MIT sweeps doubleheader to conclude Babson series
MIT finishes series with 8-4 and 6-3 victories
MIT completed its three-game New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) baseball series against Babson College with a doubleheader sweep Saturday afternoon. A five-run, eighth inning was the difference in an 8-4 win in game one, while Nicholas J. Locascio ’16 picked up his first win of the season in game two as he blanked the Beavers over the first eight innings in a 6-3 victory.
Babson (11-11, 7-5 NEWMAC) took an early lead in the opener, scoring an unearned run in the second when Brett Ender led off and reached on an error, eventually coming around to score on a sac fly by George Crowley. MIT (11-6, 7-2 NEWMAC) took its first lead of the afternoon in the bottom of the fourth when Austin M. Filiere ’18 followed a leadoff double by John M. Drago ’17 with a home run to right.
Drago doubled again to lead off the sixth and came around to score on a base hit by Parker A. Tew ’15 to make it 3-1. Babson crept back within a run in the seventh, getting its first two runners on via a walk and an error. After a sacrifice moved the runners up, a groundout to third by Jake Weiss brought home the score. The Beavers then tied it up in the eighth when Dillon Gonzalez led off with a double and came around to score on a two-out single by Sean MacPhee.
Three straight singles started the deciding eighth for MIT, loading the bases for Hayden K. Cornwell ’15 who rapped a two-run single to left to break the tie. Tew then scored the third run of the inning, coming around from second when a single to left by Nathaniel H. Rodman ’16 was misplayed. The Engineers completed the scoring when Rodman eventually scored on a double play.
A pair of errors in the ninth led to another run for Babson to make it 8-4, but Garrett T. Greenwood ’18, who had entered the game in the eighth in relief of Kyle J. Parent ’15, escaped further damage to pick up the victory. He gave up one hit and struck out one in his 1.1 innings of work, while Parent went 7.2 innings, giving up seven hits and three runs, one earned, in his start. Babson’s starter, Nick Ahearn gave up 13 hits and all eight runs, six earned, over seven innings.
Game two started as a pitchers dual between Locascio and Connor Allen. The pair hung zeros on the scoreboard over the first five innings, combining to allow four hits while striking out 11. In the sixth, however, MIT broke up the dual with three runs. Drago led off with a double, moving to third on a balk. Filiere was then hit by a pitch to put runners on the corners for Cornwell, who plated the first run of the game with a single to left. Rodman then added an RBI single before Robert R. Bishop ’15 brought home another with a sac fly.
It stayed 3-0 until the eighth with Cornwell gave the Engineers some breathing room with a three-run home run to right center. The runs proved to be pivotal when Locascio ran into trouble in the ninth. Babson picked up a pair of singles to start in inning to put runners on the corners. Gonzalez delivered the first run with a sac fly before Jack Halpin hit one out for the Beavers to make it 6-3.
Michael A. Wymer ’16 came on for MIT and closed things out for the Engineers. He gave up a walk to his first hitter, but retired the next two to pick up his first save of the season. Locascio went 8.1 innings for MIT in his start, giving up six hits and three runs while striking out seven without issuing a walk. Allen went 7.1 innings for Babson, surrendering five runs on six hits while striking out seven with a pair of walks.
Cornwell went a combined 3-for-8 with six RBI for MIT, with Drago adding four hits and scoring four times over the two games. Weiss, Gonzalez and Halpin all recorded three hits on the day for Babson.