THE BASICS:
 
- Records: MIT (8-14-1, 3-4 NEWMAC); Wheaton College (13-10, 4-3 NEWMAC)
 
- Scores: MIT 8, Wheaton College 6
 
- Location: Cambridge, Mass. (Fran O'Brien Field)
 
- The Lead: Behind an excellent start from junior pitcher Graham Cartwright (La Jolla, Calif.) and three hits each from first-year Malachi Soqui (Castaic, Calif.) and senior Nick Aiello (Freehold, N.J.), the MIT baseball team defeated Wheaton College by an 8-6 final on Friday afternoon.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED:
 
- Both teams scored single runs in the first, including a double down the left field line by junior Jake Sonandres (Torrance, Calif.) that scored sophomore Teddy Schoenfeld (Boulder, Colo.) to tie the game at 1-1. The Engineers took the lead at 3-1 in the second as Aiello scored on a Schoenfeld sacrifice fly and junior Erik Anderson (Palos Verdes, Calif.) scored an unearned run.
 
- In the third, Nick Croteau homered to right on the first pitch of the inning to pull within 3-2 and the Lyons loaded the bases in the top of the fourth to threaten to take the lead. Cartwright worked out of the jam though as he struck out Croteau swinging to end the threat.
 
- After sophomore Michael Finch (Brentwood, Tenn.) led off and was hit by a pitch, Soqui launched a two-run homer to right to extend MIT's lead out to 5-2. After an RBI single from Jake Studley scored Mike Maher to make it a 5-3 game, the Engineers seemingly got out of the inning with a groundout to short for the third out. The Lyons appealed the call though and the call was reversed as AJ Guindon scored on the play before first-year Ajinkya Gundaria (Alpharetta, Ga.) induced a popout to second to end the inning.
 
- MIT added an insurance run in the seventh on an Aiello double to left center that scored Jake Sonandres, along with two more runs in the eighth on RBI's by Jake Sonandres and Soqui that made it an 8-4 game.
 
- The Lyons loaded the bases behind two walks and a single to left in the ninth as sophomore Saketh Gabbita (Ashburn, Va.) came on for the Engineers for the save opportunity. Guindon singled through the left side to score Drew Spirito for the 8-5 margin and cut the lead to just two as Amedeo Ucci scored on an error. Studley came back to the plate with a chance to put Wheaton back in front for the first time since the first inning before Gabbita forced a groundout to short to end the game for the 8-6 final.
 
INSIDE THE NUMBERS:
 
- MIT outhit Wheaton by a narrow 13-12 margin behind three hits each by Soqui and Aiello, along with two from junior Kyle Sonandres (Torrance, Calif.). Studley finished 3-for-5 for the Lyons, while Guindon and Maher also had two hits each.
 
- Cartwright improved to 3-2 overall as he went five innings, scattering six hits with seven strikeouts and two runs allowed. Gabbita picked up his first career save with a scoreless ninth.
 
- Gavin Reily went 6.1 innings for the Lyons, allowing 11 hits and six runs with three strikeouts and no walks.
 
UP NEXT:
 
- MIT is back in action on Saturday, April 16th as the Engineers travel to Wheaton College for NEWMAC doubleheader beginning at Noon.
 
STAY CONNECTED:
 
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