Courtesy of Coast Guard Sports Information
NEW LONDON, Conn.--Fifth-seeded Coast Guard
rallied for three runs in the bottom of the eighth and one
more in the eleventh to surpass sixth-seeded MIT, finishing 25
hours after the game's start, to win a New England
Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC)
tournament elimination game, 7-6.
After a 70-minute delay for lightning on Friday, the game was
eventually suspended after 10 innings, tied 6-6. Play resumed
Saturday with the Bears scoring the walk-off run in the bottom of
the eleventh.
MIT led 5-1 after six innings. The Engineers scored twice in the
second on an RBI double by junior Dan Hyatt and an RBI groundout by
sophomore A.J. Hansborough for a 2-0 lead.
Coast Guard got on the board in the third on an RBI single by
freshman Nolan Gallagher, which scored classmate Riley Beecher, who
led off the inning with a single.
The Engineers scored an unearned run in the fifth as sophomore
Bryan Macomber singles, moved to second and third on a pair of wild
pitches and scored on a throwing error for a 3-1
lead.
MIT extended its lead to 5-1 in the sixth on a bases loaded walk
to pinch hitter sophomore Zach Carr before Macomber's
sacrifice fly.
Coast Guard scored a pair of runs in the sevneth as freshman
Mike Massaro singled, moved to second on a wild pitch and scored on
an error before freshman Tyler Babkiewich drove in a run on
fielder's choice to cut the deficit to 5-3.
There was a rain and lightning delay with one out in the top of
the eighth and when play resumed, the Engineers scored an unearned
run as Hansborough doubled and scored on a throwing error on a ball
hit back to the mound.
In the bottom of the eighth, Massaro's bases loaded
two-run double cut the deficit to 6-5 then came a wild sequence.
With one out, Beecher belted a deep double to center which scored
freshman Eric Gerken with the tying run, but Massaro ran halfway
home and decided to go back to third and dove back to the bag, but
Beecher was already on the bag, both runners occupied the base.
Beecher was called out, because by rule, the bag belonged to
Massaro, who was face down when he heard the out call, he then
lifted his hand off the base thinking he was out and was tagged out
by the catcher Hansborough ending the Bears rally.
Freshman Derek Petty started for the Bears and allowed five
runs, four earned in five and 1/3 inning while classmate Tyler
Vieira (2-1) pitched five and 2/3 innings of relief and
allowed five hits and an unearned run.
Sophomore Torre Swanson worked the first six and 1/3 innings for
MIT and allowed five hits and three runs, two earned. Junior
Cameron Brown got the final two outs of the seventh for MIT.
The Bears scored the three eighth inning runs off of junior Ryne
Barry, who worked just the eighth. Freshman Aric Dama pitched two
hitless innings in the ninth and tenth, while Henry Zhu (2-2)
received the loss after dropping an earned run in the eleventh.
The Engineers (11-13) retire from the NEWMAC tournament
and resume their non-conference schedule with a game against
Newbury College on Tuesday, April 27, at 4 p.m.