CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Trailing 4-0, Babson College scored nine times in the top of the six and never trailed again as the Beavers won a 16-13 slugfest over MIT in the final game of a three-game New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Baseball Tournament semifinal.  With the win Babson advances to the finals next week against Wheaton College. 

Much like the first game of the series, MIT (20-13) was in control early. The Engineers scored single runs in the first, second, fourth and fifth, highlighted by a solo home run in the fourth by senior Kendall Helbert (St. Louis, Mo.). On the mound, sophomore Will Loucks (Las Vegas, Nev.) scattered four hits over the first five innings to keep Babson (24-14-1) off the board. 

In the sixth Loucks ran into trouble when the Beavers loaded the bases with no outs on a single, a hit batter, and a catcher's interference call. An infield single by Adam Ayala (Franklin Lakes, N.J.) brought in the first run and knocked Loucks out of the game. Senior George Crowley (Watertown, Mass.) then greeted the MIT bullpen with a two-run single to center, opening the floodgates. With two away junior Jack Halpin (Glastonbury, Conn.) capped the nine-run uprising with a three-run home run to right for a 9-4 Babson lead.

Babson and MIT both scored a pair of runs in the seventh, before the Beavers pushed their lead to 10 runs with five more in the eighth. Babson loaded the bases on a single and a pair of walks to start the inning. One out later Crowley drove a pitch over the fence in right for a grand slam before a double from junior Jake Weiss (Irvine, Calf.) brought home another to make it 16-6.

MIT did not go away quietly, and answered the Babson eighth with three runs of its own. Junior John Drago (Peoria, Ariz.) followed a leadoff single with a run-scoring double to start things, with senior Nate Rodman (Corvallis, Ore.) and sophomore Max Lancaster (Attleboro, Mass.) later driving in runs to cut the deficit to seven.

After holding Babson off the board in the ninth, MIT made a bid at a dramatic comeback when it started the inning with three straight singles to load the bases. With one down the Engineers picked up back-to-back-to-back run scoring singles from sophomore Austin Filiere (Chandler, Ariz.), senior Alex Echevarria (Chula Vista, Calif.) and Rodman. A sac fly by Lancaster made it 16-13 before sophomore David Heller (Fair Lawn, N.J.) drew a walk to load the bases and bring Helbert to the plate as the winning run. He came close to bringing MIT all the way back, driving a pitch deep to left, but foul. He then flied out to right to end the threat and the game. 

Crowley finished with a 2-for-5 day and drove in six runs for Babson, with Halpin driving in three and Weiss two to account for 11 of the Beaver's runs. Filiere had three hits, including a two-run home run, and drove in three for MIT, with Rodman also bringing home three runs.

Babson will move on to the NEWMAC Championship series, a best of three set that will open with a doubleheader at Wheaton on Saturday, May, 7 at Noon. MIT will play again on Tuesday, May 3, hosting Wesleyan University at 4:00 p.m.