Michael DeDonato (Chelmsford, Mass.) led Endicott at the plate, going 3-for-3 with a double, one RBI and two runs scored. Classmate Michael Casciano (Somers, Conn.) also doubled and drove in a run as part of a 2-for-3 effort, while three other Gulls recorded one RBI each.
• Graduate right-hander Nick Quattro (Canton, Conn.) earned the win (3-3) after striking out six batters and allowing one earned run on three hits over 5.2 innings of work.

Game Review
• After a scoreless first inning, Endicott plated two runs in the bottom of the second on RBI singles by freshman catcher Ian Schmidt (Plymouth, Conn.) and graduate outfielder Steve Morganelli (Milford, Mass.).
• The Gulls then doubled their advantage in the third on consecutive RBI singles by Casciano and DeDonato.
• Lacaire got the Golden Bears on the board in the top of the fourth with an RBI triple down the right field line, scoring senior Daniel Morin (Salem, N.H.), who reached base earlier in the inning on an infield single.
• Western New England cut its deficit to 4-2 in the sixth, when junior Jared Rosenblatt (Avon, Conn.) drew a walk with the bases loaded.
• The Gulls restored their three-run advantage in the bottom half of the inning on a sacrifice fly by sophomore Chris Seidl (Dracut, Mass.).
• Endicott sophomore right-hander Will Bryant (Cumberland, Maine), who came on in relief of Quattro with the bases loaded in the sixth and got the final out of the inning, worked around a walk and a single in the seventh to earn the save.  

Western New England 11, Endicott 1

Top Performers
• Western New England broke out offensively in game two, led by sophomore Alex Loparco's (Riverside, Conn.) 3-for-4 effort at the plate with a walk, a home run and four RBI.
• Morin went 2-for-5 with a double and two RBI, while Rosenblatt also homered and drove in two runs.
• Sophomore right-hander Paul Wetmore (Hamden, Conn.) was impressive on the mound, as he improved to 4-2 this season after striking out seven batters and surrendering just one run during his complete game, 87-pitch performance.

• Senior Mike Kochiss (Fairfield, Conn.) was the lone Gull to record multiple hits, as he went 2-for-3 with a double and one run scored, while DeDonato drove in Endicott's only run with an RBI double in the fourth.

Game Review
• Loparco staked the Golden Bears to a 1-0 lead in the first inning with a solo home run to left field, his third of the season.
• Western New England tacked on two more runs in the second to open up a 3-0 advantage, before plating four runs in the third. Morin led off the third with a double to right field, before coming in to score on a fielder's choice. Rosenblatt followed with an RBI single, while Loparco and LaCroix both drew walks with the bases loaded later in the frame.
• A solo homer by Rosenblatt in the top of the fourth extended Western New England's lead to 8-0, before DeDonato got the Gulls on the board in the bottom half of the inning with his RBI double to left center.
• The Golden Bears added three runs in the seventh, two of which scored on a two-out, RBI single off the bat of Morin.

Notes
• The Golden Bears and Gulls have split their two regular season meetings in each of the last three seasons.
• Wetmore's complete game is his second this season and first since recording a no-hitter in his first start against Old Westbury on March 5.

Up Next
Western New England (18-11, 7-5 CCC) returns home tomorrow to host Roger Williams in a senior day doubleheader at noon, while Endicott (15-15, 7-5 CCC) travels to Gordon for two games on Monday.