CAMBRDIGE, Mass. – A six-run uprising in the sixth inning by Eastern Connecticut State University was enough to carry the Warriors past MIT, 9-3, in non-conference baseball action at Briggs Field this afternoon. Junior Tim Budd (Cheshire, Conn.) drove in four runs to lead the offense for Eastern Connecticut. Senior Parker Tew (Chapel Hill, N.C.) had four hits for the Engineers, including a home run and a double.

After three scoreless innings MIT (9-4) broke out on top with a pair of runs in the fourth. Tew led off and parked his fourth home run of the season over the left field fence. The Engineers then loaded the bases with no outs on a pair of singles and a walk for senior Karl Sorensen (Blacksburg, Va.) who drove in the second run with an infield single. Eastern Connecticut (7-9) starter, senior Tyler Cyr (Bristol, Conn.), escaped further damage when set down the final two hitters on a strikeout and a lineout. 

MIT starter, freshman Kyler Kocher (Mesa, Ariz.), cruised through the first five innings, allowing just two hits to the Warriors. In the sixth, however, he ran into trouble when he gave up a walk and a single that put runners on the corners with one down for senior Joe Perez (North Branford, Conn.) who put Eastern Connecticut on the board with a single to right. The Warriors then loaded the bases for Budd, who delivered two runs with his hit up the middle. An error allowed two more runs to score before senior Kyle Hart (Guilford, Conn.) completed the uprising with a run-scoring infield single.

The Warriors tacked on three more in the seventh, with Budd driving in another pair with a double to right. MIT got one back in the bottom half of the inning when junior Nate Rodman (Corvallis, Ore.) drove a pitch through the left side for a one-out RBI single.

Perez and Budd were the only two players with multiple hits for Eastern Connecticut, with Perez going 2-for-4 with a pair of runs scored and Budd finishing with a 2-for-5 day. Tew finished 4-for-5 for MIT, with Rodman, Sorensen, and freshman Garrett Greenwood (Edmund, Okla.) all picking up a pair of hits for the Engineers.

Sophomore Ron Buchetto (Clinton, Conn.), who came in to pitch for Cyr in the fifth, picked up the win, going 1.1 innings and giving up a pair of hits and a run. Freshman Hunter Hamlin (Mansfield, Conn.) threw a scoreless inning of relief for the Warriors, with junior Patrick O'Neill (Thomaston, Conn.) tossing a pair of scoreless innings to finish up. Kocher went five innings for MIT, giving up four hits and three runs. Junior Eric Tu (San Roman, Calif.) finished up for the Engineers, allowing just one hit over 2.2 innings of work.

MIT will move back to New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play tomorrow when they take on WPI at the New England Baseball Complex in Northboro starting at 3:30 p.m. Eastern Connecticut will play again on Thursday when they travel to Manhattanville for a for a 3:30 p.m. start.