WPI 10, Worcester State 1
Worcester, MA --- Senior starting pitcher Conor Fahey (Cumberland, RI) tossed eight strong innings, allowing only one run, while senior outfielder Scott McNee (Falmouth, MA) slammed his second home run of the day, leading WPI to a 10-1 win over Worcester State in the ECAC New England Baseball Championship game. The senior co-captains shared the tournament Most Outstanding Player award for their efforts.
WPI now stands at 28-11 on the season, a new school record for wins in a season. The Engineers earned their second ECAC championship in the last three years with the win. WPI's win put the final stamp on the team's already impressive resume, and the club will await word about a potential bid to the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Engineers, ranked sixth in the latest NCAA regional rankings, will learn of their fate on Monday morning.
The Engineers scored early and often to back Fahey, launching three of the team's five home runs of the game in the first three innings. In the home half of the first, shortstop Paul Galligan (Weymouth, MA) lined a one-out double down the left field line, which was followed by a Matt Moreau (Manchester, NH) walk to set up the WPI rally. McNee plated the first Engineers run on a RBI single to left, with third baseman Nick Bean (Middleboro, MA) following with his own run-scoring single through the left side. With two out in the inning, DH Jameson Kokolis (Manchester, NH) stroked WPI's third single to left in the inning, scoring McNee for a 3-0 WPI lead.
The Engineers added three more in the bottom of the second, getting a Mark Dignum (Albany, NY) single before Galligan homered to left, his fifth of the season, for a 5-0 Engineers advantage. Two batters later, McNee followed with a solo shot to center, his team-leading 11th home run of the season, giving WPI a 6-0 lead. McNee's blast was his 27th career home run and second on the day after hitting a three-run shot against Becker in the tournament semifinal game played earlier in the day, a 13-8 WPI win.
The Engineers tacked on two more in the third on a two-run homer from Kokolis, his fifth long ball of the year, before Moreau slammed his fifth round-tripper of the year in the fourth, a solo homer, as WPI took a 9-0 lead after four.
The Lancers (30-15) finally got to Fahey in the eighth. With two out in the inning, Shane Coakley (Spencer, MA) belted a solo home run over the fence in left center, getting Worcester State on the board and cutting the lead to 9-1. The Engineers closed out the scoring in the eighth, getting a run on a Joe Walsh (Weymouth, MA) home run to center with the bases empty for their tenth run.
Fahey went the first eight innings, scattering 11 hits while walking none and striking out seven to improve to 8-1 on the year. His eight wins tie his own WPI school record. The senior also reached another milestone, eclipsing 100 strikeouts for the season (88.2 IP) and now has 307 career strikeouts. Thomas Whiting (Farmington Hills, MI) pitched a scoreless ninth in relief of Fahey to close out the game and the tournament championship for the Engineers.
The Lancers reached the 30-win milestone for the second time in program history. The contest marked the third ECAC championship appearance for Worcester State under head coach Dirk Baker and the team's fifth appearance overall.
Bob DeVito (Webster, MA) started and took the loss for Worcester State, allowing six runs in 1 2/3 innings of work. Lancer second baseman Matt Hart (North Easton, MA) led the Lancers with a 4-for-5 day at the plate, while Corey Abbascia (Shrewsbury, MA) added three hits for the tournament runner-up.
Galligan and McNee each had two hits, two runs and two RBI for WPI, while Kokolis also had two hits and two RBI. Moreau scored twice for the Engineers.
Story by Ray Cotrufo '98 - WPI Sports Information