BABSON PARK, Mass. – MIT completed its three-game New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) baseball series against Babson College with a doubleheader sweep this afternoon. A five-run, eighth inning was the difference in an 8-4 win in game one, while junior Nicholas Locascio (Naples, Fla.) picked up his second 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 freshman Brett Ender (Skillman, N.J.) led off and reached on an error, eventually coming around to score on a sac fly by junior George Crowley (Watertown, Mass.). MIT (11-6, 7-2 NEWMAC) took its first lead of the afternoon in the bottom of the fourth when freshman Austin Filiere (Chandler, Ariz.) followed a leadoff double by sophomore John Drago (Peoria, Ariz.) with a home run to right.
Drago doubled again to lead off the sixth and came around to score on a base hit by senior Parker Tew (Chapel Hill, N.C.) 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 sophomore Jake Weiss (Irvine, Calif.) brought home the score. The Beavers then tied it up in the eighth when senior Dillon Gonzalez (Beverley, Mass.) led off with a double and came around to score on a two-out single by senior Sean MacPhee (Framingham, Mass.).
Three straight singles started the deciding eighth for MIT, loading the bases for senior Hayden Cornwell (Newport Beach, Calif.) 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 junior Nate Rodman (Corvallis, Ore.) 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 freshman Garrett Greenwood (Edmond, Okla.), who had entered the game in the eighth in relief of senior K.J. Parent (Knoxville, Tenn.), 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, junior Nick Ahearn (Norfolk, Mass.) gave up 13 hits and all eight runs, six earned, over seven innings.
Game two started as a pitchers dual between Locascio and senior Connor Allen (Madison, N.J.). 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 senior Reid Bishop (Cypress, Texas) 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 sophomore Jack Halpin (Glastonbury, Conn.) hit one out for the Beavers to make it 6-3.
Junior Michael Wymer (Flower Mound, Texas) come 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.
MIT will play again tomorrow, traveling to the U.S. Coast Guard Academy for a NEWMAC doubleheader starting at 12:00 p.m. Babson will play again on Monday, taking on UMass-Dartmouth at 6:30 p.m. in a game that will be played at New Bedford High School.
