#6 Fitchburg State Downs #3 Wentworth, 13-7
Sixth-seeded Fitchburg State topped third-seeded Wentworth Institute of Technology, 13-7 in the first round of the 2009 ECAC Division III New England Championship this afternoon.
2009 ECAC DIVISION III CHAMPIONSHIP
#6 Fitchburg State Downs #3 Wentworth, 13-7
Falcons belt six homeruns in first round ECAC victory
FITCHBURG, Mass. (May 6, 2009) - Sixth-seeded Fitchburg State topped third-seeded Wentworth Institute of Technology, 13-7 in the first round of the 2009 ECAC Division III New England Championship this afternoon.
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With the victory, Fitchburg State (19-17, 5-9 MASCAC) advances to the semi-final round against conference rival Worcester State College (28-14, 13-1 MASCAC). Wentworth concludes its season with an overall record of 22-18-1 and an 11-10-1 mark in the Commonwealth Coast Conference.
The Falcons used the long-ball to their advantage, belting six homeruns in the contest, including two by senior Aaron Granahan (Thomaston, Conn./Thomaston). Sophomore John Phelan (Walpole, Mass./Walpole) was also solid, hitting 3-for-6 with a round-tripper, while senior Kris Breen (Griswold, Conn./Griswold) finished 2-for-5 with his team-leading seventh homerun of the season and two RBI.
Fitchburg State rallied back from an early 1-0 deficit, posting three runs on six hits in the top of the third inning. Sophomore Will Comerford (Ayer, Mass./Ayer) kick-started the inning with a lead-off double down the right-field line before Granahan followed with a two run blast to center. Three batters later, Breen ripped an RBI single to give the Falcons a two run advantage.
In the fourth, Granahan struck again, collecting his second long ball of the day to give Fitchburg State a 5-1 edge. Comerford started the inning with a base on balls and Granahan followed shortly after with a deep-drive over the center field wall.
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Wentworth battled back, opening the fifth frame with five consecutive hits to plate five runs and knot the score at 6-6. Junior Pete Oggeri (Sandy Hook, Conn./Newtown) started the scoring for the Leopards, posting a two run triple to the left-center gap, while sophomore Jake McManus (Hopkinton, N.H./Hopkinton) laced an RBI single to left.
The Falcons grabbed an 8-5 lead in the top of the seventh as Breen and junior Matt Morrison (Beverly, Mass./Bishop Fenwick) laced a pair of homeruns. Breen sparked the rally for the Falcons with a two run blast to left center, while Morrison belted his first long ball of the season with solo shot.
Wentworth threatened in the bottom half of the inning, loading the bases with only one out, but senior Dennis Jennette (East Brookfield, Mass./David Prouty) came on in relief with a strikeout and a pickoff to shut the door. The very next inning, Phelan and sophomore Ricky Graham (Walpole, Mass./Walpole) connected for a pair of homeruns to seal the victory for the Falcons.
Junior Marshall Miller, III (Greenfield, Mass./Greenfield) earned the victory in relief for the Falcons (3-1), yielding only one earned run and four hits in 2.1 innings of work. Jennette earned his second save of the season with 2.2 innings of no-hit baseball. Junior Matt Dannenhoffer (Bethany, Conn./Notre Dame) suffered the loss for the Leopards, allowing five earned runs in 2.0 innings of relief.