BROOKLINE, Mass. – The seventh-seeded Nichols College baseball team held on for a 5-4 victory over sixth-seeded Wentworth in an elimination round game of the 2009 The Commonwealth Coast Conference Baseball Tournament Wednesday afternoon. The Bison (17-19) advance to face third-seeded Roger Williams in Bristol, R.I. Friday in an elimination round game.
The Bison (17-19) scored the leadoff batter in each of the first five innings and were backed by a complete-game six-hitter thrown by junior Tim Smith (Plainville, Conn.), who improves to 6-0 on the season with the win. Designated hitter Chris Nemeskal (Swampscott, Mass.) paced the Bison at the plate with a 2-for-4 day including a solo home run in the fifth inning. Matt Whitman (North Plainfield, N.J.) also went 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored.
Nick Cunningham led Wentworth (22-17-1) with a 1-for-3 day, including a two-run homer in the third inning. Pete Oggeri went 2-for-4 with a run scored from the leadoff spot, and Jake McManus finished 2-for-3 and scored a run.
Austin Martin’s (Cranston, R.I.) sac fly in the first plated Zac Johnson (Wakefield, R.I.), who led off the game with a walk. In the second, Whitman reached on a third strike wild pitch to lead off the second and came around with two outs when Cale LaCasse (Killingly, Conn.) reached on an error.
In the third, Johnson walked to lead off the inning and advanced to second on a wild pitch. He reached third on a Josh Clark (Brunswick, Maine) single, and came around to score on a throwing error.
Cunningham’s home run in the bottom of the inning came with two outs, and sailed over the left field fence. Smith got out of the inning by inducing a groundout to Johnson at third.
Nemeskal got a piece of the action in the fifth, greeting Wentworth reliever Matt Dannenhoffer with a solo shot over the left centerfield wall for a 5-2 lead.
Down by three, Wentworth climbed back in with runs in the seventh and the eight, first picking up a run on an RBI single from Mike Diodato in the seventh, scoring junior Doug Papuga, who led off the inning by reaching on an error.
An inning later the Leopards pulled within a run when Oggeri led off with a double to right center and moved to third when McManus singled to right center. Cunningham would ground into a fielder’s choice, where McManus would be safe at second on an error and Oggeri would score. A one-out sacrifice bunt by senior Phil Costello put both runners in scoring position, but Smith induced a groundout to end the threat.
After the Bison were retired in order in the top of the ninth, Smith set the Leopards down, 1-2-3 to end the game.
Smith allowed four runs (three earned) on six hits, while striking out a pair to remain perfect on the year. In his fifth complete game.
Wentworth’s Chris Carbone suffered his first loss of the season (5-1), allowing four runs (two earned) on four hits while striking out five in four innings. Dannenhoffer yielded a run on four hits in five innings, while striking out five.
The third seeded Hawks join the elimination bracket after a 4-3 loss to second-seeded Western New England College Wednesday. Nichols also suffered its first loss of the postseason at the hands of the Golden Bears Tuesday, a 15-3 defeat. In the Bison’s earlier season matchup with the Hawks prevailed, 7-1 and 8-1 on March 25th.
Information courtesy Wentworth Athletics
Box Score