WEYMOUTH, Mass. — The No. 1 nationally ranked Endicott baseball team swept Wentworth, 10-2 and 9-1, in Saturday afternoon Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) doubleheader action at Libby Field.
GAME ONE: Endicott 10, Wentworth 2
WP (10-0): Jordan Gottesman (Acton, Mass.) — 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 9 K
LP (3-2): Alec Peruzzi (Plymouth, Mass.) — 3.1 IP, 6 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
SV (1): Matt Pappalardo (Methuen, Mass.) — 3.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
The Gulls opened up an early lead with Dylan Pacheco's (Dartmouth, Mass.) first inning RBI single to center field, scoring Joey Frammartino (North Reading, Mass.) from third after his leadoff triple.
The Blue and Green added two more runs in the third, as John Mulready (Peabody, Mass.) stayed hot with a two-run single up the middle.
In the fourth, the Gulls posted a five-spot highlighted by Pacheco's three-run bomb to left field (fourth of the season). Through four full innings, they held an 8-0 lead over the Leopards.
On the mound, Gottesman stifled the Leopards' bats through his five innings of work. The first time through the order, he struck out seven of the nine Wentworth batters. He also escaped a bases loaded situation in the fifth, surrendering just one run in the jam.
Ryan Walton (Boylston, Mass.) and Pappalardo combined to close out the sixth, seventh, eighth, and ninth innings, locking up a 10-2 final over the Leopards. Pappalardo pitched the final three innings for the Gulls, earning his first career save.
GAME TWO: Endicott 9, Wentworth 1
WP (7-0): John Connolly (Attleboro, Mass.) — 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 9 K
LP (4-2): Nigel Cross (Worcester, Mass.) — 6 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 0 BB, 5 K
Facing a 1-0 deficit in the top of the fourth, Brenden Walsh (Reading, Mass.) gave the Gulls the lead with a two-run shot to left.
Two innings later, AJ Hamm (Shrewsbury, Mass.) launched his second long ball of the season to put the Gulls up 3-1.
That slim lead was enough for Connolly who, after allowing a leadoff homerun to the Leopards, did not surrender another run throughout his seven innings of work. He also whiffed nine Panthers en route to his seventh win of the season.
In the eighth, the Gulls broke it open with a five-run frame highlighted by a Brendan O'Neil (Ponte Vedra, Fla.) opposite-field two-run homer and a Pacheco two-run single.
Then, O'Neil found the seats once more with another shot to left, giving the Gulls a 9-1 advantage heading into the bottom of the ninth.
The backend of the bullpen was lights out for the Gulls. Kyan Bagshaw (Amherst, N.H.) tossed a 1-2-3 eighth before handing the ball off to Evan Scully (Maynard, Mass.), who locked up the 9-1 win with a scoreless frame and two strikeouts.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- With today's wins, the Gulls advance to 51-9 all-time against the Panthers.
- Gottesman leads the CCC with 84 strikeouts on the season. Connolly ranks second with 65.
- Walsh's home run was the first of his career, while Hamm's was his second.
- After his two homer performance in game two, O'Neil is tied for the CCC lead with 12 long balls on the season.
- Frammartino, Pacheco, Danny MacDougall (Taunton, Mass.), and Mulready (1-4 in the lineup) each recorded multi-hit performances in game one.
- Endicott outscored in-conference opponents 146-40 this season.
WHAT'S NEXT
No. 1 Endicott (37-2, 13-1 CCC) welcomes MIT to North Field tomorrow at 12 PM (Senior Day). Wentworth (21-17, 4-10 CCC) concludes its regular season and awaits CCC Tournament information.
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(Photo Credit - Kaeli Talora '25)
