NEW LONDON, Conn. – MIT erupted for 16 hits and 16 runs in the first game of a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) baseball doubleheader this afternoon at the U.S. Coast Guard Academy to take a 16-6 win. The Bears came back with runs in the ninth and tenth in game two to take a 4-3, extra-inning victory and gain the split. Freshman Austin Filiere (Chandler, Ariz.) totaled seven hits on the afternoon for the Engineers.

MIT (12-7, 8-3 NEWMAC) scored early and often in the opener, plating at least two runs in four of the first five innings. The Engineers broke on top in the first when senior Parker Tew (Chapel Hill, N.C.) singled in a run and then scored on a double by senior Hayden Cornwell (Newport Beach, Calif.). In the third senior Reid Bishop (Cypress, Texas) delivered a two-run, bases loaded single that made it 4-0.

Coast Guard (12-8, 5-6 NEWMAC) took advantage of an error to score a run in the bottom of the third, getting an RBI single by senior Matt Hanks (Chesapeake, Va.). But MIT came right back with four in the top of the fourth, picking up RBI singles from Cornwell and junior Nate Rodman (Corvallis, Ore.) along the way to take an 8-1 advantage. The Engineers then increased their advantage in the fifth when Filiere singled to left with the bases loaded to make it 10-1.

Sophomore David Hesslink (San Diego, Calif.) shut down Coast Guard over the first five innings, but ran into trouble in the sixth when a hit batter and an error delivered a run for the Bears. Coast Guard went on to score three more times, getting an RBI single from freshman Alex Murdoch (San Ramon, Calif.) and a run-scoring double by sophomore Kyle Jackson (Lincoln, R.I.) as it closed to 10-5.

Hesslink picked up the win for the Engineers, giving up six hits and five runs, two earned, over 5.1 innings of work. Freshman Zach Michaud (Moorestown, N.J.) finished up, allowing just one run on one hit over 3.2 innings to pick up the save.

Coast Guard scored first in the second game, picking up a run in the first after a two-out walk and hit batter put two on for junior Matt Lazowski (Mount Joy, Pa.) who singled to center to plate the run. The Bears added a run in the second on a Hanks RBI single to go up 2-0. That was all the scoring until the fifth when MIT finally broke through for a run on a home run off the bat of junior Alec Echevarria (Chula Vista, Calif.).

Pitching held up for both teams until the late innings, with Coast Guard starter, freshman Joe Siciliano (Monroe, N.Y.), going six innings and giving up just one run on eight hits. MIT received a strong effort from its bullpen in the middle of the game, with senior Rob Bertucci (Belleville, Ill.) and junior Michael Wymer (Flower Mound, Texas) combining to give up just two hits over 5.2 innings, with Wymer fanning five.

MIT pushed a pair across in the top of the eighth to take its first lead, starting things off with a hit batter and a double. Junior Kendall Helbert (St. Louis, Mo.) then delivered an RBI single to tie it before freshman Max Lancaster (Attleboro, Mass.) put the Engineers on top with a sac fly.

Coast Guard came back to knot things up in the bottom of the ninth, however, as sophomore Tim Duncan (Heath, Texas) doubled, coming around to score on a two-out single by senior Blake Thompson (Liberty Hill, Texas). MIT had a chance to go back on top in the 10^th, loading the bases with one down, but failed to score. In the bottom half of the inning, Coast Guard put its first two runners aboard on a single and a hit batter. An intentional walk loaded the bases for junior Mark Behne (Clifton, Va.), whose ground ball was misplayed allowing the winning run to score.

MIT will play again on Tuesday when it hosts WPI in a NEWMAC game starting at 3:30 p.m. Coast Guard will also be in NEWMAC play on Tuesday, hosting Wheaton College at 3:30 p.m.