Trinity 14, WPI 0

Box Score

Mansfield, CT --- The defending national champion Trinity College Bantams exacted revenge from a loss to WPI earlier in the season, handing the Engineers their first NCAA Tournament loss 14-0 on Friday night at Eastern Connecticut. Trinity (32-5) advances to Sunday's championship game out of the New England regional's winner's bracket. WPI, now 30-12, will play the winner between top-seeded Eastern Connecticut and seventh-seed Husson on Saturday at 2pm for the right to take on the Bantams on Sunday for the regional title.

WPI had defeated Trinity 9-7 back on March 30th, snapping the Bantams' 16-game home winning streak and 49-game winning streak against New England opponents. Friday's game was a completely different result however, as the Bantams rode a 17-hit attack and seven WPI errors to the convincing shutout win.

"It was just a tough day," said WPI head coach Mike Callahan. "That's just a great baseball team over there in Trinity. They're the defending national champs and you just can't make too many mistakes against them. The great thing about baseball is you get to play tomorrow, so we'll try to get back up and get back on the horse tomorrow. We're still one win away from playing for the championship and that's what we'll focus on heading into tomorrow."

Trinity starter Derek Anderson (Great Falls, VA) turned in an outstanding performance against WPI, going eight shutout innings while allowing only three singles to the Engineers. Anderson walked two and struck out nine in dominating the WPI lineup. Andrew Rathman-Noonan (Devon, PA) allowed a single before closing out the game in the ninth.

Trinity dented the scoreboard right off the bat, plating a run in the top of the first off WPI starter Sean Minor (Los Angeles, CA) to take a 1-0 lead. With one out in the inning, Matt Sullivan (North Reading, MA) slapped a double down the left field line before coming around to score an out later on a Kent Graham (Longmeadow, MA) single to left. It marked the first time that the Engineers have trailed in NCAA Tournament play.

The Bantams broke the game wide open in the third, with a little help from the WPI defense. Trinity's leading hitter, Sean Killeen (Greenfield, MA) reached on an error to start the inning, moving into scoring position on a wild pitch. Later with one out in the inning, Trinity right fielder Jim Wood (Windham, NH) drove Killeen in with a single to right, moving to second on a throwing error on the play. Ryan Piacentini (Portland, ME) singled Wood home for a 3-0 Trinity lead and also moved to second on a throwing error on a failed pickoff attempt. Kevin Mortimer (Spencer, MA) reached base on the Engineers' fourth error of the inning, moving Piacentini to third. He would score the Bantams' fourth run on an Alex LiDonni (Norwood, MA) single. Mortimer scored as Rob Martin (Lowell, MA) bounced into a RBI groundout to second, as the defending national champs took a 5-0 lead.

Trinity added three more in the top of the fourth, chasing Minor from the game. Killeen launched a RBI triple over right fielder Scott McNee's head in right, scoring Sullivan who had reached on a one-out single. Killeen scored on a Wood RBI groundout for a 7-0 Trinity lead. The Bantams loaded the bases on two walks and a hit batsman before LiDonni worked a bases loaded walk to force home the eighth Trinity run.

The Bantams wrapped up its day at the plate in the eighth, exploding for six more runs to extend the lead to 14-0. Trinity benefited from five consecutive hits and two WPI miscues in the six-run outburst.

Killeen and Wood led Trinity at the plate, each with a three hit day with three runs scored. Mortimer, Piacentini and Sullivan each had two hits and two runs for the victors, while Graham also had two hits and drove in two for the Bantams.

Minor took the loss for the Engineers, falling to 5-3 on the year. WPI had four hits on the day, led by two singles from senior co-captain Scott McNee (Falmouth, MA). Paul Galligan (Weymouth, MA) had a first inning single and senior Ethan Brown (Lunenburg, MA) contributed a pinch-hit single in the eighth for the Crimson and Gray.

The Engineers will look to stay alive in their first appearance in the NCAA Tournament in tomorrow's game at 2pm. Five seniors are slated to graduate before the game in WPI's annual commencement ceremony on the WPI quad.

Story by Ray Cotrufo '98 - WPI Sports Information