WPI 15, Elms 8

Box Score  

Worcester, MA --- In its final regular season home game, WPI defeated Elms 15-8 in non-conference baseball action on Tuesday afternoon. The win ties the school record for victories in a season with 24, as the Engineers move to 24-11 on the year. Elms falls to 16-17 on the season.

On the day in which the senior class was honored, juniors Paul Galligan (Weymouth, MA) and Cody McGregor (Westfield, MA) combined for six hits, seven runs scored and four RBI to lead the Engineers. WPI scored multiple runs in five of their eight innings at the plate, and overcame an early 4-0 deficit to win. The Crimson-and-Gray plated three runs in the bottom of the first to catch up, keyed by Galligan's second home run of the season. The Engineers took the lead for good in the bottom of the second inning, when Galligan and Mark Dignum (Albany, NY) came home following a Nick Bean (Middleboro, MA) single, giving WPI a 5-4 lead.

WPI plated five more in the bottom of the fourth to break the game open. Catcher Joe Walsh (Weymouth, MA) led off the rally with a single, scoring on a Dignum RBI base hit. Galligan plated Walsh with another run-scoring single, while McGregor delivered an RBI double in the gap to key the Engineers' outburst.

Elms crept to within 10-7 with a rally in the sixth, getting a RBI single from Bob Reyome (Westfield, MA) and a bases loaded walk from Jonathan Ortiz (Carolina, Puerto Rico). The Engineers tallied two runs in each of the seventh and eighth innings to pull away once again, getting back-to-back extra base hits in the seventh from Galligan and Bean and a RBI single from Scott McNee (Falmouth, MA), while adding RBI singles from John Flynn (Albion, ME) and Greg Mannke (Weymouth, MA) in the eighth. Elms tacked on its eighth run in the top of the eighth on a Felix Montalvo (Carolina, Puerto Rico) RBI single to left.

WPI got a lift from its bullpen, with Bryan Watkins (Belmont, MA) improving to 4-0 on the year with 4 1/3 innings of work. Alex Hansen (Burlington, CT) and Thomas Whiting (Farmington Hills, MI) combined to close out the game with 3 2/3 innings of one-run ball. Craig Hippert (South Barre, MA) suffered the loss for Elms, falling to 2-3 on the year.

Galligan, who on Monday joined the 100 career hit club, led the Engineers with a 3-for-4 day, scoring four times and driving in three.  McGregor was 3-for-5 at the plate with three runs scored, while Flynn, Matt Moreau (Manchester, NH), McNee, and DH Mike Swanton (Foxboro, MA) each had two hits for WPI.

Brendan Cordeiro (Berkley, MA) led the Blazers to the plate with three hits and two runs scored, while Nic Iavicoli (Hampden, MA) and Hector Roche (Bronx, NY) each posted a multi-hit day for Elms.

For WPI, the win marks the 78th victory for the senior class, the most in the 106-year history of the baseball program at WPI and besting the previous record for wins in a class by 16 victories. The members of that record-setting class, Jonathan Quintero (Miami, FL), Scott McNee (Falmouth, MA), Ben Erle (Boylston, MA), Conor Fahey (Cumberland, RI) and Ethan Brown (Lunenburg, MA) were all honored in Senior Day ceremonies prior to the first pitch.

WPI is off for a few days before returning to action on Sunday, playing a doubleheader at Framingham State that was rescheduled from earlier in the year. First pitch is at 1pm. Elms will next take the field for NECC playoffs, taking on Becker on Friday May 1st at 3:00pm in the tournament's opening round.

Story by Ray Cotrufo '98 - WPI Sports Information