MIDDLETOWN, Conn. – MIT jumped out to an early five-run lead and then held off a late rally by Wesleyan University to claim an 8-5 nonconference baseball victory this afternoon. Senior Hayden Cornwell (Newport Beach, Calif.) had a big day for the Engineers, going 4-for-5 and driving in five runs.

Back-to-back doubles in the first inning by senior Parker Tew (Chapel Hill, N.C.) and Cornwell produced the first run for MIT (21-10). Three hit batters helped MIT score four more times in the second. With one down the Engineers loaded the bases on a pair of singles and a hit batter. Sophomore John Drago (Peoria, Ariz.) was then hit to bring in the first run of the frame. Tew was also plunked to bring in a run before Cornwell capped the inning with a two-run single back up the middle.

Junior Alan Wang (Paoli, Pa.) started for MIT and gave up just three hits over the first five innings, keeping the Wesleyan bats in check. MIT put another run on the board in the fifth when Tew was again hit, coming around to score on a double from Cornwell. Wesleyan (21-8) finally got a run across against Wang in the sixth, getting consecutive doubles to start the inning from senior Donnie Cimino (Westwood, N.J.) and junior Guy Davidson (New York, N.Y.) 

MIT answered that run when Cornwell belted his third double of the contest in the seventh, scoring freshman Austin Filiere (Chandler, Ariz.) who had reached on a single to make it 7-1. The two teams then traded runs again over the next two half innings, with Wesleyan getting an RBI single from Cimino in the seventh and MIT answering in the eighth when junior Kendall Helbert (St. Louis, Mo.) made it 8-2 with an RBI single through the left side. 

The Cardinal made it interesting in the eighth inning, scoring three unearned runs. With two on and two down, an error allowed the first run of the inning to score before a hit batter loaded the bases. Junior Marco Baratta (Tenafly, N.J.) came up with the big two-out hit for Wesleyan, singling to right to score a pair of runs. 

That would be it for the Cardinal, however, as senior Rob Bertucci (Belleville, Ill.) struck out the final batter to end the eighth before freshman Garrett Greenwood (Edmond, Okla.) came on to pitch the ninth. He gave up a single and a walk to start the inning, but came back to get a strikeout and then a double-play ball to end it and record the save.

Wang picked up the win for MIT, going six innings and allowing just one run on five hits. Filiere joined Cornwell as Engineers with multiple hits, finishing 2-for-4 and scoring twice. Cimino and senior Sam Goodwin-Boyd (Florence, Mass.) each had 2-for-4 days to lead Wesleyan's offense.

MIT will play again tomorrow, hosting Rhode Island College at Briggs Field starting at 4:00 p.m. Wesleyan is back in action on Friday, hosting Hamilton in the first game of a three-game home NESCAC West series.