NORTHBORO, Mass. – Bates College scored seven times in the second inning and never looked back as the Bobcats went on to score a 16-8 win over MIT in the baseball season opener for the Engineers. In a game played at the New England Baseball Complex, sophomore Brendan Fox (West Hartford, Conn.) doubled and drove in three runs for Bates, while senior Reid Bishop (Cypress, Texas) had pair of hits for MIT, including a home run.

Bates (5-2) took advantage of four walks in the second inning that helped fuel the seven-run frame. After the Bobcats drew a pair of free passes to start the frame, junior Conor Reenstierna (Lincoln, Mass.) doubled to the gap in left center to score a pair, taking third on the throw home. After Reenstierna scored on a sac fly, another pair of walks set up an RBI single by senior Nate Pajka (Douglas, Mass.) and a run scoring double off the bat of Fox. The Bobcats also picked a pair of runs on a throwing error to take the 7-0 lead.

MIT (0-1) picked up its first run of the game on a wild pitch in the third, but Bates came back with two more in the fourth on an RBI double by junior Evan Czopek (Portland, Ore.) and a wild pitch to make it 9-1. The Engineers started to mount a comeback in the fifth when they put runners on the corners with one down for sophomore John Drago (Peoria, Ariz.) who delivered an RBI single. A wild pitch brought home another run before senior Hayden Cornwell (Newport Beach, Calif.) made it 9-4 with an RBI ground out.

In the sixth MIT made it a three-run game when Bishop followed a leadoff walk by junior Nate Rodman (Corvallis, Ore.) with a shot over the wall in left. Bates answered in the seventh, however, scoring four more times in an uprising that was started by a two-run triple to the right field corner by junior Samuel Warren (Norfolk, Va.).

MIT got two of the runs back in the eighth when senior Phil Reiser (Alpharetta, Ga.) doubled and eventually came around to score on a wild pitch. The Engineers added another on a bases loaded walk to make it 13-8, but Bates iced it with three more in the top of the ninth, with Fox plating in the final two runs with a single to center.

Bates used eight pitchers in the game, with senior Will Levangie (Frederick, Md.) starting and tossing two scoreless innings while allowing a pair of hits. MIT starter, junior Nicholas Locascio (Naples, Fla.) took the loss for the Engineers, surrendering three hits and seven runs, four earned, over 1.2 innings.

MIT will play again tomorrow at the New England Baseball Complex, taking on Suffolk University at 3:30 p.m. Bates will not play again until Saturday when the Bobcats will play at Husson University at Noon.